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Modification...I need advice

My favorite accordion needs a little help.

Button number 3 (on the push...in the key of C) is not very uniform. It's the bassoon reed to be exact... It buzzes and I've finally figured out why.

I've replaced the reed, believing that may be the problem. It wasn't. I know now that it is the space between the leather and the wood. The medal tongue is smacking the reed block.

The result is a buzzing sound which is killing my ears.

My question is..... I know I must remove the reed and shave the reed block, but how would I go about doing this?

I wouldn't use regular sandpaper, because it would not fit in there.

Does anyone know of a tool that could precisely shave that wood beneath the valve?

Re: Modification...I need advice

When I say the buzzing is killing my ears, I'm not saying it's awful. It sounds like a bumble bee. Not abnormal, but it's not uniform.

I know I've gotta shave underneath the reed somehow.

I've contemplated making a tool to do this, but I don't have the right parts, and I don't have the patience to make it.

I wonder if anyone here knows of a tool (to order)

Re: Re: Modification...I need advice

Perhaps you could go the other way. Glue a tiny frame of wood around the reedhole in the reedblock and put the reed on top of it.

My wife uses a tiny electric drill for her jewellery making hobby. It has a lot of applications, including small grinders of different shapes that can me used to do shave of your reedblock. Almost like at the dentist :-)

/Gunnar

Re: Modification...I need advice

John,
I'm not completely sure I understand the problem.
Is there any reason a little accordion wax would not solve the problem?

I've used wax to fill in some really nasty holes and gaps in cheap accordion reed blocks. (I'm not saying your accordion is cheap, BTW :)

DP

Re: Modification...I need advice

I would send it out for repairs, jim.

Re: Modification...I need advice

Try moving the reed over to the opposing side so that the tongue has room to vibrate. If that makes the pull reed hit the other side then the chamber is too small and the blocks were not made right.

Re: Modification...I need advice

I have a feeling the chambers were made smaller to for better compression. It's only one chamber that is to small.

Thanks for the advice, I'm thinking of stacking more wax to raise the reed a slight bit. I never thought of this.

Thanks again



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