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Bellows Question

Hi Braves,

I frequently receive emails as a result of my
WEB page, asking me about accordion "hardware".

Pete recently wrote asking me:

"It seems to me that the bellows on my (cheap)
instrument are really stiff. It is really hard to
play the pull notes compared to the push notes which
almost play themselves as the bellows contract on
their own.

I assume this is because the leather is stiff.

Is there a safe way to break-them-in so that the
instrument plays more easily in both directions?"

Does anyone have an answer for Pete? (And, for that
matter, me too!)

I believe that Mark Savoy had once stated that once
the bellows stop auto-closing that it's time to
replace them!

But, I've owned instruments that I cannot play
because the dang bellows are so springy!

Merci!

--Big

Re: Bellows Question

Nick,

I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome just repeating, the same thing , over and over again .
Maybe one of us will somewhat get smart, and go after some, not all, but most, eager to cut corners, unscrupulous LA builders.

Simply restated: Let's start from the beguinning.

And please, Do not think that I'm negative again !!!.

There are "CHEAP BELLOWS, AVERAGE BELLOWS,AND BELLOWS THAT ARE THE NORM IN TOP OF THE LINE EUROPEAN BOXES,ANY ACCORDEONS FOR THAT MATTER,PA"S OR DIATONICS", so that when you first "PLAY" your new "BABY",fresh from it's "CRATE", it plays efforthelessly, the way it should.
So, you "WANT",You " DESERVE", you " INSIST" "BEFORE YOU BUY" that "YOU WANT PLAYABLE BELLOWS" ( that is top of the line)to start with,and that you do not want to use a "REMEDE DE BONNE FEMME",to "TRY"to make it playable like "HANGING" your "BABY" by his straps upside down,up to the time that the bellows have very, very marginally, loosened somewhat, god help us all .

Many, wannaby players have given up learning, due to poor quality bellows,so, when you order a new box, do "ALL" your transactions on paper, keep a record,of everything that you want to include, yes even top of the line bellows, and if you do get stiff bellows, send the box back to it's builder, why because, you deserve better, for the kind of money, you are paying.
You also want to know, the kind of reeds that you are getting, the finish, on your box, that is the protective coat, and how many coats, after all, you don't want it to start peeling, almost right away, do you?.

I consider, getting stiff bellows on a new box a monumental rip-off, and a personnal insult to boot.
yes, even these details at the corners !!!!!.

C.

Re: Re: Bellows Question

I bought my new Bon Cajun last year, after trying Andy W's. Andy says Larry advised him to hang it in the wardrobe, but I found mine perfectly playable from the start.

BJ

Re: Re: Re: Bellows Question

You are priviledged, among the very few, a lucky "Bloke" I'll say.

And Larry, should know better.

C.

Re: Bellows Question

I want to thank all that reply on this forum. It is really a big help for people that are just starting out and isloated from Cajun accordion players. I know many of the same questions come up but your comments and advice are great. I just last week did a search on the forum about stiff bellows. As a beginner on the Cajun accordion its hard to know if its you are the instrument. My accordion is form one of the best makers in LA. The bellows seems a little hard on the pull to me and there's no one where I live that can give some advice, so I depend a lot on what I read on this forum. I know that you use different muscles on different instruments. A hard reed on a set of pipes will eventually soften up and it will play better.

Is my accordion bellows stiff??? As a beginner, I really don't know but will give it a little more time for me to learn a few more tunes and then answer that question.

Re: Re: Bellows Question

cheap bellows never really get easy to play.

part of it is cheap reinforcing tape.

but also the folds are usually shallow and
there are not many of them, which reduces
the air capacity of the whole box. that alone can
be hard to play.

add a little stiffness and it starts to add up.


my first larry miller accordion was
very playable right from the start.

i am soon to get another one.

unless the bellows are by another company or
otherwise different, well it should be the same..

!

wle.

Re: Re: Re: Bellows Question

There are some pretty good replies on that bellow thing.

Myself, I have had nothing but stiffness at the onset for each of four new accordion (when they were new).

Three of the four did not take long to break in nicely.
One out of the four, was as defiant as a knuckle headed kid!

I have had folks yank, strech, pull and go on to give me advice on hanging, stringing it up, weighting it down in a hanging position so on and so forth. I had one person suggest tossing it in a campfire as a solution . It is getting better and I do like it (the accordion) though it is still not as pliable as I like! That one bellow has a heck of a memory, far better than my own, that is for sure.

Strech those folds (they will crackle, mine did)... but one thing I believe most will attest... Don't Twist the bellows or you will be running the risk of buying a new one for sure.

Smokey Bellows: was visiting with Tom Quinn one time long ago and he bought a used accordion that musta been doing a gob of gigging in smokey bars filled with those hooka things or what not.
Yep it smelled like an ashtray alright. Told him to spray some fabreeze on it... perhaps that would work. I never did find out if he did or not, but it sounded good at the time. [

Nonc D

Re: Re: Re: Bellows Question

There are a lot of beginners out there who, like myself, can not afford a top of the line LA built accordion and must go with a cheap made in ??? one. Well at least for a while anyway. Any suggestions on what they can do for stiff cheap bellows or other problems that would not equal the price of a top of the line? You have to remember that more often than not, most of these beginners will eventually purchase a top of the line accordion while the rest will either give up or just mess around occasionally with the cheapo.

Re: Cheap bellows.

I hate to respond, for fear that someone will buy an accordion with a cheap bellows and expect my procedure below to make it as good as a good one, (it won't) but here goes.

But if you already have a cheap, stiff one, yes you can "soften it up" quite a bit with some work.

First, if you are not handy with tools, stop and read no further.

Second, remove the bellows from both sides of the accordion. (Usually only two screws on each side.)

Then grab the bellows frame on each side and pull the bellows open as far as you can go. Then push it together completely. Sit in front of the TV and do this for a whole episode of American Idol. (constantly) As fast as you can without wearing yourself out. Be sure to change your hand position to a different part of the frame from time to time to be sure you "work" the bellows evenly.

Then make a u shape up, and a u shape down and a u shape sideways, (only stretching the outside of the bellows each time) Do this for another 30 minutes during a rerun of Seinfeld.

This will loosen up your cheap bellows quite a bit. It will also wear it out some too, but when is a bellows "worn in" vs "worn out"?

The concept is that you are flexing the bellows without putting air pressure on it. This will loosen it up white a bit.

But again,
There is no substitute for a good quality bellows.

DP

Re: Re: Cheap bellows.

Dana,

What, sit down and watch a rerun of Seinfeld "JAMAIS"!!!! .

C.

Re: Re: Re: Cheap bellows.

ok, stand up, whatever. Be sure and eat some french fries at the same time, just to get the whole multi-cultural experience.



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