Asking for help with Scandelli VI.

[Richard]

Hi All, I have a mid sixties Scandalli VI that has beautiful tone, concert tuned. I miss having a musette sound of maybe 8-9 cents. But I don’t want to alter the existing reeds. Is it possible to find a reed block that has the musette reeds that would fit in my accordion? I know a tall order give its age, but wondering if our repair experts might have a suggestion. Thank you in advance.

 

[debra]

It is possible to have a reed block made that will fit in your accordion. Finding one that just fits is not very likely, but you may be able to find one that can be made to fit. There will be many accordions with exactly the same spacing between the notes (because of the use of standard register sliders). So the only thing that then requires adaptation are the ends of the reed block, to get it to fit. And there is the width at the base to consider as well, not to fit the reed block but to make a set of reed blocks fit next to each other.
However, to get not only the tremolo you want but to get it with very nice sound the same type of reeds should be put on that block. And these old reeds are very rare and made out of "unobtainium". To get the finest tremolo/musette sound that you want I do feel that getting the pitch of the tremolo reeds (the M outside of cassotto) raised a bit is the best way. You need to find a honest good tuner who is willing to approach the goal slowly and carefully (so as to not overshoot the goal and having to tune a bit down after tuning up). Getting the accordion to the exact amount of tremolo that you want is a time consuming job, not just for the tuner but also for yourself to judge when the "ideal" sound has been achieved.

 

[Richard]

thank you Debra so very much for your sage advice! Sounds like a huge job! This accordion is the best I’ve ever heard with some people offering to buy it on the spot! Wish you were available, someone I could trust thank you again!

 

[boxplayer4000]

Richard: Scandalli V1s are at the top end of all accordions. Settimio Soprani Artist V1s are virtually the same right down to the coupler layouts and the Italians seem to have cooperated closely in the making of those models.
It would be interesting if you could publish a photo(s) of yours where the model and couplers were clear.
Two repairers near me who would have taken on the task of making reed blocks have sadly passed on in recent years and I don't know anybody now who is sufficiently skilled.

 

[colinm]

Hi All, I have a mid sixties Scandalli VI that has beautiful tone, concert tuned. I miss having a musette sound of maybe 8-9 cents. But I don’t want to alter the existing reeds. Is it possible to find a reed block that has the musette reeds that would fit in my accordion? I know a tall order give its age, but wondering if our repair experts might have a suggestion. Thank you in advance.

If you are willing to buy from UK I know a repairman who has made special blocks for me.

 

[Richard]

Richard: Scandalli V1s are at the top end of all accordions. Settimio Soprani Artist V1s are virtually the same right down to the coupler layouts and the Italians seem to have cooperated closely in the making of those models.
It would be interesting if you could publish a photo(s) of yours where the model and couplers were clear.
Two repairers near me who would have taken on the task of making reed blocks have sadly passed on in recent years and I don't know anybody now who is sufficiently skilled.

Thank you so much for your reply. I did not know this information, I did not know about the Soprani Artist being similar, I will use your information in my quest. Thank you

 

[Richard]

If you are willing to buy from UK I know a repairman who has made special blocks for me.

Thank you for your reply. I don’t know how I would interface as I wouldn’t send my reed block over for fear of losing the reeds! If there is a solution I would be interested. Thank you

 

[Richard]

Richard: Scandalli V1s are at the top end of all accordions. Settimio Soprani Artist V1s are virtually the same right down to the coupler layouts and the Italians seem to have cooperated closely in the making of those models.
It would be interesting if you could publish a photo(s) of yours where the model and couplers were clear.
Two repairers near me who would have taken on the task of making reed blocks have sadly passed on in recent years and I don't know anybody now who is sufficiently skilled.

Thank you for your information that I can use! Not sure what you mean about pix of the couplers, wonder if you mean the lineup of the switches? Thanks so much!

 

[boxplayer4000]

There will be some on this site who have a fuller knowledge of the Scandalli accordions within the V1 range but the one in the pictures below became familiar to me and the couplers tell us that the treble reed arrangement is LMMH.
(The system is not letting me insert a 2nd photo of the couplers; I'll try and do this on another page).

 

[boxplayer4000]

Scandalli V1 : photo of couplers: