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Eb Silent - Intermittently


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Hello all,

The C# on the push always sounds, but the Eb pull is silent about half the time. This has been going on for a while, and just about the time I decide to take the end off - the Eb comes back sounding perfectly normal. Unfortunately that never lasts. I don't need it often, but Danny has inspired me with his lovely Mr. Beveridge's Maggot, so today's the day.

 

Any suggestions about what to look for before I proceed to remove the end?

Many thanks,

Molly

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Hi Molly - have you tried cleaning the reed? There could be a piece of lint that falls between the reed and the frame and stops the reed from moving freely in the frame. I use a piece of cigarette rolling paper (remember those?) for this - it's very thin and lint free.

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Hi Molly - have you tried cleaning the reed? There could be a piece of lint that falls between the reed and the frame and stops the reed from moving freely in the frame. I use a piece of cigarette rolling paper (remember those?) for this - it's very thin and lint free.

 

Thanks, David. That was first on my list to check when I got into the end, but while I was in there I wanted to check for any other probable causes. I'll take it one step at a time and let you know. Cheers,

Molly

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Hi Molly - have you tried cleaning the reed? There could be a piece of lint that falls between the reed and the frame and stops the reed from moving freely in the frame. I use a piece of cigarette rolling paper (remember those?) for this - it's very thin and lint free.

 

Thanks, David. That was first on my list to check when I got into the end, but while I was in there I wanted to check for any other probable causes. I'll take it one step at a time and let you know. Cheers,

Molly

 

 

OK; happy ending, I think.

 

Last time I had a stuck reed I ended up calling Bob Tedrow, and he suggested taking the problem reed out and reversing it; that often pushing air in the opposite direction would dislodge whatever was causing the problem. This solved that particular problem.

 

This morning I opened the box, took out the reed, did the usual check for foreign matter and then reversed the reed. Holding the concertina back together and depressing that first finger button both reeds sounded fine, but when I put it back properly the Eb was silent again. Maddening.

 

I had a look with a bright light to see if there was anything visable, noted that the edges were all free and pretty much equidistant from the pan (or whatever you call it) and gently flipped the reed a bit; put it back, and still no voice. So I called Bob.

 

After we went over what I'd already tried he suggested that I take a very thin knife blade and just nudge the reed slightly to one side. There actually had been an infinitesimal difference in the side margin. So I did that - and it now works. We'll see if it stays!

 

Thanks all, and thanks Bob.

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