TinkerPhil Posted May 21 Posted May 21 Most of the notes on my Concertina Connection Jackie play ok (quickly and cleanly) on the push but on the pull they are more "sluggish" and need more "oomph" to get a note Is this a known issue? Is there anything I can do about it?
Tiposx Posted May 21 Posted May 21 Stiffer bellows, as found on less expensive concertinas tend to do that.
Parker135 Posted May 23 Posted May 23 Wim would probably say the reeds will start more easily as you continue to play it, and the bellows will get a little better over time as well. My point of reference is the Rochelle 2 that I owned at one time.
Isaiah Posted May 23 Posted May 23 As a beginner with a Jackie, I don't remember if I noticed a difference on the push and pull (I mainly noticed stiff bellows). Regardless, the instrument does perform better as its broken in, and as I've gained more experience.
Phil Hague Posted May 23 Posted May 23 I traded in my Jackie just because of the stiffness of the bellows making it hard to play.
SIMON GABRIELOW Posted May 23 Posted May 23 Bellows are leather and as a skin need using to keep them supple..just as anyone does ( people included).... daily excersisze will keep them supple 😊
TinkerPhil Posted May 23 Author Posted May 23 Thank you for all the replies I had another play and I don't think it is the bellows I think its the actual reeds themselves... The notes seem reluctant to sound unless there's more "oomph" and some notes its the both ways - annoyingly the right hand C The amount of movement in the bellows is comparable to notes that play ok - I think suggesting that the air is flowing - just not hard enough to coerce a note I know this Jackie is not overly used as the previous owner never played it and I've not been playing much at all but the bellows seem to work ok - so maybe I just need to keep playing it until the reeds are happier
David Lay Posted May 23 Posted May 23 (edited) 2 hours ago, TinkerPhil said: Thank you for all the replies I had another play and I don't think it is the bellows I think its the actual reeds themselves... The notes seem reluctant to sound unless there's more "oomph" and some notes its the both ways - annoyingly the right hand C The amount of movement in the bellows is comparable to notes that play ok - I think suggesting that the air is flowing - just not hard enough to coerce a note I know this Jackie is not overly used as the previous owner never played it and I've not been playing much at all but the bellows seem to work ok - so maybe I just need to keep playing it until the reeds are happier Given that the issue seems to be some notes and not all, I would look at the reeds' position at rest. Perhaps an adjustment of their set at-rest will help. Start with the worst one and compare it to one that works well. David Elliot's book has advice on the proper position for reeds, so you should get the book. Also, so long as you have opened the concertina, look carefully for potential air leaks since this, too, can cause your issue. Waxed reeds or screwed down reeds like the Rochelle 2? Waxed reeds would add more challenges to your adjustments. There are Youtube videos for accordion repairs that you should view. Edited May 23 by David Lay Added info.
Parker135 Posted May 23 Posted May 23 2 hours ago, David Lay said: Given that the issue seems to be some notes and not all, I would look at the reeds' position at rest. Perhaps an adjustment of their set at-rest will help. Start with the worst one and compare it to one that works well. David Elliot's book has advice on the proper position for reeds, so you should get the book. That's pretty much what Wim advised me to do with my Rochelle 2; that is, to go in and look at the reed positions at rest. I had a couple that were slow to start, and bending them slightly to be more like the others that were working properly solved the problem. He also said I could just keep playing and they would come around on their own, but being impatient and wanting to have a look inside, I made the necessary tweaks. 2
TinkerPhil Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 Sorry for the delay in replying I have bought a copy of David's book and I'm waiting for it to arrive impatient, I opened it up and I found the issue with C in the picture Those reeds look pretty permanently fixed in place and the bent flap (probably a proper term for that) obviously causes an issue will the book explain what I need to do?
Tiposx Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Yes, sort of: the book will tell you how to replace the valve in a traditional concertina. However your instrument uses accordion reeds, which use different valves, also different glue to attach them to the aluminium reed plate.
David Lay Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Those are waxed reeds. You will easily find Youtube videos advising how to wax accordion reeds. I made a tool to do mine. Try Liberty Bellows to get a set of valves. They suggest contact adhesive. https://www.libertybellows.com/shop/c/p/New-Accordion-Part---Reed-Valves-Select-Size-and-Material-x57234248.htm
David Lay Posted June 13 Posted June 13 (edited) Or: https://ernestdeffner.com/pdf/Ernest-Deffner-Accordion-Accessories-Parts-Tools-Mar-2017.pdf https://ernestdeffner.com/shop-online/accordion-parts/reedsreedaccessories-51.html Edited June 13 by David Lay
TinkerPhil Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 Thanks all! Ok, so the flappy bits are valves and Concertina Connection Jackie reeds are of type accordion So I need some new valves and will need to peel off the old ones, guess clean off any glue residue and then stick the new valves in place with contact adhesive If I'm lucky its only the topside valve broken otherwise I need to get/make a wax-on/wax-off soldering iron tool, remove the reed assembly, fix it as above and then wax it back into place I'm UK based is there someone in the UK that I can source valves, wax etc? Such fun! 1
David Lay Posted June 13 Posted June 13 A search showed a number of possibilites. Note that you could also try an accordion repair shop if one of the concertina shops does not want to help you. https://londonaccordion.com/parts-and-accessories/
Tiposx Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Hi TinkerPhil The Box Place, (Theo Gibb) in the UK caters for accordions and trad concertinas Repairs. Spares etc. I have bought things from there. There are others of course.
SIMON GABRIELOW Posted June 13 Posted June 13 A new word in concertina land. "The flappy bits". ( Valves) really funny 😊
Theo Posted June 14 Posted June 14 Best uk source for valves is OG Accordions https://ogaccordions.com/product-category/accordion_spares/valves_wax/
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