I Need This Like I Need A Hole In My Head

[Rhomylly]

Do not take any notice of me Rhomylly,I talked Helen out of taking on a dog from her builder and the following week she went out and got two Cocker Spaniels to add to her collection. If I talk you out of this Melodion you will bid on a Clarinet or something next week.

Al

 

Helen did what?????

 

Like I should talk. Have I mentioned recently the emaciated (and still 130-pound) Great Dane that is now part of our family? As in, a Great Dane that is still mostly puppy and an almost-walking 1-year-old in the house. With the two other dogs, two cats and two not-small adults.

[m3838]

Get it. It's a good one. It will probably need following:

The high reeds are squeaky and some of them don't sound.

Low reeds are chocking, need setting.

The leathers are old and curled up, need replacement.

Bellows are OK, but will need a sealer between bellows frames and the ends.

Buttons are very loud and clackety, need button stop under the shafts and new pads.

Tuning, especially the middle reeds.

Rewaxing the whole thing, including all the corners.

Bass reeds are likely to be off tune and one is definitely rumbling, in need of new leather, tuning, or even replacement or re-riveting. Bass pallettes need new pads and even then the buttons are loud and clackety.

New straps-$30

So after all the work you'll face the most difficult problem: low quality of reeds, producing metallic ringing voice. You'll need to mellow them by attaching some sort of absorbing material under the grille.

All and all, If it were me, I'd get it, fix everything except the tuning, by myself, and spend about $100 for tuning plus $50 for shipping to John's Music Center, and some $50 for precise spot tuning and reed setting locally - have low end, nothing to write home about, leaky melodeon.

[malcolm clapp]

Almost certainly it will have leather valves 60+ years old and well due for replacement. The bellows look dodgy too.

 

I can't make up my mind from the photo whether it is Corso size or pokerwork size, but if the latter, which I think it is, I would be buying it for parts at that price if he would ship to Oz, but he won't. I just want the reeds and the reed blocks.

 

I need some one in US who might go halves with me in a bid. (That is, if you don't want it Rhomylly). You would get to keep it as a non-playing ornament and send me the reedblocks in exchange for US$$$$$s.

 

Any takers? (That is, if it matches the curtains! )

 

MC

Edited December 8, 2005 by malcolm clapp

[brightfield]

Well Rhomylly here goes

These are the questions my wife asks me in decisions like this

 

A) Can we afford it (Taking into consideration postage and packing from America will cost about £35-£40

Where would we put it

C) Have you got time to play it

D)Have you the expertise to repair it.

E) You have a Concertina Why do you want one of these.

F) Will the colour match the curtains.

 

There was an interesting thread on a guitar newsgroup not long ago about "secret" guitars. People lie about the price ("oh it was in a sale"), they lie about buying them ("someone lent it to me"), they hide them in the home, and they rely on the spouse not noticing another guitar lying around the house.

 

As someone who has NEVER shared bank accounts with his wife, its all too tempting to splash out on another concertina and make up a story rather than endure the interrogation as above! I have 13 months to wait for my new Norman 'tina - plenty of time to think up a story.

 

Now don't tell me you've never been tempted!

 

Tom

[Rhomylly]

Okay, can someone explain to me what corso and pokerwork mean?

 

I've got three days to decide for sure and for final.

 

Hubby says only this: "If you get it, you have to learn how to play it."

[Alan Day]

If you play the Anglo Rhomylly, then you can play it now in the high register, it only becomes a bit awkward at the lower end where the fingering is different.

Al

[JimLucas]

Hubby says only this: "If you get it, you have to learn how to play it."

Corollary: If you get it, you have to fix it or get it fixed, because that's the only way you'll learn to play it, which you note would be required.

 

By the way, you now have a Great Dane (which, incidentally, seem quite rare in Denmark), but you didn't bring home every dog from the pound, so a question you should ask yourself regarding this accordion is, "why this one?" And what if you see another the day after this auction ends?

 

Also, is it worth the effort to restore it? If it is fully restored, will it be worth playing? So far, of those who should be able to answer that question only Malcolm has given a reasoned response, and he seems to be saying no. He wants it for parts, but not to restore.

 

And you say: "... it is basically playable," but don't you only have the seller's word for that? He says, "I WAS ABLE TO PLAY IT JUST FINE," but how competent a player is he? Does he mean "I was able to play some nice jigs and reels up to speed," or merely "I was able to get a few sounds out of it"?

[Samantha]

DON'T DO IT, RHOMYLLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samantha

PS (Does that help?)

[malcolm clapp]

Okay, can someone explain to me what corso and pokerwork mean?

 

I've got three days to decide for sure and for final.

 

Rhomylly, the Corso and the Pokerwork are 2 current Hohner models of different sizes. The Corso has 3 sets of treble reeds and is larger, while the Pokerwork has 2 sets. There are other differences too, but that's the obvious ones.

 

MC

[Rhomylly]

By the way, you now have a Great Dane (which, incidentally, seem quite rare in Denmark), but you didn't bring home every dog from the pound, so a question you should ask yourself regarding this accordion is, "why this one?" And what if you see another the day after this auction ends?

 

Probably because it's too cold! They have really short fur. Also, amazingly, they are the "official" dog of Germany.

 

I've decided to save my money for a Jack baritone English. There's at least 3 bids on the melodeon now, so it's going to go somewhere.

[malcolm clapp]

Still only $20 though, and the first bidder leads.

 

Sure you don't want a "wall hanger"? I'm still willing to do a deal of some sort.

 

Rhomylly?

 

Anybody?

 

MC

[malcolm clapp]

Still only $20 though, and the first bidder leads.

 

Sure you don't want a "wall hanger"? I'm still willing to do a deal of some sort.

 

Rhomylly?

 

Anybody?

 

MC

 

Obviously not!

 

Pity he wouldn't ship. For $37.51 plus postage it would have been useful.

 

If any one has a scrappy Erica or pokerwork Hohner, in any keys, I would be happy to buy it for the reeds and reedblocks at that sort of price. Please keep it in mind and email me. Thanks.

 

MC