Choosing between small Maccanns

[Bouleaux]

I've been looking at possibly purchasing one of two small Maccann Duets from Barleycorn, but I unfortunately won't be able to travel to the UK to try them out myself beforehand. One is a 46 button Wheatstone and the other a 55 button Lachenal. One of my priorities is to have as small and lightweight an instrument as possible, so I've accepted the limitations in range that these smaller instruments have, at least when to the right hand starting on G. The only thing I feel as though I might really miss on the 46b is the low D in the left hand. The 55b seems to have it, but then the extra buttons on the right side only go higher, and I can't imagine I'd have much use for them (it probably starts to get pretty squeaky up there?). The 55b is a bit more expensive, but maybe of a slightly lower quality than the 46b.

 

At some point I remember reading about someone switching out a reed on the left side on 46b Maccann to get a low D. How feasible would doing something like that be, is it something anyone who services concertinas could get done? I understand the reeds are of different sizes, but how do I know which ones could be swapped for a low D? Would it even be worth it, or better to just get the 55b and be done with it?

[Little John]

From everything you say the 46 button Wheatstone is the way to go. The only drawback you've identified is the lack of a low D on the LHS. You have three options for dealing with this.

 

1. Accept it and work round it. For the most part that would mean playing a first inversion when you want a D chord (i.e. with an F# at the bottom of the chord instead of a D).

 

2. Replace the low F with low D. Any competent repairer/tuner should be able to lower a reed by three semitones by adding a drop of solder to the tip. And it's reversible if necessary. (Don't let them lower the pitch by filing the root of the reed. That's bad and not reversible!) The only drawback is that you lose the F. Does this matter? Probably not if you're playing in the most popular keys of G and D.

 

3. Have it both ways. Get one of the F reeds lowered to D and leave the other alone. You would than have an "anglo" button with, say, D on the draw and F on the push. Whilst not common, this is certainly not unknown on English and duet concertinas.

 

Start with whichever of these you think would suit you best. After a while, if it's not working for you, try one of the others. As long as the F reeds are lowered by adding solder to the tip you can try any of them in any order.

[d.elliott]

Lowering a reed by three semitones, even by weighting the tip will depend on the strength of the reed body and the size of the chamber. You cannot take it for granted that the reed will remain responsive and/ or loud enough to be effective. Worth a try, but don't be surprised if the outcome is a bit less than optimal. 

[Wolf Molkentin]

4 hours ago, d.elliott said:

Lowering a reed by three semitones, even by weighting the tip will depend on the strength of the reed body and the size of the chamber. You cannot take it for granted that the reed will remain responsive and/ or loud enough to be effective. Worth a try, but don't be surprised if the outcome is a bit less than optimal. 

 
Of course I can’t rule out dissatisfying outcomes as a possibility - just report from my own practice that I have down-weighted reeds (both steel and brass) many times, in most cases by 3 semitones (Ab to F for the English, C to A for the Anglo), and in one case even by 5 semitones (C to G for a Bb/F  Anglo), and it worked out fine every time.

[wunks]

There is an easy way to do this that I posted awhile back.  It was met with some skepticism but I can say now after several months of play that it works very well.  I cut a piece of magnetic card stock ( 'fridge magnet ) about 1/3 the length of the reed and just slightly narrower.  This was to lower one low cello F reed of the pair to Eb.  No buzz or other problems to date.  Totally reversible.  For three semitones I would start with half the reed length and clip to adjust.  I was lucky with my first guess.

Edited June 5, 2024 by wunks
correction

[Wolf Molkentin]

2 minutes ago, wunks said:

There is an easy way to do this that I posted awhile back.  It was met with some skepticism but I can say now after several months of play that it works very well.  I cut a piece of magnetic card stock ( 'fridge magnet ) about 1/3 the length of the reed and just slightly narrower.  This was to lower one low cello F reed pair to Eb.  No buzz or other problems to date.  Totally reversible.  For three semitones I would start with half the reed length and clip to adjust.  I was lucky with my first guess.

faszinating, however expanding the length beyond half of the reed length might be problematic since it would have to deal with increased movement, wouldn’t you think so?

[wunks]

Yes. That's why I said 1/2 not more but I'm an intuitive tinkerer.  One could use thicker card stock instead or piggyback. if I recall,  some cards seemed too thin.  It's easy enough to experiment.  I'm sure some here could do the calculations but for me, if it sounds right it is right......😊

[Little John]

Another option I should have mentioned is to get a tuner/repairer to make two new reeds, or to source two old reeds pitched at D, to fit the existing chambers. Then Bouleaux could swap the reeds round for his/her self and experiment with no further pressure or cost.

[Wolf Molkentin]

4 hours ago, wunks said:

Yes. That's why I said 1/2 not more but I'm an intuitive tinkerer. 

Sorry about that, I really should have double-checked before posting… ☺️

 

However, increasing the thickness to some degree might in fact be preferable to extending the length…

[wunks]

10 hours ago, Wolf Molkentin said:

Sorry about that, I really should have double-checked before posting… ☺️

 

However, increasing the thickness to some degree might in fact be preferable to extending the length…

Hopefully all this is of use to the OP ( Perhaps in the future? ).  From observation, I would figure it this way to start then adjust:

If one third of the reed length for a given card thickness yields 2 semitones, adding a half piece ( at the tip? ) should be close to 3 semi's.  Zero it in by clipping the small piece or perhaps sliding it up or down.  I'd be interested to know if anyone tries this.

 

Cheers

[Dirge]

Mr Bouleau;  the low C sharp is the one to make into a D.  I have a brass reeded 46 for taking sailing,  camping etc modified exactly like this.