improving the tone of Jackie

[m3838]

So I opened the ends, cut some Chamou leather, glued it to binder type 1 mm thick plastic sheet. Cut it out and installed on both ends, using double layer of mounting tape. It's good that I opened the ends, as all three bolts, holding thumb loop, came rather loose. Anyways, I cut the buffles with tight clearances, built a "wall" with double stick mounting tape around the buttons to seal them. Hoping to hear slightly muffled, mellowed, rounded tone of my Jackie, I checked if all the buttons work, if the air supply is enough, put everything back together and.....

What do you think happened?

[TonyRussell]

So I opened the ends, cut some Chamou leather, glued it to binder type 1 mm thick plastic sheet. Cut it out and installed on both ends, using double layer of mounting tape. It's good that I opened the ends, as all three bolts, holding thumb loop, came rather loose. Anyways, I cut the buffles with tight clearances, built a "wall" with double stick mounting tape around the buttons to seal them. Hoping to hear slightly muffled, mellowed, rounded tone of my Jackie, I checked if all the buttons work, if the air supply is enough, put everything back together and.....

What do you think happened?

All that double stick tape sealed the pads down ? No sound ? I hope you don't mean that was the improvement ! Tony.

[Steve Mansfield]

What do you think happened?

A wormhole opened in the space-time continuum,

Charles Wheatstone dropped through it,

took one look at the Jackie,

said 'you don't want to do that, you want to do this',

and with a few deft movements of his Victorian fingers turned it into a Aeola?

[saguaro_squeezer]

She reverted to her roots and will only play a pentatonic scale?

[haimson]

You sealed it up so tight it won't even squeak?

 

David Haimson

[malcolm clapp]

While anticipating the improvement in tone, several passing pigs were seen to be flapping their front legs wildly, but failed to become airborne....

[m3838]

Well, sorry to disappoint everyone, but nothing dramatic happened.

I left about 2 mm of clearance between the baffles and perimeter of the ends.

I sealed the buttons, so the air wouldn't escape through the button holes.

And when I played it, I didn't notice any alteration of the sound. Nothing. Not even lessening of the volume!

Looks like the baffles didn't do anything at all. Don't know what to make of it. I guess I have to be more precise and leave about 0.5 mm clearance all over.

Problem is, Jackie has bolts of uneven hight, sticking on the inside. So to do such an intricate job I need to replace the bolts with shorter ones.

Then I need to figure out how to place baffles inside, so it does have even clearance along all borders - a job for a man! Or do it from the outside: place some thicker dense material on top of the ends, leaving internal baffles intact to seal the buttons.

Speaking of which:

I just did this to one end.

I cut shape out of thick dense cardboard, sealed the openings under the wrist, and put cardboard baffle on sticky foam. No difference. May be slight "booming" on lower notes and some delay in the speaking of high reeds. But that may be simply the quality of the instrument. So I guess the clearances of one thickness of the sticky tape is too much. I'll try to mount it between the screws and a washer, to minimize the clearance. It's a good idea to cut this baffle out of some dense wood, like Oak, or plexiglas.

( I misplaced my trusty Cannon)

[Stephen Chambers]

improving the tone of Jackie

But weren't you arguing that accordion-reeded concertinas have a better sound?

 

While anticipating the improvement in tone, several passing pigs were seen to be flapping their front legs wildly, but failed to become airborne....

I guess we have a different breed around here...

 

[JimLucas]

[somethign about making baffles]

on the subject of being baffled ,Iam baffled by your moniker,why m 3838,are you an escaped convict,or a secret agent

He daren't tell you.

It would blow his cover.

[m3838]

[somethign about making baffles]

on the subject of being baffled ,Iam baffled by your moniker,why m 3838,are you an escaped convict,or a secret agent

He daren't tell you.

It would blow his cover.

38 is a sacred number. But it's too short to be inserted, so I doubled it. But it must have letters, so I added a letter. Now it's part of me. As for secret agents, they don't exist, it's just the movies, or you mean provocateurs? They do exist, and go under false names.

And I do like accordion reeds. I, however, don't consider the sound of Jackie an example of accordion sound that I like. It's cheap squeaker, in tune, with agreeable balance and action. Worth tinkering with. After all, Danny Chapman did put baffles on his instrument, why can't I?

[Stephen Chambers]

... m 3838,are you an escaped convict,or a secret agent

He daren't tell you.

It would blow his cover.

... you mean provocateurs? They do exist, and go under false names.

That sounds like a confession to me - and it wasn't even under torture...

 

Though there are also nihilists:

Edited July 10, 2009 by Stephen Chambers

[JimLucas]

Well, sorry to disappoint everyone, but nothing dramatic happened.

If you can't find a flaw (or several) in this logic, you're not trying.

• Did everything possible to improve the Jackie's tone, but no change.
  
• Therefore, it is not possible to improve the Jackie's tone.
  
• Therefore, the Jackie's tone is already perfection.
  

[drbones]

There may be something HERE to consider. This addresses McCaan Duets, but the same may work on a Jackie.

Or, you could try these! The ad didn't specify how many bags were required for a Jackie. If you have a Dipper, it'll make the leftovers more palatable.

Edited July 10, 2009 by drbones

[JimLucas]

There may be something HERE to consider. This addresses McCaan Duets, but the same may work on a Jackie.

I personally think the Maccann system is baffling enough, without artificially adding to the bafflement.

(Not really, Dirge, but I couldn't resist the pun.

)

[Chris Drinkwater]

Harold Wilson was partial to Wincarnis,so M3838 you are in exalted company, I am sure Harold Wilson would have liked accordion reeds, as you do.

personally I prefer concertina reeds.

 

Dick, for the benefit of Mischa, please tell him who Harold Wilson was. Or is that a secret?

 

Chris

[Chris Drinkwater]

There may be something HERE to consider. This addresses McCaan Duets, but the same may work on a Jackie.

I personally think the Maccann system is baffling enough, without artificially adding to the bafflement.

(Not really, Dirge, but I couldn't resist the pun.

)

 

In that case, does that mean that the Crane duet system is a triumph over other duet systems?

 

Chris

[JimLucas]

There may be something HERE to consider. This addresses McCaan Duets, but the same may work on a Jackie.

I personally think the Maccann system is baffling enough, without artificially adding to the bafflement.

(Not really, Dirge, but I couldn't resist the pun.

)

In that case, does that mean that the Crane duet system is a triumph over other duet systems?

Of course.

Hayden

you noticed?

[m3838]

Well, sorry to disappoint everyone, but nothing dramatic happened.

If you can't find a flaw (or several) in this logic, you're not trying.

• Did everything possible to improve the Jackie's tone, but no change.
  
• Therefore, it is not possible to improve the Jackie's tone.
  
• Therefore, the Jackie's tone is already perfection.
  

Hm. I didn't do everything, so the rest are flawed.

Or if it's not possible to improve Jackie's tone, it may be a faulty design, that needs re-designing.

I personally think there are too many ways for air to escape due to imperfection of the surfaces, or because accordion reeds have so many overtones, it takes thicker baffles than cabinets can accomodate. I remember working on Hohner Pokerwork, which tone was ugly, metallic and "ringey". It took foam panel half inch thick to take off the metallic resonance and bring the tone to agreeable quality. I still have that instrument. G/C. And I bought it from New Zealand, Ebay. The problem with hard dense surfaces was that they made the reeds "booming" and echoing, so softer foam worked the best. I just want to take similar metallic resonance off Jackie's tone, especially the higher reeds. It sounds cheap with it. And the reason I am fumbling with Jackie is I like the feel of it. It needs faster reeds etc., but overall feel of holding it and playing, the button travel, the spring action, button spacing, size - all is surprizingly to my liking. I'll try 2 cm black plexyglass on top of the ends, having about 1mm clearance for air to travel.

Here's the drawing.