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larten27

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Everything posted by larten27

  1. Hello all! I recently bought myself a 30 button C/G concertina from gear4music and the coveted Concertina in the Harmonic Style by Gary Coover which has been great so far. I have however hit my first major snag. I was having a crack at For Ireland I'd not tell her name, got to the 3rd bar/measure and no matter what I try I always run out of air before I can start bar 5. I make sure to pull the bellows beforehand as much as possible to maximise air. I tried playing slow and quiet but then I go too slow and the reeds don't sound. It's very frustrating but I don't want to give up so soon on my learning journey. Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated
  2. OP here with an update. I bungled it. Well kinda. The reed I talk about in the images above is now sounding at a point where I don't want to risk messing it up any more. The issue lies in the reed that was buzzing awfully because it was hitting the plate. Following a guide online I attempted to use a thin piece of metal to get it back into place but what happened instead was the reed twisting and developing a weak point which, after my not realising and carrying on, failed and broke the reed. (In the image you can see its rivet, I trimmed back the broken pieces) So now I need to either remove that rivet, somehow make a new reed, tune it to D¹ and fit it back to the plate OR Find and buy a replacement left hand F key plate.
  3. Thank you everyone for your input, all if it has been really helpful and will undoubtedly serve me well as I continue to work on this instrument
  4. You are 100% correct that is my mistake! These are the german plate style reeds more akin to harmonica reeds, not individually set shoes. I'm attaching 2 images. The reed I'm focusing on for now is the one closest to the camera in both shots, it sounds but quietly and with some delay. I have been trying to adjust the height of the reed tip from the plate which has yielded some small results, coming from a reed which barely sounded at all. The issue I then face is the body of the reed no longer running parallel, being ever so slightly bowed in places.
  5. So with the instrument I'm currently working on (see my last post) I'm having some trouble with a few reeds. At least 2 of the reeds struggle to sound, almost as if they need time to get going when the bellows are being moved, and at least one reed buzzing because it's hitting the reed pan. I've got a rough idea of how to stop the buzzing reed, If I'm careful I can hopefully move it to stop the collision, but I'm not sure what to do about the other reeds that struggle to produce a noise. The only way I can describe it is that it's like they need a run-up of air whereas they should just be sounding instantly. I'll attach pictures in an edit later on if that would help.
  6. Thanks for your reply! If this darling really is in the region of 150 years old I feel a bit bad for what I subjected the faces to in order to remove them. It would happen in the restoration process anyway but even then, to have to destroy such history :'(. I do hope I can bring this instrument back to glory from its dusty rusty self, I was amazed when I found out that nearly every reed is in tune! (Even if not all of them sound consistently) Bb/F is apparently its nature with a slightly melancholic tone that I can't quite describe.
  7. Hello again! Carrying on my habit of impulse purchases I bought a 2nd hand concertina from ebay and was hoping you kind folks could help me source its birth place. I did wonder if it was just a less crappy looking Scholer but it seems...nicer than my other model even it a bit dirty. I also found writing along the inside of one end frame which I will attach as well, since I couldn't really make out what it's meant to say. This feature is also absent on my scholer so I really hope it's not highly valued. (As I have already torn one end face to pieces. It would have had to happen anyway, one end face arrived missing). As an update to my last post: That scholer concertina, as awful as its reputation is, has now been semi restored by yours truly including replacement buttons for a few that had been lost, new hand straps and tuned reeds. It is now ready to be a birthday present for a budding enthusiast of the free reed instrument family.
  8. Which side of the reed plate is the draw and which is the push? Like does the air enter through the cavity behind the reed to sound it or vice versa. Just so I make sure I'm tuning the right reeds
  9. I see what you mean now aye, they're not individually set and I can't get at the inner set without taking out the whole strip. I'll do a bit more digging but I've not found anything on here yet about the actual tuning process, let alone a system like this. I still appreciate all the input you've given me!
  10. Thank you very much! Yeah those 2 bottom buttons had me confused before I remembered a chart I'd seen. Would you happen to know of any resources online that could guide me in tuning brass reeds? If I were to try I'd want to be as prepared as possible. Honestly I'm tempted to overhaul it completely, definitely new pads and maybe even build a new bellows (been doing a lot of reading on those too, the engineer in me finds them fascinating). Edit: It's only single reeded, the reeds are just fixed to the back of the action with one reed per note. So far I've not found anyone to work on my accordion, I got it second hand but I'm still looking.
  11. Hi there! This is my first post on this forum but not my first visit, so believe me I'm just as disappointed in myself for buying a wee 20 button Scholer as you will be. I own myself a lovely 48 bass piano accordion and wanted to branch out to other free reed instruments, my budget being what it is this Former German Republic model will do for now. Honestly it was bought as a bit of a project, having a broken strap (which I have already temporarily mended) and 2 missing buttons which should be easier to replace thanks to the cheaper wooden design. The daughter of a family friend has been envious of my accordion since I got it and I thought this would be a fine gift for her next birthday if I could get it presentable. The biggest issue I face is the notes themselves as I can't seem to figure out what keys the 2 rows of buttons are in. I won't kid myself into thinking this instrument will still be in tune after years of activity or lack thereof, but I hope enough of them are for someone to be able to help me. Using an online chromatic tuner I repeatedly tested each button on both the push and pull, to ensure as much accuracy as possible, and noted down the notes. I will attach an image of the results in the hopes that someone can help me figure out the key. (I will only be attaching the left hand notes as I presume that would be enough to identify the keys, but will happily post the right hand too if needed.) I'm not sure what I'll do for the reeds that are invariably out of tune, in my corner of Scotland I can't find a suitable shop and I certainly wouldn't want to try and tune them myself. I'll burn that bridge when I come to it though. Thank you in advance and I look forward to being a member of this fine community! ~Ethan
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