I'd heard recently about Briggs making boxes with removable reed banks that can be swapped in and out to enable the same instrument to be played in different keys (ex. C#/D to D/D# and vice versa).
I wonder if it would be possible to refit other boxes so that they would be able to do the same thing. This is a question for all you box techies out there...Theo, etc?
I asked Castagnari and they replied: "our accordions are not toys."
seems a shame, but maybe a good accordion repairer would be able to do something for me. I like the idea of being able to interchange tunings like the Briggs.
I might ask the trustworthy accordion repairer around these parts.
Most reed blocks come out pretty easily. You'd just need an extra set of reed blocks that are made to fit the accordion... I think.
Brigg's website totes the fact that his bellows remove with bushed screws rather than pins. So presumably the frame won't get worn out by opening it and swapping the reeds all the time. But you still have to worry about the gasket.
In essence no problem with any box that doesn't have glued reed blocks or flat mounted reeds. Usually they're just held with a screw at one end, you could change this to a thumbscrew to reduce the need for tools.
The alternative reedblocks would need to be made from scratch unless you're lucky enough to find usable old ones, (probably excludes everything bar Hohners) then it's a matter of new or s/h reeds. Making replacement reed blocks is no big issue, I've done it to try alternative bass tunings without changing the originals.
Changeover time will always be a few minutes at least and is likely to cause some wear.
I hate breaking the seal on the bellows of my accordion. Somehow when I reassemble the bellows, it never seems to have the same compression as before. Consequently I'd imagine that continually changing reeds wouldn't do the bellows seal any favours...just a thought!
Doug Briggs has little bushings in the bellows holes which stop them from every stretching from repeated opening. No other maker (im open to correction) has this.
Just have a second set of reed blocks made. If you're playing a Hohner, then it will be considerably easier than dealing with the veritable mob that runs Castelfidardo. If you know them personally, they're much easier to deal with but the average box player is plumb out of luck. I take it that you're not playing a Hohner, so you've either got a craft project to work on yourself or you can have someone else do it. If it were a Hohner you'd like to covert then it'd be a walk in the park to get an extra reed block and have it tuned. Your only critical consideration then would be to make sure that all reeds are tuned so that you can remove one set, insert the other and still get the same amount of swing. This assumes that you'd be leaving one row in the box at all times (probably the D row). I think you might be better off relearning C#/D as D/C# from the outside-in, so that you could swap the inside row and play D/D# and not have to ever remove the D block.
But I'm going to vouch for the quality of Hohner boxes... you hear a lot of smack about them but they're fine quality instruments and their parts are (generally) interchangeable which makes them a tinkerer's delight. Pad the keyboard, bush the basses, remove the thirds, and put a nice set of reeds in and you've got a very nice box - very light weight and very durable. Moreover, the old switcharoo with Hohner blocks would be a fraction of the price of doing the same with an Italian box, even if you had to buy two a secondhand Hohners for the blocks. It'd also save you a headache.
Your compression shouldn't be affected by opening the bellows. Just be sure the bellows are in the compressed state when you put them back on. Gasket tape is cheap enough, if you believe it's leaking but it shouldn't be.
Every time you open and close the instrument increases the chance of something getting in to get stuck in a reed, and throwing things off. Idea sounds good in theory, but in practice, I think I would rather get two different instruments for the different keys.
Have you looked at Briggs' site and seen what he charges? No, buying a Briggs is not going to happen anytime soon. As for the rest of you, thanks for the well thought out answers. I'm not planning on doing this anytime soon but I was just curious as to how difficult it would be to do this.
Ten or so years ago I purchased new C#/D reed blocks for a Castagnari that had begun life as a D/G box. I ordered them through the Button Box (Massachusetts, U.S.A.), which handled the dealings with Castagnari. I installed the new blocks myself -- it was easy.
yea i'v replaced several rows of reeds in my boxes, and i'v retuned them to dry tuning....but i'v got a home make reed block tuner.....
it's several hours to replace reeds....if you have several say honer accordions that will interchange that would be simple
one word of thought...when installing new or old reeds they may or may not play well with your original reeds...
don't mix steel reeds with brass......did that once too...
Accordion Reed Banks
Accordion Reed Banks
For all the box players out there,
I'd heard recently about Briggs making boxes with removable reed banks that can be swapped in and out to enable the same instrument to be played in different keys (ex. C#/D to D/D# and vice versa).
I wonder if it would be possible to refit other boxes so that they would be able to do the same thing. This is a question for all you box techies out there...Theo, etc?
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by dtb
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
I asked Castagnari and they replied: "our accordions are not toys."
seems a shame, but maybe a good accordion repairer would be able to do something for me. I like the idea of being able to interchange tunings like the Briggs.
I might ask the trustworthy accordion repairer around these parts.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by Brown Creeper
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Most reed blocks come out pretty easily. You'd just need an extra set of reed blocks that are made to fit the accordion... I think.
Brigg's website totes the fact that his bellows remove with bushed screws rather than pins. So presumably the frame won't get worn out by opening it and swapping the reeds all the time. But you still have to worry about the gasket.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by polkageist
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
In essence no problem with any box that doesn't have glued reed blocks or flat mounted reeds. Usually they're just held with a screw at one end, you could change this to a thumbscrew to reduce the need for tools.
The alternative reedblocks would need to be made from scratch unless you're lucky enough to find usable old ones, (probably excludes everything bar Hohners) then it's a matter of new or s/h reeds. Making replacement reed blocks is no big issue, I've done it to try alternative bass tunings without changing the originals.
Changeover time will always be a few minutes at least and is likely to cause some wear.
Issue of costs I guess.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by TomB-R
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
I hate breaking the seal on the bellows of my accordion. Somehow when I reassemble the bellows, it never seems to have the same compression as before. Consequently I'd imagine that continually changing reeds wouldn't do the bellows seal any favours...just a thought!
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Just buy a Briggs!!
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by csparpd
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
"Somehow when I reassemble the bellows, it never seems to have the same compression as before. "
This sounds like the same mechanism that makes your car run better after it's washed.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by Gzeg
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Doug Briggs has little bushings in the bellows holes which stop them from every stretching from repeated opening. No other maker (im open to correction) has this.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by colmh
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Just have a second set of reed blocks made. If you're playing a Hohner, then it will be considerably easier than dealing with the veritable mob that runs Castelfidardo. If you know them personally, they're much easier to deal with but the average box player is plumb out of luck. I take it that you're not playing a Hohner, so you've either got a craft project to work on yourself or you can have someone else do it. If it were a Hohner you'd like to covert then it'd be a walk in the park to get an extra reed block and have it tuned. Your only critical consideration then would be to make sure that all reeds are tuned so that you can remove one set, insert the other and still get the same amount of swing. This assumes that you'd be leaving one row in the box at all times (probably the D row). I think you might be better off relearning C#/D as D/C# from the outside-in, so that you could swap the inside row and play D/D# and not have to ever remove the D block.
But I'm going to vouch for the quality of Hohner boxes... you hear a lot of smack about them but they're fine quality instruments and their parts are (generally) interchangeable which makes them a tinkerer's delight. Pad the keyboard, bush the basses, remove the thirds, and put a nice set of reeds in and you've got a very nice box - very light weight and very durable. Moreover, the old switcharoo with Hohner blocks would be a fraction of the price of doing the same with an Italian box, even if you had to buy two a secondhand Hohners for the blocks. It'd also save you a headache.
Your compression shouldn't be affected by opening the bellows. Just be sure the bellows are in the compressed state when you put them back on. Gasket tape is cheap enough, if you believe it's leaking but it shouldn't be.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by gravelwalks
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Every time you open and close the instrument increases the chance of something getting in to get stuck in a reed, and throwing things off. Idea sounds good in theory, but in practice, I think I would rather get two different instruments for the different keys.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by AlBrown
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Csparpd,
Have you looked at Briggs' site and seen what he charges? No, buying a Briggs is not going to happen anytime soon. As for the rest of you, thanks for the well thought out answers. I'm not planning on doing this anytime soon but I was just curious as to how difficult it would be to do this.
Cheers.
# Posted on February 22nd 2009 by dtb
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
Ten or so years ago I purchased new C#/D reed blocks for a Castagnari that had begun life as a D/G box. I ordered them through the Button Box (Massachusetts, U.S.A.), which handled the dealings with Castagnari. I installed the new blocks myself -- it was easy.
# Posted on February 23rd 2009 by boxist
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
wally carroll at carroll concertinas is offering interchangeable reedpans: http://carrollconcertinas.com/40.html
it's not the same thing, but just thought it was slightly relevant.
# Posted on February 23rd 2009 by daiv
Re: Accordion Reed Banks
yea i'v replaced several rows of reeds in my boxes, and i'v retuned them to dry tuning....but i'v got a home make reed block tuner.....
it's several hours to replace reeds....if you have several say honer accordions that will interchange that would be simple
one word of thought...when installing new or old reeds they may or may not play well with your original reeds...
don't mix steel reeds with brass......did that once too...
# Posted on February 23rd 2009 by harmonica bob