LR71
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Posts posted by LR71
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Per advice here I attempted to lighten the springs on my Wheatstone. For my first attempt at the LH I didn't really make much of a difference, and I somehow managed to get things back together.
This morning I worked on the RH, and bent the springs a good deal more. Then I attempted to put it all back together. And attempted again. And attempted again. And attempted again. And attempted again. And attempted again. And attempted again. And attempted again.
How in God's name does anybody does this in a timely fashion, if the buttons just keep falling over? After endlessly trying to keep things in line with sticks, long drill bits, holding it upside down, holding it sideways, starting at this end, starting at that end. Eventually I figured out that a higher work table is a big factor. And what eventually worked was just shoving a 6" drill bit around, attempting to make contact with...something...hoping I wasn't horking a pallet in the process.
Of course, I'd get close to finishing, 28 buttons, and one simply didn't seem to be there. And I'd wonder, ha, maybe it fell over or came off the lever. How hilarious! 😠 Then I'd get it all together, and what do you know! Two buttons were stuck by their bushing. Eventually I figured out how to fix that - lift things up very carefully, then shove troublesome button down until bushing is back where it belongs.
I spent about 30 minutes actually messing with springs, and 2 hours trying to get everything back together. This was one of the most aggravating/frustrating/off-putting jobs I've ever done with a musical instrument, and I used to make my own uilleann pipes reeds.
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I'm in the US, NW corner. PM with offers.
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Thanks Chris. I found this super helpful post of yours detailing what to do.
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Thanks for the advice, Wally!
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My 1936 Linota has a modern replacement riveted action, but it's too heavy for my liking. What's a ballpark estimate on the cost of having it set lighter? It's definitely heavier than my Kensington or Jeffries Duet. Dana sets his buttons at 40 grams, as I recall. These being small metal buttons instead of wide delrin on the Kensington playing the Wheatstone isn't very enjoyable.
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Thanks, Stephen. The LINOTA stamp on mine is hard to read, on others I imagine it's barely visible by now. I hadn't even bothered to check - I figured Linotas all had metal ends. I was interested to see a comment from you in 2004 that
QuoteThe prices, and models, changed very little in the period we are talking about (they didn't have the kind of inflation we now take for granted), but cheaper construction/materials started to be used from about 1936 onwards.
I wonder if mine is from this subpar era. I certainly like its sound, but it's kind of a chore to play, despite having a replacement action.
On page 1 of that 19 year old thread you typed out a price list with the model numbers; these Horniman folks should really hang around here more!
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Mine is 34305. I'm truly puzzled why the ledgers website doesn't have every scrap of info in the world by now...
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I'm still confused, the only pricelists close to my 1936 are from 1910/1947 and just mention Class A or Class 4A, nothing about 55/R.
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I figured 55 shillings would be off the mark. Sounds like documenting what all these codes are would make for a worthy collaborative project here.
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I found my 30 button 1936 anglo - I was interested to see that it's a week older than my mother, RIP. On its entry it says 55|R. Rosewood, I assume, was 55 the sales price?
Why doesn't the ledger page have an index for all these terms?
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He trained in Castlefidaro. Box players tell me he's quite good. He's not set up with all of the kit for working on 'tinas, no, but I just want a couple of reeds swapped around. Anyway, it seems that's almost certainly unfeasible anyway:
QuoteFrank, I agree with you that the chambers and slots for the RH side accidental row (draw) reeds of a Wheatstone Linota are not big enough to allow you to move the original reeds around, to get the Jeffries system. On the draw RH side a Wheatstone 30 key has eb, g, bb, eb, f whereas the Jeffries has c#, eb, g, bb, d -- bigger reeds in each comparable chamber and slot.
From this thread. So I'll probably just have my guy convert it to C#/C# with blob of solder.
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I could,but then I'd lose the D#, I like having that note on tap. I was hoping someone familiar with Wheatstones could tell me if the reeds could easily be exchanged. I've an accordion repairman nearby who would work on it. He fixed a couple of wobbly notes on my Jeffries duet.
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On 8/25/2022 at 9:17 AM, Jewish Leprechaun said:
I ran into a situation recently where I had to have some reeds swapped around on a Jeffries that had a Wheatstone layout. I typically play Jeffries layout, but in an effort to minimize modifications to both reed and reed plan, the changes made were subtle. I swapped the C#/D# (push/pull) to D#/C# fortunately the reed frames were the same size.
This gives me hope, I have a Wheatstone and want the C#/D# notes in the 2nd octave reversed. Should I be able to simply have the reeds swapped? It's a 30s instrument.
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On 4/13/2023 at 8:13 PM, Notemaker said:
Thanks for the post. BTW which Suttner is cheaper than what ever you are comparing it to? Last I looked his prices are up 4.5 K USD and over.
Thanks.
That was quick, last year when I made my spreadsheet attempting to document prices from makers who use traditional reeds Suttner still offered a model - probably the A2 - at €3,530. Now they're at €4,300. Which is the same as the Eirú Gold, the ICC's top of the line. Guess it's inflation at work.
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A friend is about to get one of their instruments, with concertina reeds. I'm excited to hear the thing too. That's really great playing and tone from the one Abigail has in the video! She really makes the Oak Tree sound like nothing, that bass section still is beyond me.
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Wow, a Jeffries knockoff. Were those common? I don't remember reading about them in the big article on the firm. And the stamps they used always looked quality, unlike the merely functional one seen here, aside from too many folds in the bellows. Still...being a copy of everyone's favorite company will it only sell for £2k or something? 🙄
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I've been playing Anglo (Irish music) for a bit over a year and after a few months I started to get pains in random fingers. Ice/putting the thing down for a while/playing a bit more gently/not playing for hours on end seemed to help, for a while, but I'd always get aches again. Which finger would sting seemed pretty random. Strange to say but when they'd act up I could pick up the button box and start in, and it would mostly feel fine.
Yesterday it occurred to me that maybe I was pushing buttons like you do on the box - flattish - and what's the point of doing that on the concertina? It's not like we slide from button to button. And sure enough, making sure my fingers were pointed straight down meant that all of sudden the aches and pains are gone, and I'm finding it easier to work the G row, too.
On his instructional tape/DVD John Williams mentions only pushing from one side as a fault of box players who try and play the concertina, and perhaps this is another. Hope it's of interest.
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I bought mine 3rd hand about a year ago and Dana honored the final tune up guarantee, too as well as swapping a reed. I live to your south, Joe, and have gotten many compliments on the Kensington's oh so sweet tone. I also have a Jeffries duet and really like Dana's going for a tone equal parts between Jeffries and Wheatstone.
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Ah, no low Bb, that'd be missed as well. Maybe some new reeds could be made to fill in these gaps - I wouldn't want to retune the originals. By the time you're done it might cost as much as a 30 key Jeffries in the first place, of course...thanks for all the details!
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Thanks, Stephen. Answers that question, that for sure wouldn't be worth the trouble. Am I right about which buttons are most likely missing?
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Well, it's this lovely Jeffries Barleycorn are selling. I'm showing my hand by mentioning it, I guess...what a steal, only £3300! That's interesting, that Lachenals had extra room in there. Is the same true of Wheatstone or Jeffries?
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I have my eye on an antique 26 key, and while I wouldn't much miss the low E/F and could live with just pull C# but not push, I'd kinda miss the 3rd octave d note, and definitely the middle G#/Bb. Would it be possible to add these notes - are there empty reed pans in there which could be put to use? Or would you need to build a new pan - which would probably mean you'd just as well buy a 30 key instrument and call it good.
For that 3rd octave d you could always retune the 3rd octave e, too. There aren't really any solutions that come to mind for the missing G#/Bb. Well, assuming those notes are missing in the first place - I'm actually not sure.
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They cost less, though, excepting the cheapest Suttner. Was the playability almost as good?
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That first side was reissued by Rounder back in the 90s, sans the wall of needle scratches. The other one I have too. Other sides I found at the Comhaltas Archives, with their irritating little meep meep audio watermarks.
It'd be great to have the booklet of course, but mostly I just want to hear him play, and this music is about as out of copyright as can be.
Reassembling action box
in Instrument Construction & Repair
Posted
I kept envisioning something like a popsicle stick with half moons cut it into it, that you could hold the buttons in place with, and then remove when you're done. Anything has to be better than endlessly fidgeting with these things.
By pushing around I'd pushed on the bushing around those buttons, and then when everything was in place the buttons were pushing the bushing out of the hole, so I had to work and get the bushing back down where it belonged. Hope that makes sense.