Brodington Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Hello there, (my first post on this forum..) My wife has recently got her hands on a cheap and old anglo concertina. After i did some fixing of it she seems to be getting on ok with it with only a few issues. The main issue is that two of the notes do not sound and one is very, well er..., squeaky! Does any one have any advice for me as to how I can fix the bad reeds? Can I buy replacement ones anywhere? We have been to a couple of music shops looking to buy a fully working replacement but this one is the most comfortable for her hands due to it being small (and her having arthritis). Ideally I want to fix this one rather than replace it. All advice welcome and gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 The "squeaky" ones may not be bad reeds. Make sure that air is not leaking around them (instead of through them). THe ones that don't sound may have gunk caught in them. Hold them up to the light and see if you can see light all around the perimeter. If not, slide news paper or currency between the reed and the frame to try to clear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrence Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 From the picture it looks like an old Scholer. The bad news is that repairing reeds is a very touchy procedure and is best left up to professionals. David is correct above and some basic work can be CAREFULLY done by the owner, but anything more serious should be done by a professional. Since most of them aren't inexpensive the repairs might actually be more expensive than you paid for the concertina. The good news is that a Scholer concertina isn't too expensive to begin with. There are probably 4 or 5 on E-bay right now with prices between $45 and $125 (US). If you need you might buy a cheap Scholer and CAREFULLY swap parts until you have a working concertina. Terrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 (edited) Alexander Jones has four videos on Youtube where he dissects four different Scholers: Google for them. Edited June 2, 2013 by sjm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodington Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 Thanks for all the replies. It does look (inside at least) like the small Scholer from Alexander Jones video: http://youtu.be/88yCVla_Djg I have cleaned the reeds with paper as suggested and I have made some progress. It does seem a little hit and miss though. (Two that were not sounding now are and one that was sounding now isn't.... ) I will have another go at it and see if I can get all working. Does anyone know of a guide to doing this? I'm not sure how the reeds are meant to be sitting. I.e. flush with the surface? Slightly bent up or down? One of the reeds seems to be hitting the frame that it is set in. It is rattling against the frame as air is pushed through it. Not sure how I correct this. I also removed the small bits of leather, were they important? In have kept them so that I can stick back on if needed. Thanks again for your advice, sorry for my possibly novice questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAc Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I also removed the small bits of leather, were they important? In have kept them so that I can stick back on if needed. You removed the valves? Not a good idea... those will ensure that only one of the two reeds that belong to a button will sound on push and the other on pull. If you remove them, there'll only be one (probably rather dissonant because made up of two reeds vibrating) sound on push and pull... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrence Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 The book by David Elliott, "The Concertina Maintenance Manual" is really good, although it is directed at concertinas of a different make than yours. He especially has some very nice illustrations of traditional style reeds in frames. They don't sit level to the surface of the frame, but are raised slightly above the frame. They have to be "just so" as being too high or too low will cause the reed to not sound, sound weakly, or make a poor sound. The book is easy to find online for about $20 US give or take. Mr. Elliott suggests buying from the publisher directly, Mally Publishing.(www.mally.com). Off the top of my head I don't know of any links showing concertina reeds online. Someone else may know. No problem asking questions as far as I am concerned. I'm learning all of this that I can and am still a novice. Hope I'm helping. Terrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mglamb Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 (edited) . Edited August 10, 2013 by mglamb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I'm not sure how the reeds are meant to be sitting. I.e. flush with the surface? Slightly bent up or down? One of the reeds seems to be hitting the frame that it is set in. It is rattling against the frame as air is pushed through it. Not sure how I correct this. The reeds shouldn't quite be flush with the surface. Reeds meant to sound as the air flows downwards should be slightly above the surface, and reeds meant to sound as the air flows upward should be slightly below it. But in my experience, I find I'm as likely to break things as I am to fix them, when I'm messing with the set of the reeds. Good luck there! I also removed the small bits of leather, were they important? In have kept them so that I can stick back on if needed.You removed the valves? Not a good idea... those will ensure that only one of the two reeds that belong to a button will sound on push and the other on pull. If you remove them, there'll only be one (probably rather dissonant because made up of two reeds vibrating) sound on push and pull... I don't think that accurately characterizes the sound that will be produced. I'd expect a fairly clean sound, even if both reeds are somehow actuated together. That sounds counterintuitive, but there are situations where it happens in a harmonica. I think the damage you're likely to see from removing the valves is that it takes more air to operate the bellows. Notes will be slower to speak, or may fail to speak at all. My first suggestion for the reed that used to work and doesn't anymore is: put the valve back on, and see if that makes it any easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodington Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 This is directed at accordion reeds, but the basics are pretty much the same: http://www.accordionrevival.com/ACCORDION_REPAIR1.php#voicing_reeds Thanks for that this is a useful link. Might try again tonight... Any suggestions as to what I can glue the leather valves back on with? Might just try a tiny piece of double sided tape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mglamb Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) . Edited August 10, 2013 by mglamb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrence Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I tried to post this link earlier from our friends at Concertina Connection. http://www.concertinaconnection.com/concertina%20reeds.htm Great explanation with illustrations. Terrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodington Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 I tried to post this link earlier from our friends at Concertina Connection. http://www.concertinaconnection.com/concertina%20reeds.htm Great explanation with illustrations. Terrence That is great thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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