Reed technique design discussion by Rashid (Russia) and Steve (America) #1

[snavoyosky]

I have decided to post a lengthy email on accordion reed design discussion between two accordion journeymen technicians/reed-makers, Rashid Karimov (Russia) and Steve Navoyosky (America) held about 20 years ago.

Journeyman technician Kimric Smythe in California inquired about certain aspects of accordion design and I decided to fulfill “his” request in this manner. So, Kimric, this is for you!

Instead of sending him this information alone, it is here for all to read...but not for those who are information gatherers, who will take this information and disclose it here or other places as if they are the knowledgeable one. I only request that Rashid and I be given credit for it’s contents.




Rashid emails>>>>>>

Serious literature on subject: Germans did some formal studies,
Russians are not so distant second. USSR had a whole Research Institute
dedicate to study of music instruments. For example, they did studies
on precise size of resonators as early as 1934 - which was then re-used
by all of the (state-owned) factories. Also, optimal reed size were
calculated and published about same time.

Unfortunately there's not a whole lot on the subject on the Internet

- About optimal reed shape. Ideally it'd be rectangular, with uniform
thickness profiles. In reality, profiles are rather complex and shapes
for higher-reeds tend to be trapezoidal, to reduce reed stiffness.
Italian reeds are all trapesoidal ('cept bases), Russian vary: some
masters have them all absolutely rectangular (Tula - Mir, Yasnaya
Polyana instruments), some do higher reeds more trapesoidal (Jupiter,
AKKO) (still much less so than Italians)

- Reed profile (thickness): too stiff is bad (low sound production,
won't play @ piano, sound is too dull) and too soft is bad as well
(will tend to shut off @ forte & fortissimo, tone will bend too much
(get lower @ progressively higher volumes). That's all there's to it,
the right profile is somewhere in between .

Profile must be such that reeed doesn't bend @ the root, instead may be
1/8th of the reed's length away from it. The "bending point" will get
closer to the tip as pitch increases. Highest pitch reeds will bend
5/8th of length toward the tip.

Highest notes will be as thin as 0.002 of inch @ the tip. Thickness for
higher notes will be fairly uniform from bend point to the tip.

For lower notes it won't be the case - one can safely have tip thicker
than @ bend point, to have lower tone. And of course, for lowest notes
weight is soldered @ the tip. Brass is used the most, being some of
heavier metals.

Reed Width to Lenght ratio is typically 8:1 to 10:1

- What is ABSOLUTELY imporant is the space/gap beetween the reed and
the cut in the reed plate. Best hand-made reeds will have gap as small
as 0.02 of mm. Smaller gap means lesser effort to play, MUCH reacher
tone. For example, when gap goes from .03mm to .05, HALF of harmonics
will disappear ! Result: flatter and duller sound, will take more air
and overall effort to play.

Problem with best instruments: due to extremely close tolerances, some
reeds will jam/buzz @ too low/too high temperatures.


- Reed material is always blue-tempered spring steel (RC 48-52).
Phosphorous bronze is used in harmonicas, as it is rust resistant.
Older Russian instruments will have brownish-hue steel (came from
StPeterburgh steel factory, no longer available) - but it is same
temper as regular blue spring steel.

- Reed plates: Russians use aircraft-grade alluminum (150 Brinnell, US
equivalent: 7072 alloy). Italians use some weird alloy (scratch a reed
plate and you will see brassy collor emerge for higher reeds, for lower
ones it seem to be some sort of 6xxx aluminum, in T4 or thereabout).

- Reed plate cuts are tapered so that the opening get wider toward the
exit side of the plate. Angle: 4-5 degrees. It makes reed more
responsive.

- Reed plate thickness: has to be about the same as max amplitude of
respective reed's travel. Thicker/thinner will reduce volume somewhat,
not a whole lot.


- Reed blocks: Sitka spruce or white pine (two of most resonant woods,
reasonably widespread and easy to work with) is used for the middle
piece. Separators: spruce, oak or mapple. Bottom part: hardwood,
maple/oak/mahogany. Top of the reed block is varnished for the same
reason exterior of say violin is: to make it resistant to dirt/sweat.
Inside is not as it will affect resonant qualities of wood (again, just
as violins and other string instruments).

- Reed leathers are very important. Need to be thin enough, fluffy
toward the reed plate, yet responsive and springy. Calfskin and
lambskin are used. Larger leathers will have boosters: Russians use
strips cut out of 35mm photo film, Italians use thin strips cut out of
stainless shim stock (0.0015")

- There's pronounced difference in sound of PA and large pro CBAs (62
notes). Reason: CBAs are stuffed to where almost no space for sound to
bounce around is left inside. PA's have more space inside (RH has
almost 30% less space occupied).

- More on reeds: Italians grind and stamp them out using machines.
Russians, in pro instruments, do everything by hand. Pros and cons to
both methods, but pro Russian bayans have no equals.







Steve replies>>





Rashid: I've noted all your past and present comments with
interest. Much of what you say is true and I'm happy that Russia
has always been to front-runner in making reeds.
Ever since I was taught by the Italians in the making of 'true'
handmade reeds, I have sought the secrets in design and
specifications of other nations and the reasons for them. Since
the only means I know is making reeds by hand, and believe this
to be the very best, I must agree that Russia is foremost in reed
making as they place quality over quantity and 'hand' over
machinery.
The 'optimal' was critical for many reasons. The reed swing, and
block chamber size, and the overall housing became careful
considerations. I saw where you mentioned the 16th and last
Vukovitch bayan owned by Veikko. I examined that instrument
when he and I were together about ten or twelve years ago. A
very very fine instrument. Veikko had a case made for the left
hand only and carries that with him everywhere. It is ingenius.
Indeed those Russian made reeds have a sparking color that is not by
chance but by choice. The lateral sides contribute greatly to this
quality in addition to the optimal stiffness of the steel. While this
supplies that quality, the negative side is that this lateral design
allows for easy breakage of the reed tongue as the support is
missing. German accordions can be found to employ this same
look, but there's reflect an even sectional thickness and which
defeats the handsome quality of the Russian reed. It is because
of the breakage that caused the Italians to place the trapezoid
design to use and which developed a more 'flutey' sound.
In my many years of working and studying reeds, I have also
experimented with various approaches to give that Russian
quality while at the same time, allow the reed to have strength.
Morbidoni was yet another who made reeds with a pyramid
center the length of the reed tongue. This by all means was a
terrific idea and it did work. However, this lasted only with
Morbidoni as it took much patience and time to work this vital
cross-section equivalent to all reed sizes. I must say that a
reedmaker must make all his reed sets uniform in quality and
sound.
I have found that it is best for the artists to have the highest
quality reeds, for the lesser player cannot comprehend their value
and the careful manner in which to perform with them. This is
one reason why there were always three stages of qualities in
accordion: Student line, semi-professional line, and
professional. Today however, it appears that even the beginner
wants the very best and for no good reason. It would be like
having a Porche' right after getting your driving license
application. It makes no sense to do these things.
Reed design and the specifications that go with it, are certainly
concerns, but only for the technician. The player should be
interested in his playing and whether the accordion performs to
his desire. Eventually, he will progress upward in quality as he
progresses upward in his abilities and agility.
I'm not sure I agree with your observation that the compactness
of chromatic accordions render a lesser 'boom' than piano
keyboard accordions.....because of the internal cavity. I might go
along with the amount of reeds in comparison to housing size.
or the reduction of sound board but I see the reed chamber and
the grille chamber as affecting parties. All this goes without
going into the woods, etc. which also have a direct bearing to
timbre. Again, I enjoyed your discussions.

Steve Navoyosky

(Go to #2)

 

[snavoyosky]

(#2)


From: rashidk@h...
>
> Steve,
>
> I am really facinated with Volkovich's instruments. Unfortunately I
> never
> was lucky enough to get close to one. Can you talk a bit about what
> you remember about #16 - as in what was in it that suprised you and/or
> was different from what you saw in other instruments ?
Hello Rashid:
The workmanship was my main observation. All that I ever heard about the
time spent in making his bayans was true. I viewed that instrument with the
utmost respect. It reeked of quality. Construction-wise, it was the same
designs, but the workmanship was superb. It's no wonder he spent so much
time on one instrument and why he only was able to make 16 in his lifetime. I
believe it took a year or more to make #16. Many of the others took several
years. I understand he fashioned each instrument according to the needs of
the prospective player and their wishes.
In my other observations, I noticed that tone quality was exceptional and that
the treble and bass sections were in balance. In fact they were balanced in
any register used.
The instrument was light weight due to the titanium used throughout.
I saw that the keyboard was placed differently on the housing--a questionable
location--and at an angle making the hand work much easier, according to
Veikko.
But I took particular attention to the reeds as being exquisite in their making in
order to achieve their brilliance and sparkle. One look told me what they were
going sound like because of the design first...and the workmanship second.
There was a profile to gain the utmost in sensitivity, When I spoke of the
raised center, it was not of #16 but a very great design by the Italian,
Morbidoni. This ribbing most certainly overcomes many problems. It is not
done today as naturally, this was a handmade process, and mass production
has taken over as very few appreciate spending funds to have the very best.
This is why I was happy to hear that Russia continues in doing high quality
standards and capable of making 'true' handmade reeds. Now there was
another process done to try and match that design...and by grinding belts that
would cause an arc. once again, higher in the center and lower at the edges.
These are very good too. But what really makes the harmonic quality is the
stiffness (hardness) and the Rockwell scale and the number used. I will have
to think about those numbers that we used before I say something that is
misleading. Yes, the older Russian instruments had reed breakage difficulties
and I attribute that to the wrong hardness used as well as the design at that
time.
I have no idea where he is now, but most certainly, a fellow by the name of
Eugene Cherneshka (americanized) or Chernichka (YEPHNYKA) had a
fantastic sounding instrument that was commercially made, but what reed
quality. Talk about sparkle! I lost track of him.
Anyhow, Veikko is the only "western" owner of a Vulkovitch bayan, and his
last one. All the rest are in Russia. I have no idea who owns them...unless the
government. Kasakov surely received the first for he was the first to use the
prototype.
I hope I have answered your concerns.
Steve Navoyosky

(go to #3)

 

[snavoyosky]

(#3)

ras...@home.net​

Dec 9, 2004, 2:44:22 PM

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Yep - precisely that. Helmholtz came up with formulas centuries ago -
they
simply used them to calculate the numbers. And of course, thickness of
the
"bottom" piece ("roz^etka in Russian) and size of the reed valve (not
leather, but valve)
opening throw a minute monkey wrench in there, so it has to be adjusted
a bit.

In reality resonant frequencies of such cavities are 3-4 times higher
than those
of the respective reeds, thus there is no danger of them being the same
.
Should it be the case, you'd have a case of 2 tightly coupled resonant
systems
with matching frequencies and it'd cause all kinds of problems.

As such, the width of cavities is fixed to the extent that that there
must be as
many of them as their number of reed pairs going the length(height)
of the instrument,
on a side of a given reed block.

The depth is fixed in a similar fashion: too wide of a reed blocks
(meaning deeper cav-s) will not fit into the
instrument, too narrow (shallow cav-s) will cause tip of a sounding
reed to touch the wood as it moves inside
of the cavity. Bottom line: lowest notes have deepest cavity (as deep
as width of reed block
will allow for, with middle piece getting paper-thin ), piccolos will
have cavities 1.5-2mm
deep and depth decreases linearly from lowest to highest note, on the
same side of a given
reed block.



Steve to rashid…..>>>>>

The HOPV process has been nothing new. It can only be used
for the highest reeds and why one would want this reed line to
outshine the others remains to be answered,
Many concepts have been used through the years for resonance
and speaking. Air pressure control was yet another matter
dealing with the situation. While it may appear that reed-makers
are only concerned about reeds, this is not so, for they are (or
used to be) concerned with the block and its affectiveness and
effectiveness. The chamber of each reed must (should) reflect
the proper air pressure to efficiently operate that reed tongue in
relativity to the other reed tongues. Hence the knowledgeable
technician will make his block accordingly....as the reed goes
smaller, so does the chamber depth. This provides for equal
amplitude and for proper amplitude. In the past, the remedy was
to drill a small hole in the piccolo plate to relieve the high
pressure and cause proper speaking of the reed.
As I stated above, the HOPV process is nothing new....only a
re-discovery. Professional clarinet holes can be found to
embrace this same process and most technicians have the
tools to remedy clarinets without the internal countersink.

The ideal maneuver is to make all reed lines equally resonant
between lines and with the line. If this is done, then you have
succeeded in making an instrument whereas all single voice
and coupled voices reflect one combined sound without a line
'standing out' as is the case with most accordion today.

Steve Navoyosky







To Rashid:>>>>>

I just wrote on the so-called HOPV and related subject, posted it,
and just saw your post to me. Perhaps what I stated previously
now will cause more talk.
If you experiment tonight, try for a 44. Now depending on the reed
shape, this may or may not be to your liking. Understand that in
many cases, the artist would perform for the reed-maker so that
the reed-maker could comprehend the performers
nuances---touch--control--volume---aggressiveness, etc.
from that sitting, the reed-maker now proceeds to make the reed
sets. He also forms his opinion of the hardness/softness as
well. frosini was one such performer who although he played an
Excelsior, did not care for the Bugari reeds, and had Luigi
Giulietti fashion new reeds for him. So now its known....Frosini
played an Excelsior with Giulietti reeds.

You mention the neighboring tones and I assume you are
considering the sharps/flats as opposed to the naturals. The
problem there is the grille design on a non-chambered
accordion. The positioning of those reeds on the foundation, the
unequal air pressure, etc. all contribute. If what is done what I
stated previously, and the grille design allows for openness (or
distortions can take place) and the placement of the treble
switches do not hinder or reflect the sounds, the artist should be
well pleased. The grille in Italian means "Hall or a gallery" and
that in itself was originally set up to 'enhance' the sounds. But
with those wanting a 'pretty' accordion and other encumbering
members, most certainly the sound suffers. That's one thing why
I appreciate the Russian accordions....and one reason why
you've seen my specially designed (by me) bassetti the way it is.
While I have a few personal ones, I do not appreciate the tone
chamber for the reasons outlined previously..and here....two
different timbres at work....in concert.

No, I don't recall the #16 reed hardness but in hearing it in my
mind now, I suspect it was more in your lower range and
approaching mine. Veikko was not a hard player...very sensitive,
and the reeds responded quickly. Try 44 and do an entire
middle line.

Steve Navoyosky

(go to #4)

 

[snavoyosky]

(#4)

ras...@home.net

Dec 9, 2004, 3:06:08 PM

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to

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Steve,

thanks for your recollection of #16. It is truly a divine instrument.

One of most prized knowledge of a reed maker is precisely the ability
to create proper tonal characteristics of a reed's sound through proper

reed profile.

Getting reed cut out, filed to fit the frame and produce SOME sound
is easy. All it takes is a bit of patience in filing process.

A given reed can be made to sound at a required frequency in many
ways,
each with corresponding tonal qualities.

Here's some of more desired qualities sought in reed's sound:

- be responsive @ piano
- do not shut off @ fortissimo
- have velvety sound for middles, awe-inspiring lion-like roar for
lower
notes and brilliant piccolos
- have as uniform as possible soundn production across the whole range.
this one is HARD. At very least, _neighboring
notes should always sound at the same level.

About precise RC (Rockwell C-scale) hardness: I think all blue steels
are
in RC 48-52 range. I never tried to mess with it ... can try tonite. I
can definetely
increase/decrease it a bit with a simple blow torch (to increase, heat
up to
bright orange/pale straw color and quench in water, to decrease: heat
up to dull
red and slowly back-off the flame, do not quench, let air cool it ).

I've never heard of it being done @ factories.

Do you remember how soft/hard reeds were in #16 compared to others you
saw ?
I am sure you plucked a few of them to get feel for it.
What about length/shape and bend points ?

ras...@home.net​

Dec 9, 2004, 5:52:49 PM

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to Steve

44RC, eh ? Interesting ! I will try to soften the steel I have (US
made) and see what happens.
I don't have hardness meter ... should probably spring for scratching
testers.

I have some old russian steel - let me see, in scratching context,
who'd win: Russian, True Swedish, or 100% American.

Give me a sec ...

drum roll ....

1. All 3 are IDENTICAL - none can scratch any other one

2. I succesfully lowered hardness of American to where it is
scratchable
and more easily bends - using $20 Home depot blow torch I use for this
kind of work. Took 10seconds - in a rather dimly lit garage I brought
a strip of
it to very very dull red and let it cool down w/o quench.
Will make a reed out of it and see how it sounds





> Yes this works, but better is to reduce the thickness of the
soundboard and the foot of the reed block. Same can be
corrected with the volume of the camber.
> Sometimes the reed ware turned around to fix this problem.

(Steve states)
In another post I commented on this. The soundboard and foot
is of no consequence here. but the chamber size is.
The purpose of the upside down reed was not for that purpose,
but for the benefit of fine tuning the reed tongue. Pressure is
pressure and no matter how it's placed on the block, the result
will remain. If there is a tone chamber, then it is affected
differently and the reed quality must be much better for that
response. A quadruple tone chamber requires the best reeds in
all banks.



> > As I stated above, the HOPV process is nothing new....only a
> > re-discovery.

(Steve states)
But there 'is' a chamber and that being the shoe of the block.
This again is nothing new with piccolo reeds for some of the
accordions of the late 30s and the early 40s were made this way
in Italy. Bandoneons have this setup as well which is one
reason why the middle line "sparkles."
If you view those photographs, Johann, you'll see that their idea
of 'handmade' reeds and my idea are different. Those piccolo
reeds were made with harmonic steel sheets and the rivets
were placed by machine. I viewed them in a program where I
could enlarge X 3. Although blurry, it was enough to show me the
results.

Personally, I would not prefer to have these HOPV reeds in my
accordion. If they truly give 70% more volume, then it would
interefere with my performance. This might suit someone doing
ethnic music where that high harmonic is desired. While the
Italians have given warmth to the accordion; and the Germans
it's mechanical technology, the Russians have given it research
and intelligence to make it sing with beauty. IMHO, it is the
Russians that have made it the true instrument by being
cognizant of its physics and engineering.

Many of you have seen the instrument I designed and placed
certain specifications. The left hand side is strictly a B system
chromatic with the range going from bottom to top in pitch. Two
sets of reeds are present, and in unison about two cents apart,
which I requested. The Italians who were making it for me
argued that the last (low) octave on that side just 'had' to be in
octaves. I declined saying that it would work and it took several
conversations to get them to conform to my money. I ended it all
by telling to do as I wished and if it would not work, then I would
be the one changing it. To this day it remains as I designed it.
Perhaps the Italians learned from that experience.

Steve

(the end)

 

[Ffingers]

Thank you for these posts Steve.
One point though with which I will vehemently disagree with you, as did my professional harpist sister and her original teacher, in that a genuininely talented student should be granted the use of the very best instrument available to him/her from the very beginning of their musical journey.
Sensitive ears suffering lesser quality sounds discourage effort and ambition.
From my own perspective, and that of my very talented elder brother I can attest to the veracity of that opinion.

 

[Ventura]

that was a nice read and i actually understood a fair amount of it

had some experience with tempering but the guy who showed
me how used Melt sticks which were very precise in his hands

and i had a Steelworker friend who worked the die jigs and fed the spring
steel between the roller combinations at Cyclops in Bridgeville to
make the reels of spring steel in any guage you could want.. he showed
and told me a lot about Steel, very different than what i had learned being around
the Big mills along the river in my Youth (J&L and USSteel)

but OH to have a reedmaker who actually wanted to observe me play
and THEN make the reeds he felt would best support my style..
that would be amazing

but i can imagine it

my attack on the treble has changed a lot over the decades, but once
i had Europe under my belt and amazingly fine Microphones in my luggage
coming home (i always had amazing amplification all my life because of the
Rock n Roll background) which resulted in me using the minimum amount of Air
and the maximum mount of sensitivity and letting the Mics and Amps provide
the rest.. so i learned how to have a tremendous dynamic range in a different
way than most.. actually you barely see my bellows movements, but if you watch
closely, you can note than each note or phrase is individually articulated with
varying pressure, and i actually fully stop the bellows between many notes..
sometimes i even lift the Valve THEN begin to squeeze in a controlled buildup
of amplitude.. kind of like when Mick Fleetwood does one of his Whisper to
a Roar drum bridges, but doing it with Bellows and Reeds

i even do it like this Strolling, because i put custom combinations of
wireless and sophisticated speaker systems together specifically for such venues..
in other words when i stroll, my volume next to a table is just right for the
immediate area, but the overall sound is fully dispersed throughout
the room (rooms, for the venues with small multifloor dining area layouts,
and even indoor outdoor areas)

so i wonder what that reedmaker would have made for me ?

my acquired approach was also much enabled i feel by me lucking
into several World Class accordions which have reeds with the kind
of sensitivity i didn't even realize existed when i was a Young player with my
(yes . so called "handmade" reed) Cordovox.. and that old Scandalli i loved
from my uncle was almost played out by the time it reached my hands so
while it had Tone and Firepower, it never showed me a sensitive side..

LoL

well thanks for posting that info.. it made me think

Ciao

 

[Ventura]

ii can see both sides, but do tend toward wanting to get the best
instrument into the Students hands.. partly from my years in Retail
Music stores and seeing how many young guitarists were discouraged
by god awful fretboards and crappy intonation

however, for accordions, many early years are spend pulling and
pushing with every ounce of strength in a young boys arms.. i don't
know that high quality reeds would make much difference..
though i guess Jerry had an amazing Morino as a child, and it
seemed to have borne fruit in him

but while i was in AWE of my accordion teacher and his AC and the way
he just did EVERYthing so effortlessly and naturally and it sounded SO DAMN GOOD
i don't know that if i had an AC back then it would have made any difference for me ?

 

[tcabot]

For example, they did studies
on precise size of resonators as early as 1934 - which was then re-used
by all of the (state-owned) factories. Also, optimal reed size were
calculated and published about same time.

Let me jump in and say that there's a lot of controversy here. The particular infamous work in question is by Rosenfeld/Ivanov. I have a copy and I have read it.
While very informative in some aspects, it can be completely useless in others, like reed chamber calculations.

Firstly, I have read multiple claims by eastern European bayan luthiers that USSR just plagiarised the earlier German research into reed sizes and chambers, without putting a lot of their own input;

Secondly, the reed pages mainly focus on producing reeds in factory conditions to minimise cost & weight, and not to maximise sound. There is zero information on voicing instruments - only the mass-production factory aspect. No detailed explanation of any experiments carried out - the author just gives his (often factually incorrect) opinion and states it as the universal truth.
The book contradicts itself in multiple places.
The Soviet mass-produced boxes were truly horrific, so whatever advice has been passed to the factories was either completely ignored, or was completely useless.
Afaik, luthier-built reeds had absolutely nothing to do in shape or size with the figures published "officially". Maybe that's why they sound so well.

Most importantly, the pseudo-scientific information from soviet "Research" can be proven wrong in a couple hours by building an adjustable volume reed chamber and running tests with various reeds.


"Top of the reed block is varnished for the same
reason exterior of say violin is: to make it resistant to dirt/sweat.
Inside is not as it will affect resonant qualities of wood (again, just
as violins and other string instruments)."

How hard does he play to get sweat inside his box?
Violin necks are very often not varnished and get covered in dirt and sweat, but it's done to improve the neck feel for the musician. So not the most factually correct analogy.
The bit about varnishing the insides is also worth experimenting with. Make two test chambers: one with mirror-polished wooden sides and one lined with felt. Test them. These are two acoustic extremes we are talking about. What I got when I did it was that felt results in noticeable, but very small reduction in volume. That's about it. So, after comparing the two side by side, it will be very hard to convince me that varnish/no varnish can ever make enough difference to be picked up in a blind test.
Some Italian reed blocks are varnished on the inside by the way.

I often see online forums (not just accordions or lutherie, but pretty much any aspect of life) regurgitating the same "wisdom" over and over again, and people never actually bother spending a few hours to check if the online lore they are reading is true or not, or even check the most basic facts.

Don't get me wrong, It is absolutely wonderful that you are sharing some interesting stories, and I really enjoy reading them, but I think some of them need to come with a very big disclaimer that it's just somebody's decades-old opinion that can be unintentionally misleading, factually incorrect, and should not be trusted blindly.

 

[kimric]

My uninformed take on trapezoidal reeds for high notes, was that by making the reed narrower at the tip it meant that it would not need to be as thin as it might need to be otherwise. Having worked on Bandoneons the high pitched (square) reeds can be incredibly thin and great care has to be taken to not crumple the tip while tuning it. Some that have come through my shop have actual pinholes and the tip looks like a flag left in a high wind too long.
Some odd things are some reeds I have seen with a reverse trapezoid on the highest reeds with tips wider than the base, my guess is that this possibly gives more volume.

 

[Dingo40]

I often see online forums (not just accordions or lutherie, but pretty much any aspect of life) regurgitating the same "wisdom" over and over again, and people never actually bother spending a few hours to check if the online lore they are reading is true or not, or even check the most basic facts.

Shortly after my wife and I married, we purchased a copy of Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book.
The section on Christmas puddings stipulated a (pudding) boiling time of 6.5 hours!
Not knowing any better (we could barely manage to boil an egg between us) we followed the instructions faithfully.
Did you know that you can totally char (blacken) a pudding (dough) merely by boiling it in water long enough ?
It was, obviously, a misprint!
Yet, we have found these very same instructions, repeatedly, in various cookery books down the years!

 

[boxplayer4000]

Reed Tongues.
In a book that I have it is stated that tapered reeds are designed in an attempt to control the harmonics.
The book is ‘The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual’ published by Pitman in 1976. ISBN 0 273 36193 7 by Alan Douglas.
Alan Douglas’s first discipline was metallergy but was also experienced in electronic musical generation. In 1976 the free reed was still a source of sound for those developing instruments and was why the subject of reeds arose at all in this otherwise electronic manual.
On Page 11 of the book he explains thus:

 

[Ventura]

experimenting with the insides of the individual reed chambers

OK

maybe similar, i lined the external Mic Chambers i like to make with
different materials as experiment.. Mahogany veneer, thin soft Copper sheeting,
cloth, vinyl, foam, i also made some in a V shape with the Mics pointed into the
V with wood under them that the sound had to flow around

all good fun and just to learn about it.. i kept the Copper lined one
for frequent use on Gigs, as i also covered the outer portion in Suede
and it looks nice on the Wooden and Cream colored accordions,
rather than the Black Mic chamber Sennheiser rail i use mostly