Replacing a reed on a cheap concertina

[Kumatina]

Hi all,

 

while learning my Elise Duet I managed to get for 50€ an used cheap anglo 30-keys (the one from Gear4music) 'cause I wanted to try the system and to have something to play while sailing on the river with friends. I noticed after some time that one of the right-hand reeds broke (C5), first button in middle line push, and I was wondering how to replace it.

 

I'm buying the book "The Concertina Maintenance Manual" to challenge myself with some repairs and cleaning. Can anyone here help me recognize this types of reeds and/or have any suggestions for the task? if these are accordion reeds I was thinking of asking https://www.vociarmoniche.it/en for a single reed in tune - Idk if they provide this service but it's worth asking maybe.

 

any help is welcomed, thank you all in advance 

[Don Taylor]

These are (cheap Chinese) accordion reeds held in with accordion wax. 

 

Since you live in Italy, take it to an accordion repair shop and explain what you want.  They will almost certainly have a spare reed that will work for you, wax it back in and then fine tune it in place.

 

Dave Elliott's  repair manual does not cover accordion reeds. 

 

BTW. your Elise also has accordion reeds but these are held in with screws instead of wax.

[Kumatina]

yeah I know they are trashy but they will be sacrificed for fancy pirate gondola music (I live close to Venice). Thanks that's the confirmation I needed

Edited September 5, 2023 by Kumatina

[Richard Mellish]

A spare accordion reed block will have both reeds tuned to the same note, so you will need to explain to the repairer that you need two different notes.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

I was wondering if sometimes the reeds would be tuned to different note; if diatonic instrument were to be used ( one note in other out)?

[Richard Mellish]

Clarification: "accordion" to me implies piano accordion or 3- or 5-row chromatic. What some call a diatonic accordion I think of as a melodion. If an accordion repairer deals with the latter, then a reed plate with different notes should be no problem.

[Fanie]

Or you can order new reeds from Harmonikas.cz in the Czech Republic.

 

[Leah Velleman]

Hohner also sells individual reeds, including many with two different notes (for their diatonic button accordions in various keys). I imagine they'll have a B4/C5, since they sell boxes in C, but you'd have to check their website.