carroll #40

[Wally Carroll]

To answer some of the questions that have come up . . .

 

The additional cost for a second set of reedpans is $2250.00

 

I no longer use a chamois gasket in my instruments. I now use a soft resilient foam which I find gives a better seal as it compresses more than chamois when the pan is installed but then expands to fill in the voids. This is particularly useful in maintaining a good seal in areas that have varying humidity levels. The foam also has the advantage of having a uniform thickness (unlike chamois which can vary quite a bit along the length of a strip). Both of these qualities allow me to design instruments that can easily accept multiple reedpans.

 

It takes only a couple of minutes (3-5) to change out the pans. I don't foresee any problems with either the gaskets taking too much wear or the pans warping or changeing separately from the pans inside the instrument, particularly if they are stored in the same case in which the instrument is stored. In this particular case, the owner already had one of my earlier c/g instruments. In ordering his second instrument, he was torn between getting a newer c/g which is his dominant key and getting an instrument in another key. Making a separate set of pans provided the most economical solution.

 

To follow up on the comments regarding the tonal qualities of Bflat/F instruments . . . I agree that there really is something quite nice about playing down a step. The sound is noticeably more warm and it has a greater sense of roundness to it.

 

Wally

Edited January 30, 2009 by Wally Carroll

[david_boveri]

Excuse my ignorance....would one wear out any leather or lining with a constant change of reedpans? Will any seal be broken which would allow unwanted air loss? Does anyone have a long term experience with the changing of reedpans to give us some idea what the benefits vs negative effects of using two sets of reedpans?

 

I love the idea of having two sets of reedpans in different keys.

 

well, if it does wear it out, you can just have it fixed. it would just be a little piece of foam, no biggie. concertinas need regular maintenance, so that's not a problem. keep in mind, though, that to fix a concertina, you have to pop out the reed pan anyways, and there is usually no problems with the seals.

 

I am personnaly not convinced, yet, that interchanging reedpans can actually work well over the years. I'm pretty much ignorant with it comes to concertina making, but having two set of reedpans, one of which will get used much less, so might react differently to the weather through the years, I'd say will certainly cause problems in the long run. But then time will prove it right or wrong. One thing is certain, this is darn revolutionary and very exciting idea, so hopefully there will be a few testers out there who can report from time to time on how things are going with their multiple reedpans.

 

if that is a valid concern. time will tell! i think that if kept in the jig, it might actually warp less, as long as they are kept in the same case.

 

I don't want to say that I gig a lot, but I do find it invaluable to have two boxes in adjacent keys. I find that if any performance greater than 20 minutes can be enhanced by providing a tonal variety for the listener. A whole lot of D, or G, or the relative minors and modes can be boring (" all Irish music sounds the same"0 to the audience. I also vary keys of flute or whistle for the same reason. Switching down a step not only changes the key, but the complexity of overtones, and overall timbre change, give a completely different feel to the tune. Playing high notes on a C or Bb whistle in either a dance tune, or a slow air is a lot more pleasant for me. Playing along with a singer, if only just for a few songs mixed with dance tunes at a festival, is another great reason to have a second box, or whistle. Sessions, I agree normally call for only C/ G, but we do have a flat session here about once a month. We normally bring a long a concert pitched instrument in case someone come to join in, not in the know about our desire to be in C, or occasionally B.

 

i would say that you surely would have a need for more than one box!

[Azalin]

Does anyone know the person who owns #40? I would like to know, after two years, how is the "switching reed pans" going...