Crabb anglo - A few problems

[fleadh322]

Hi. I have just bought a Crabb anglo and have a few issues with it. The high f natural/g button is getting stuck every time on the pull. When I press in my low d on the f/d button it makes a funny noise on the pull. My low c and low e buttons on the push take a while to respond. Some air can be heard before the sound is heard. On my b button the sound is breaking a bit. It sounds like a lot of problems but I'm sure they're only minor. I would open it myself only I don't have a clue about fixing concertinas. Do I need to get it repaired or is it something I could fix with some guidance? Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

[Dirge]

Hi. I have just bought a Crabb anglo and have a few issues with it. The high f natural/g button is getting stuck every time on the pull. When I press in my low d on the f/d button it makes a funny noise on the pull. My low c and low e buttons on the push take a while to respond. Some air can be heard before the sound is heard. On my b button the sound is breaking a bit. It sounds like a lot of problems but I'm sure they're only minor. I would open it myself only I don't have a clue about fixing concertinas. Do I need to get it repaired or is it something I could fix with some guidance? Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

The standard first comment I think everyone agrees on at this point is buy Dave Elliot's book; you need to be able to do the simple stuff yourself, and it's not rocket science.

 

Sticky button? Broken spring maybe. Buy one from David leese and fit it yourself. Easy. (if that's the right diagnosis.) The pad hooking up on the next door one when you play them in a particular order is another likely; needs a slight tweak to the lever. Also easy.

 

Funny noise? Fluff in the reed, or reed loose in its slot. Easy.

 

The B button; without an idea of what you can hear harder to guess but maybe the tongue has moved in its slot? Slightly more nerve wracking but still easy.

 

Slow notes with air sounding, Order new valves from David L and change the valves. Do the lot while you're there, they probably need it. Easy as long as you don't smear glue over EVERYTHING.

 

See what I mean? Get the book, that'll tell you how to tackle all this and Dave 'holds your hand' as you go.

 

Or you could get it generally overhauled the first time to get it all right and THEN start following Dave's book. If it's up together it shouldn't be too pricey. That's how I usually approach it.

[wes]

sweet you have a Crabb, i have one too. it's good for anyone giving advice to know the age of the instrument. time has effect on natural materials. good advice you've gotten so far, but to analyze without having the instrument in hand is really just a guess. if i were new to concertina and repair, i would have someone of good reputation take a look and set it up right. That might cost you a fair amount, but if it's a newer Crabb, maybe not so much. There is a huge database here if you want to try it yourself, and yes, get the David Elliot book first.

w.

Edited January 22, 2012 by wes

[wes]

edit changes.

Edited January 22, 2012 by wes

[hjcjones]

The nature of concertinas is that from time to time you need to make small adjustments and repairs and you shouldn't be frightened of this. Don't be frightened of opening up the concertina to take a look. Once you've looked inside you'll probably find that many of these problems are obvious, and easily fixed.

 

DON'T try to take the reeds apart! However it's OK to remove them from their slots in the reedpan, and if they're buzzing or making a weak sound because of a speck of dirt of fluff this is easily cleaned with a thin piece of paper.

 

When you come to reassemble it, make sure you put the bolts back in the same holes and don't overtighten them. You'll need to make sure which way round the reedpan fits when you put it back, but it should only comfortably fit in one way. Often a previous owner or even the maker will have made pencil marks to help line it up..

 

Dave's book is certainly worth getting, whether or not you intend to carry out any serious repairs.

[Chris Ghent]

As I understand it and it mostly seems to work like this; the standard way of determining reedpan rotation is to line up the instrument or batch number on the pan with the instrument or batch number on the bellows. These in turn line up with the corner or face of the action box that has the cartouche with the makers name.

 

Sometimes informal marks have been added by people who are unaware of this system, and occasionally they are needed as the system itself has not been adherred to.

 

Chris