Baffles In Jacky Or Stagi

[Bob Lusk]

Has anyone ever tried baffles in less expensive instruments like the Jack/Jacky or Stagi?

 

I'm really enjoying the sound in my Lachenel (sp?) since I put in leather baffles. People had been complaining that my instrument was too loud, so aside from just playing softer at sessions, I added the baffles and am very happy at the result.

 

I have a couple of less expensive instruments around - don't have a burning desire to get into any more projects right away, but was curious if anyone has tried this.

 

Thanks,

Bob Lusk

[Bruce Thomson]

Bob - What kind of leather baffles did you use, positioned where? How thick leather, what type?

 

I put tape over the outside of my Stagi tenor-treble 56 key, but it just made it sound bleaty and cheap.

So I use earplugs each (daily) practice, but I'd like it to be quieter and mellower rather than 'bright.

 

Do you think glueing soft leather on the insides of the end pieces would be worthwhile? If it would fit, and with holes for the buttons.

 

Currently I'm really enjoying replacing the Stagi buttons with my own, extruded HDPP plastic forced through an ordinary 5mm hole in a bolt held over the stove gas element.

 

Bruce Thomson in New Zealand.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Bruce Thomson

[Wolf Molkentin]

Doesn't the common Stagi have this silvery-looking material behind the fretwork anyways? of the oven-cloth type I seem to recall...

[Łukasz Martynowicz]

I do use very straightforward and cheap solution with my Elise. I just put some thin foam sheet in the "fretwork" and it dampens the volume significantly (around 15-20 dB), with only a slight effect on the tone. One important thing - each such "insert" must be cut roughly enough for the air to leak slightly through each of the existing fretwork holes. To tight fitting will cause the reeds respond poorly and sound weak. The added bonus of such baffles is that there is less air consumption, so it is easier to play rich harmonies with the small bellows the Elise has. But be warned: as this is of course a fully reversible process it does teach you different habits (you won't be able to play some tunes with same belows direction phrasing with and without the baffles)

[Bob Lusk]

This article by Bob Haskings www.concertina.com/gaskins/baffles/ was a big help. Bob was trying to reduce volume on the left side of a McCann concertina, but his technique can be used to sweeten the sound of concertinas without reducing volume. The object is to change the tone, rather than reduce volume. I ordered the material from the button box. It is a high quality white goatskin, which seems to be the material of choice these days. Originally they used pine or spruce and then later silk. I think other materials have been used. Aside from gaps around the buttons, you also need gaps around the outside edges. And the baffle is held off the fretwork by 1-3 cm using double sided foam tape. So again, it reduces the strident quality of the concertina, but does not affect volume much as long as you leave largish gaps for the air to circulate.

 

Fretwork liner material is different. It is the same material used on acoustic speaker grills, again supposedly acoustically neutral, although I have found it affects volume a little at least on accordions.

 

Thinking more about my original question, I guess accordion reeded instruments are less strident to begin with, so I'm not sure what baffles would do to the sound.

 

Bob