Chinese + Hohner

[boxplayer4000]

Chinese + Hohner.
A friend who plays a lot, frequently using air travel, has reduced his risks of the usual damage associated with air travel and accordions by using a cheaper Chinese Chanson for some of those gigs, hence his need for a tune-up of one of those instruments.
From experience I know the Chanson as a sturdy, middle range instrument and the one above is no exception. As with all accordions the leather valves are not expendable and are the item requiring most attention. That aside the instrument is taking life in its stride and remains airtight, the keyboard remains in good condition, the woodwork remains stable, the wax appears to be still doing its job etc.
The single item, to my mind, making the biggest difference to the quality is the reeds. The Chinese reeds are of a noticeably lower quality; they’re less responsive, leak more air and the harmonics are less well defined and lacking in the top ranges.
I know many will not agree that, reeds aside, the Chinese instrument is middle range/fairly good but while I was making the adjustments to this one I idly wondered what it would sound like if the reeds were replaced with say, Hohner T quality reeds. There’s certainly plenty of those reeds around. I think they started making the early T reeds in the 1930s and the last time I looked they were still for sale on the Hohner site. No doubt the T reeds have evolved over the years but I have used quite a few over the years for spares and found that they tuned in well against other reeds.
It might well be a project I’ll take on some day if the right instruments come to hand.

 

[oldbayan]

Upgrading the reeds will indeed make a difference. The only snag is the size of the plates! The T plates may not be the same dimensions as the Chinese plates.

 

[JerryPH]

There is also a lot of plastic in there that over time becomes brittle and cause issues.

 

[boxplayer4000]

oldbayan: I had thought of the reed sizes but had not made any comparisons. I've certainly plenty spare T reeds here so I might make some comparisons before I hand the Chinese accordion back.

JerryPH: Which plastic parts did you have in mind? I haven't opened the bass end. Apart from the plastic treble keys the only part made of a synthetic material that I've noted are 'rubber' ferrules joining the treble key rods to the pallets (similar to the Hohner Atlantic).
I do see other, older, Italian accordions from the 70s such as Crucianelli and Elka where plastic was making inroads on many parts and are now prone to hardening and failure.

 

[boxplayer4000]

After harvesting a few leeks this morning, in preparation for the deep-freezer and winter rations I decided to have a closer look at the Chinese Chanson accordion before I hand it back.
Regarding reed replacement I find that the Hohner T-reeds that I have to hand are mostly about 1 to 3 mm shorter than the Chinese ones so that would be a help.
A closer look at the treble key assembly shows that it is not standard in the sense that the spindle/wire that the keys normally hinge on does not appear on the outer edges of the keyboard. The keys are plastic but the hinges are metal. The keys do not appear to be individually removable. The whole key assembly appears to have been assembled before being fitted and is held by wood screws through the metal key hinge frame, underneath and behind the coupler mechanism.
A quick look inside the bass end showed that the mechanism seemed to have been assembled first before being fitted (this includes the keyboard and buttons). Along with some wood screws there are two flip-over metal straps holding the assembly. However the impression is that, if a problem did arise in either treble or bass that dis-assembly would make the job easier.
The woodwork, inside the accordion, has had an application of varnish.

 

[kimric]

Based on your description this is probably similar to most chinese instruments where it is a rough copy of a vintage Scandalli. The bass can be removed as a unit and the two straps on either side you mentioned hold it in.
The keys are almost certainly held by the litte tension springs at the heel of the key. Unfortunately they do not include the little tool to hook and unhook the key. I am pretty sure someone has made a video on youtube though.

 

[boxplayer4000]

kimric: It would be a fairly simple task to make a tool to release the tension springs at the heel of the key. I applied as much force as I thought safe to try and release an individual key but sensed no 'give'. My feeling is that the keys are not individually fitted.