Frustration

[Geoff Wooff]

OUCH Marien!,

That sounds very nasty.

Some years ago, in County Clare, a lady came to me with serious out of tuning problems on her Jeffries..... She had been Busking at the Cliffs of Moher.... 700 feet above the roaring Atlantic Ocean. The reeds were encrusted with rust from the salty air and I do not think they ever recovered.

Another time- another climate; a certain gentleman, arriving at a Folk festival in Alice Springs (read 35-40° degrees Centigrade), jumped out of his car and greeted long lost friends, had a few drinks etc. Next morning, when he awoke, towards midday, there was a nice session happening close by. So, he retrieved his Paolo Soprani from his car and joined in the music. He lasted about two bars before many of his reeds came loose and fell into the bellows. The Beeswax which "sticks" and seals the reeds in situe had melted.

It must have been a puzzle putting it all back together.

 

Moral; never mind your dinner or your thirst or the romantic attachement you are busy trying to make..... guard your instrument. I think this is especially important for many of us who play "irreplaceable" instruments. Everybody gets attached to their instrument and to lose it or break it..... oh the tears.

Geoff.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Geoff Wooff

[tona]

After a late gig was tired and I left the instrument in the car only one night while it was freezing. So, inside the chambers, the temperature was decreasing. Water dew got on the reeds. Afterwards - unaware of this - I left it in the house in its closed case a couple of days. Result: corrosion and retuning!

 

Marien may feel lucky because someone could have reported this clear case of abuse to the CPA (Concertina Protection Association)

[catty]

I think the things are actually very tough...

...

...so long as they are not left alone and are played with some frequency, not exposed to any liquid (such as rain perhaps) or any pointy objects like auto keys or such...and neither pushed nor pulled without noting, nor to any excess at all...etc.

 

 

Moral; never mind your dinner or your thirst or the romantic attachement you are busy trying to make...

 

Oh my...the dear things truly are sensitive...

Edited June 22, 2010 by catty

[Marien]

Thanks Geoff.

After all it wasn't that nasty (compared to your Jeffries experience) and all reeds needed just a minimal change of pitch. The reeds are very clean now and have been tuned the proper way. It is not only the chord play but also the lovely sound of the sole reeds that ask for a perfect tuning. So it will not sleep in the car again, and if I'll visit the cliffs of Mohair I'll leave it in the car, eeer in the self catering...

[Hooves]

Hexagonal Coffin

 

Poor Little Concertina,

withering away in its box,

 

too vaulable to play,

too fragile to trust.

 

only an expert can mend it,

only a fool dare tinker with it -

 

fluterring reeds ready to bust,

stowed away and left to rust.

 

a golden paper weight,

a faberge ornament? -

 

yet, it cries:

 

of misuse or use,

with frustrated fingers abused,

 

till Charon oars it across the Styx -

"oh foul Chronus, leave my box be!"

 

beneath overcoats and tennis rackets,

the hexagonal coffin is stacked -

 

in the honeycomb mausoleum,

far from the sun, unseen by the moon.

[Dirge]

Dirge,

 

Jee, it must be WINTER in New Zealand...

 

 

That's why I got off the plane in Heathrow two days ago...(although, in honesty a Napier winter is nothing.)

 

 

My Crane Lachenal had to be retuned completely last winter - It was my own fault ( ). After a late gig was tired and I left the instrument in the car only one night while it was freezing. So, inside the chambers, the temperature was decreasing. Water dew got on the reeds. Afterwards - unaware of this - I left it in the house in its closed case a couple of days. Result: corrosion and retuning!

 

So, could your problem have anything to do with your winter? (extreme temperatures, winds, the rain season, sun burn, frost or other climate options???)

 

Best of luck,

Marien

 

No; it's not anything; it's not a problem at all; despite how half the posters seem to have interpreted the original post I don't have to touch the concertinas from one month to the next normally, otherwise I wouldn't be complaining about having to tinker because I would accept it as normal. It was just a one off huge annoyance (I hope).

 

My 72 plays better in high humidity; I'm pretty sure there's a slight warp on the reedpan that affects how some notes start when playing quietly; it's less of a pest when it's raining. One day I'll tackle that too.