'stored' Valve Syndrome - Quick Fix?

[Richard Morse]

This is a novice question perhaps. Why would changing a leather valve cause one to have to re-tune the instrument?

The airflow restriction of the new valve would be different from the old one which will affect the reed's pitch (make it different).

 

-- Rich --

[CaryK]

This is a novice question perhaps. Why would changing a leather valve cause one to have to re-tune the instrument?

The airflow restriction of the new valve would be different from the old one which will affect the reed's pitch (make it different).

 

-- Rich --

 

Would this be true if the new valve were the same dimensions as the replaced valve?

[d.elliott]

I know where Rich is comming from, and there can be a resultant different in pitch, usually quite marginal. Normally its the change in playing characteristic which is immediately noticeable.

 

You can probably get away with re-valving and just cleaning the reeds, but don't be suprised if there some small changes or discrepancies become noticeable after a re-valve. Actually they may well have been pre-existing, but masked by valve effects. Sorry its not a clean cut answer

 

Dave

[Hooves]

Yes, but many boxes for English sytem instruments have a groove cut for the thumbstrap screw head to pass down, so you cannot invert the instrument in its hexagonal box

 

Dave E

 

Oh I see, my cases (all two of them) have no such groove, but now that I have read about the bellows "creep" I may try that velcro trick mentioned in another thread. Also, moths eating the felt sounds pretty bad.

 

I will velcro mine and store on axis within a repaired case, sounds like that will work.

[Richard Morse]

This is a novice question perhaps. Why would changing a leather valve cause one to have to re-tune the instrument?

The airflow restriction of the new valve would be different from the old one which will affect the reed's pitch (make it different).

Would this be true if the new valve were the same dimensions as the replaced valve?

Yes as the new valve would also have to have the same flexural properties too, and the chance of that can be pretty remote - after all, the new ones will be springier and not bend outwards as readily as the old tired valves do.

 

And to be a bit clearer - as Dave points out, the pitch difference will be quite slight - but everything is relative. A good revalving may make a difference of plus or minus 2 cents (a novice job could be 10 or morel cents greater). Which is to say that some reeds will be about 4 hundredths of a semitone off pitch (and that's with a *good* revalving). Now that may not sound like a lot to many people but we have many customers that insist on their boxes being within 1 cent of pitch (with the same air pressure). know that I personally find it objectionable when my box gets beyond 3 or 4 cents - or maybe it's a duet thing as the same notes only a couple cents off will have a tremolo affect.

 

-- Rich --

[CaryK]

This is a novice question perhaps. Why would changing a leather valve cause one to have to re-tune the instrument?

The airflow restriction of the new valve would be different from the old one which will affect the reed's pitch (make it different).

Would this be true if the new valve were the same dimensions as the replaced valve?

Yes as the new valve would also have to have the same flexural properties too, and the chance of that can be pretty remote - after all, the new ones will be springier and not bend outwards as readily as the old tired valves do.

 

And to be a bit clearer - as Dave points out, the pitch difference will be quite slight - but everything is relative. A good revalving may make a difference of plus or minus 2 cents (a novice job could be 10 or morel cents greater). Which is to say that some reeds will be about 4 hundredths of a semitone off pitch (and that's with a *good* revalving). Now that may not sound like a lot to many people but we have many customers that insist on their boxes being within 1 cent of pitch (with the same air pressure). know that I personally find it objectionable when my box gets beyond 3 or 4 cents - or maybe it's a duet thing as the same notes only a couple cents off will have a tremolo affect.

 

-- Rich --

Thanks for the replies. I have an old Regoletta 20b which has some curled valves and probably needs a few pads to be replaced as well since more than one note is sounding when I play a single note. I purchased it to let kids/visitors who might be interested borrow it rather than my Edgley or Stagi concertinas. Also, thought I could perform a few basic concertina repairs to see if I could improve its playability.