Bastari Hayden button fixed

[DaveRo]

When I took the end off my recently-acquired secondhand Peacock I found a toothpick. It was still in it's cellophane packet. 

 

Too short for button-jiggling - I too used a meat skewer for that.

[Jim Bayliss]

Glad to hear you're getting some good use out of the Bastari duet.  I've also used plastic covered wire cut from clothes hangers and appropriately sized thin dowels or the equivalent to get buttons lined up.   

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

That' s really amusing way of repairing your concertinas! Toothpick?

Wire?  And I thought my own adaptions to my stagi made Hohner branded one was enough at the time, but at least it does not show externally!!

[David Barnert]

3 hours ago, Jim Bayliss said:

Glad to hear you're getting some good use out of the Bastari duet.  I've also used plastic covered wire cut from clothes hangers and appropriately sized thin dowels or the equivalent to get buttons lined up.   

Good to hear from you, Jim. Are you saying you use the wire and dowels on the Bastari’s buttons? On mine they’d fall right over unless I was actively supporting each button with the props at the same time. I don’t think there’s any workable alternative than to use gravity and lower the buttons upside-down into the holes. The wire/dowels approach would seem to work with the Wheatstone, whose buttons are more likely to stay where you put them unless you knock into them while trying to straighten another button. 😖

[David Colpitts]

Hi, Jim. I can imagine having used some thinner tool (like light wire) and saved a couple of attempts, even upside down.  But, as David B. says, upside down is the only way to do it, at least on our old Bastaris.

 

[David Barnert]

45 minutes ago, David Colpitts said:

...at least on our old Bastaris.

 

Jim has (or at least “had”) a Bastari 46-key Hayden when I met him at an early Squeeze-In many years ago. I remember him playing a neat arrangement of “Georgy Girl” on it.

[David Colpitts]

Yes, indeed.  Jim has since divested himself of a full pair of Bastari Haydens; one playable to some lucky pilgrim, and one for parts/repair, to me.  As I figure it, David, you and I between us have about 10% of the world's complement of that first-edition Bastari Hayden!  In fact, I was imagining having to take parts from the "parts machine" until I realized nothing was really broken or missing on my playable one.  And, Jim or David, any extant copy of that Georgy Girl recording?

[Jim Bayliss]

On 5/13/2022 at 7:55 AM, David Colpitts said:

On 5/13/2022 at 7:55 AM, David Colpitts said:

Yes, indeed.  Jim has since divested himself of a full pair of Bastari Haydens; one playable to some lucky pilgrim, and one for parts/repair, to me.  As I figure it, David, you and I between us have about 10% of the world's complement of that first-edition Bastari Hayden!  In fact, I was imagining having to take parts from the "parts machine" until I realized nothing was really broken or missing on my playable one.  And, Jim or David, any extant copy of that Georgy Girl recording?

 

I'll make a recording and will let you know when it's on my YouTube channel.  Thanks for your interest.  

[David Barnert]

1 hour ago, Jim Bayliss said:

I'll make a recording and will let you know when it's on my YouTube channel.  Thanks for your interest.  

 

Wow. I just looked through Jim’s YouTube channel. Nice playing, Jim, and David C, there’s a lot of stuff there I think you’ll be interested in.

[David Colpitts]

Yes, indeed....great playing, Jim, and thanks, David for the link to Jim's YouTube channel.  It's good to have inspirational role models such as the two of you!

[Jim Bayliss]

I agree that upside down is the way to replace the endplates on the Bastari.  It's been a long time since I did that.  The dowels and wires have been useful for me on Wheatstones and my Wakkers to keep the buttons straight for upright endplate replacement.

[David Barnert]

On 5/13/2022 at 8:55 AM, David Colpitts said:

And, Jim or David, any extant copy of that Georgy Girl recording?

On 5/15/2022 at 7:40 PM, Jim Bayliss said:

I'll make a recording and will let you know when it's on my YouTube channel.  Thanks for your interest.  

 

I just had occasion to revisit this thread two years later. Here’s Jim’s promised video:

 

 

[David Colpitts]

Thanks, David, and of course, Jim.  I have been otherwise occupied and paying less attention here....Nice work!

[David Colpitts]

Hello, All.  Spent some time on my "spare" Bastari Hayden yesterday; mostly because my explorations last year left it apart in pieces, and I have been playing the other one so much lately that I really wanted to determine what was up with the "parts" model, so's to (perhaps) make it playable as a real spare instrument, and not to part it out as needed.  While at it, I have found what is (for me, at least) the easiest way to get all those floppin' buttons back into the metal ends:  LIE DOWN!  That saved my neck, and made it so simple....might have still taken as many tried (thought I think not) but no pain, and closer visuals than standing or sitting up with my Hayden overhead.  Also, easier to make the whole thing level/parallel to the floor, which is almost essential to simple realignment.

That done, I can actually sort of play it!  A couple of flatulent notes, a valve or six shot, a tired spring....nothing monumental, but MISSING 2 BUTTONS and their immediate shafts. Are they called "pistons?"  Does anybody have a box full of old Bastari/Stagi buttons from which they might sell off a pair?  I can rig something up from scratch, but my guess is much easier to use an old pair if available.

And, also discovered, to my surprise, that the reed plates are screwed in and not waxed in.  I don't remember if the daily player is that way too, but I like the idea for maintenance and repair.  Are the others screwed in?

 

All information will be greatly appreciated, and never ever sold!

[xgx]

'   flatulent notes ...'   ... made I larf,    

 

Trumps any previous descriptions ...

[David Barnert]

12 hours ago, David Colpitts said:

And, also discovered, to my surprise, that the reed plates are screwed in and not waxed in.  I don't remember if the daily player is that way too, but I like the idea for maintenance and repair.  Are the others screwed in?

 

Mine are screwed.

[David Colpitts]

Thanks, David.  Do you think it's better, as it seemed to me?

[David Barnert]

21 hours ago, David Colpitts said:

And, also discovered, to my surprise, that the reed plates are screwed in and not waxed in.  I don't remember if the daily player is that way too, but I like the idea for maintenance and repair.  Are the others screwed in?

9 hours ago, David Barnert said:

 

Mine are screwed.

7 hours ago, David Colpitts said:

Thanks, David.  Do you think it's better, as it seemed to me?

 

I’ve never really thought about it, and have nothing to compare it to, never having played an instrument with waxed reed plates.