Annoying button click, finally gone

[Jody Kruskal]

My C. Jefferies Maker C/G has had an annoying click on the left hand button #4 E/F. It only happens when I tap the button hard, but I like to do that often and I've lived with this for many years now. I have a recording session tomorrow and decided to try once more to fix this click. It's a buzzy mechanical sound that lasts for some milliseconds, so I figured it might be the long end (2"+) of the lever vibrating.

 

Sure enough, problem solved... finally!

 

I attached a little strip of sticky backed soft foam to the inside of the metal end, just over the lever and pad. It's just thick enough to gently touch the lever as it rises and damps the vibration. The foam will probably fall off in a year or two but now that I've figured it out, replacement will be easy.

 

Just wanted to share with the only folks who care. Makes me want to play...

[Ardie]

My C. Jefferies Maker C/G has had an annoying click on the left hand button #4 E/F. It only happens when I tap the button hard...I attached a little strip of sticky backed soft foam to the inside of the metal end, just over the lever and pad. It's just thick enough to gently touch the lever as it rises and damps the vibration.

 

It sounds as if the problem is not vibrations but either the leather grummet (or similar) between lever and pad or the lever end itself hitting the metal end when tapping the button hard.Have you tried filing off a little on the grummet or lever end or replacing the grummet with a smaller one? A more lasting measure in such case.

[Doug Barr]

Hi Jody, and thanks for this fix. I am having the same problem with my RH C#/Eb button which is also quite long. I think I may try your fix and see if it works for me. Doug

[Jody Kruskal]

It sounds as if the problem is not vibrations but either the leather grummet (or similar) between lever and pad or the lever end itself hitting the metal end when tapping the button hard.Have you tried filing off a little on the grummet or lever end or replacing the grummet with a smaller one? A more lasting measure in such case.

Ardie, you might be right, but I doubt it. Visually, there appears to be a healthy gap between the all parts of the the lever assembly and the grill. Grommets aside, my fix would work for both contact and vibration being the problem. We'll see how long my foam strip hangs on.

[Jody Kruskal]

Hi Jody, and thanks for this fix. I am having the same problem with my RH C#/Eb button which is also quite long. I think I may try your fix and see if it works for me. Doug

 

Let us know how you get on with that.

[JohnEverist]

Hi Jody, and thanks for this fix. I am having the same problem with my RH C#/Eb button which is also quite long. I think I may try your fix and see if it works for me. Doug

 

Let us know how you get on with that.

 

FWIW about 4 years ago, Noel Hill found a similar sound (but hard to know without being there) on my then 3-4 yr old Dipper (Rosewood ends) by smacking a button really hard with his middle finger on his right hand with the bellows closed and then keeping the button down. He asked me if I had played it a lot (yes) and then said it was caused by a wearing in the hole where the rivet goes through the flattened part of the lever arm at the pivot point, and the buzz was the lever arm vibrating up and down against the rivet. The recommended fix was to take a needle nose pliers and gently squeeze the arm parallel to the rivet post at that point to "close up" the hole in the arm. I never did. I was able to make the noise happen when I wanted to, but it felt like I was abusing the instrument to do so. I certainly don't play that hard, and it never happens to me, no matter how lively the tune. I had sort of forgotten about it until I read this post. YMMV