Ralph Lucey Posted February 11 Posted February 11 Hi all. I have restored a Lachenal 30 button Anglo cg (with lots of guidance from net members). This included retuning most of the reeds. Finally, after learning for a year or two, I’m beginning to use the more extreme buttons, way down at the bottom and high up at the top. Left hand button 6 on the pull is listed in my Lachenal layout diagram as an A1 but on mine it’s a D, slightly sharp. Is it possible to retune the reed to a different note? If so whats the reasonable range. D to A1? Is the proper solution a new (old) reed. many thanks, Ralph.
Alex West Posted February 11 Posted February 11 Ralph It's common for that note to be either D or A (although the A can be more useful). Retuning from D down to A might work with a bit of solder on the end, rather than by removing metal from the root. At least that would be reversible... Alex West
wunks Posted February 11 Posted February 11 1 hour ago, Alex West said: Ralph It's common for that note to be either D or A (although the A can be more useful). Retuning from D down to A might work with a bit of solder on the end, rather than by removing metal from the root. At least that would be reversible... Alex West I've had success using a tab of 'fridge magnet to lower the pitch, especially on lower notes. A tab covering the upper third of the reed approximates a full step. Easier to experiment and/or reverse I would think. D to A is quite a stretch. Is that doable with solder? Wouldn't work with brass reeds though.
Chris Ghent Posted February 11 Posted February 11 Solder is easy and I have seen a few with this mod in that position. But (what do you mean there is always a but?) the reed will not respond as fast as it used to. It just takes longer to get that mass moving. A better solution would be to look for a person with a drawer full of parts from instruments that lost the battle. They are likely to have a low Lachenal A or two. If you ask nicely they might send several on a return the ones you don’t want basis. This would give you options for fit in the reedpan. If you end up with one that works but is not tight enough in the pan a sliver of paper will do the trick. If you can’t get an A a G might do, or even a G#, one without solder, and you can tune it up. I think I would avoid tuning a B down because many older concertinas already have very thin low notes.
RogerT Posted February 13 Posted February 13 (edited) I'd try the solder first. It's not that far, from D to A, and you'll find it doesn’t need much solder, is a quick job (10 to 15 mins, if you've got the tools). And a tip..use an old file for the tuning..the solder clogs the teeth on a file and will ruin good files. You can then test the response, which may be good enough for your needs. Otherwise, if you find it's not quick enough for those fast reels of whatever, try to get a replacement reed. But there's no standard size (from my experience) even among Lachenals, so you're likely to need to do some 'fitting'. Easier with a shorter reed frame, not so viable if the frame is too long. Edited February 13 by RogerT
Frank Edgley Posted February 15 Posted February 15 I suggest putting a razor blade under the tongue to support it. Also a small clamp just below where you want to put the solder. This will mitigate the heat going too far down the reed blade. Otherwise there is a chance the reed may lose some of its temper (springiness). Also be careful the solder does not extend outside the limits of the reed (stick out beyond the reed edges). Then you would need to remove the excess with a fine file. What I have found useful is a small, fine triangular file which can be found at a hardware store.
wschruba Posted February 15 Posted February 15 On 2/13/2025 at 2:34 AM, RogerT said: I'd try the solder first. It's not that far, from D to A, and you'll find it doesn’t need much solder, is a quick job (10 to 15 mins, if you've got the tools). And a tip..use an old file for the tuning..the solder clogs the teeth on a file and will ruin good files. You can then test the response, which may be good enough for your needs. Otherwise, if you find it's not quick enough for those fast reels of whatever, try to get a replacement reed. But there's no standard size (from my experience) even among Lachenals, so you're likely to need to do some 'fitting'. Easier with a shorter reed frame, not so viable if the frame is too long. I've been in the habit a long time of dusting files used for soft materials with talcum powder (I'm sure other things would work too, but that was what I was shown). It helps prevent the teeth from clogging during use. Just dip it in, and rap it on a wood surface, then file as normal. If you've got a lot of material to remove, you should re-coat it.
Chris Ghent Posted February 16 Posted February 16 (edited) I’ll give that talcum a go. I usually use a smooth file because a little solder gone is a big swing of the needle. When it looks full I clean the grooves with a knife blade under the microscope. Edited February 16 by Chris Ghent
RogerT Posted February 21 Posted February 21 'I suggest putting a razor blade under the tongue to support it.' I slide a sheet of brass under the tongue to act as a heat sink. I'm using soft solder so I can't imagine the steel getting hot enough to alter the springiness. But…I have never modified a brass reed…
Stephen Chambers Posted March 2 Posted March 2 On 2/11/2025 at 8:19 AM, Ralph Lucey said: Left hand button 6 on the pull is listed in my Lachenal layout diagram as an A1 but on mine it’s a D, slightly sharp. Is it possible to retune the reed to a different note? If so whats the reasonable range. D to A1? Is the proper solution a new (old) reed? I've needed to make this alteration to the vast majority of the C/G Anglos that I've tuned in the past 50 years, and the D slot in the reedpan is too small to replace the D reed with a low A one in its stead. But I've never had any problem tuning the D reed down to A with solder - though I wouldn't recommend trying to go any lower than that.
d.elliott Posted March 2 Posted March 2 On 2/21/2025 at 7:53 PM, RogerT said: 'I suggest putting a razor blade under the tongue to support it.' I slide a sheet of brass under the tongue to act as a heat sink. I'm using soft solder so I can't imagine the steel getting hot enough to alter the springiness. But…I have never modified a brass reed… Don't be too sure, some soft solders can melt up to 450 deg C , the tempering colour under most reeds is dark blue so tempered at 290 deg C. I always use a heat sink, or very low temperature solder
Wally Carroll Posted March 6 Posted March 6 On 3/2/2025 at 9:34 AM, Stephen Chambers said: and the D slot in the reedpan is too small to replace the D reed with a low A one in its stead. I was thinking this might be the case. You can try temporarily installing the push side low A in this slot to see if you have the room for a proper low A. However, probably easiest to give the soldering a try first. 1
Stephen Chambers Posted March 6 Posted March 6 (edited) 1 hour ago, Wally Carroll said: I was thinking this might be the case. You can try temporarily installing the push side low A in this slot to see if you have the room for a proper low A. However, probably easiest to give the soldering a try first. If you first tune the reed to concert pitch D (as I do), it has the great advantage of being easily reversible should somebody later want to revert to the original fingering. Edited March 6 by Stephen Chambers Typo
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