Accordion v concertina reeds keeping in tune

[Neil Thornock]

Which types of reeds keep in tune longer: concertina or accordion? Or is it a wash? I've read through a few threads on accordion vs. concertina reeds but it's information overload for such a specific question.

[Alex West]

I could be mean and say that accordions are out of tune by design so no-one notices when they're out. I speak from experience having played in many sessions in Aberdeen with 1 or 2 fiddlers and umpteen accordion players.

 

See the thread on reed tuning to see Dave Elliot's thoughts on the perceptions of concertina in-tune-ness.  Again from experience, concertinas can be way out and still playable in sessions. As an aside, I've a concertina here at the moment which is over 100 years old, hasn't been tuned since the day it was born, spent a long time in America and still plays acceptably in-tune (albeit in old pitch)

 

Alex West

[Neil Thornock]

Thanks Alex.

 

I'm referring to hybrid concertinas that use accordion reeds, vs those with concertina reeds, rather than accordions vs concertinas in general.

 

100 years is a pretty long haul!

[Chris Ghent]

There is no reason I can think of why either reed type should go out of tune more quickly than the other.

[Neil Thornock]

Thanks Chris, sounds reasonable.