Lydia
Member
I was wondering if there was a good and bad way to store the accordion. I have mine lying down flat at the moment. Any suggestions on good storing of the accordion would be appreciated.
Lydia
Lydia
Correct position to store accordion
- Thread starter Lydia
- Start date
Dingo40
Been here for ages!
This has been discussed at length several times previously.
The consensus of the cognoscenti is to store the accordion upright (as in the playing orientation).
There's also a counter culture element some of whom store their accordions standing on their little feet, others laid on their backs ( of which I am one
).We have been warned of dire consequences to come to those who stray from the approved path, however in my own case it's been 50+ years and nothing obvious yet. Just lucky, I guess!
Here's a previous thread on the topic:
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Lydia
Member
Thanks for this info. I thought there may have been previous chat about this dilema.This has been discussed at length several times previously.
The consensus of the cognoscenti is to store the accordion upright (as in the playing orientation).
There's also a counter culture element some of whom store their accordions standing on their little feet, others laid on their backs ( of which I am one
We have been warned of dire consequences to come to those who stray from the approved path, however in my own case it's been 50+ years and nothing obvious yet. Just lucky, I guess!
Here's a previous thread on the topic:
Lydia
TLDR version:
It's all about gravity pulling the valves away from the reedplates.
If it doesn't have cassotto - stand it on the bass-plate feet.
If it has cassotto - ideally, store in playing position.
"On its back" is not a good way to store it.
If it has plastic valves - I don't think it matters. My 70-year-old Morino club had cassotto and had absolutely no issues with plastic valves curling on any blocks. I don't think it's been stored in playing position for all the 70 years, but who knows.
It's all about gravity pulling the valves away from the reedplates.
If it doesn't have cassotto - stand it on the bass-plate feet.
If it has cassotto - ideally, store in playing position.
"On its back" is not a good way to store it.
If it has plastic valves - I don't think it matters. My 70-year-old Morino club had cassotto and had absolutely no issues with plastic valves curling on any blocks. I don't think it's been stored in playing position for all the 70 years, but who knows.
Lydia
Member
This has been discussed at length several times previously.
The consensus of the cognoscenti is to store the accordion upright (as in the playing orientation).
There's also a counter culture element some of whom store their accordions standing on their little feet, others laid on their backs ( of which I am one
We have been warned of dire consequences to come to those who stray from the approved path, however in my own case it's been 50+ years and nothing obvious yet. Just lucky, I guess!
Here's a previous thread on the topic:
A Tryer
Newbie
Please excuse my ignorance, but how do I know if my accordion has a cassotto?
If you have two M reeds and a register for playing just one M and another register for playing (just) the other M you should hear the difference in sound. Accordions without cassotto (almost) invariably do not have a register for playing just the other (offset) M. But some accordions with cassotto do not have such a register either (for instance, Hohner Morino)...
The best way is to look under the grille and you can see the cassotto chamber hidden away under the registers.
All accordions should be stored in the playing position. Placing the accordion on its feet is safe when you have the accordion on stage and are not playing it (less likely that it will tip over). But on all accordions with cassotto or Winkelbaß (a bass block at a 90 degree angle) gravity pulls down half of the valves. It doesn't matter much when you only have plastic valve and matters just a little when you have leather valves with metal booster springs. But if you have leather valves with plastic boosters or without any booster spring at all the force of gravity will eventually pull down the valves so they stay open. And you might think that in an accordion without cassotto all the valves are in vertical position so gravity has no effect, but in reality in many such accordions the sides of the reed blocks are at an angle so you still have valves that are hanging at an angle that causes gravity to pull them open.
A Tryer
Newbie
Paul, thank you for taking the time to respond. Sadly, my ignorance continues, so please (and hopefully no one will laugh) but I don’t understand what is meant by the term “M” register?
I don't think Giulietti Classic 57 has cassotto (aka "tone chamber").
Here's an example with a tone chamber. See 90-degree mounted treble reedblocks in photo 3.
Here's an example with a tone chamber. See 90-degree mounted treble reedblocks in photo 3.
A Tryer
Newbie
Thank you. Everyday is a school day and my schooling is just starting.
How to stand it and how to stand it safely was a big consideration for me. Keeping them in playing orientation they were wobbly and unstable.
I initially made a shelf for my accordions and it was just too unsafe and not worth the risk (not to mention that without special considerations like extra towels and what not, the bottom of the keyboards would be all scratched up!).
I've also owned my Morino since 1974, and not needed valves until recently... thats way over 45 years of not needing a tune or service and then once I did need valves it was only a few of the biggest ones on the treble side. After finally 52 years I just recently started to hear ONE valve on the bass side.
I also asked a few experts (Hohner Gola tech and an accordion museum owner that has over 600 accordions)... both said they recommend that they be stored in the orientation they were designed to sit when not in use.
That's how mine all sit now. I will address my ONE bass valve on the Morino in the near future... and Cassotto or not, will continue to store them as the designers meant for them to be stored because it is so much safer and more stable. The potential damage to curled valves is going to happen over time no matter how it is stored (age is going to eventually curl ANY valve, leather or plastic), so I decided to store them in their safest position. It is easier to replace a valve than scratches... or a cracked accordion because it fell 4 feet on to a hard (in my case a carpet covered cement), floor.
Before:
Now (well, before I got my last 2 others, that also sit on their own feet):
I initially made a shelf for my accordions and it was just too unsafe and not worth the risk (not to mention that without special considerations like extra towels and what not, the bottom of the keyboards would be all scratched up!).
I've also owned my Morino since 1974, and not needed valves until recently... thats way over 45 years of not needing a tune or service and then once I did need valves it was only a few of the biggest ones on the treble side. After finally 52 years I just recently started to hear ONE valve on the bass side.
I also asked a few experts (Hohner Gola tech and an accordion museum owner that has over 600 accordions)... both said they recommend that they be stored in the orientation they were designed to sit when not in use.
That's how mine all sit now. I will address my ONE bass valve on the Morino in the near future... and Cassotto or not, will continue to store them as the designers meant for them to be stored because it is so much safer and more stable. The potential damage to curled valves is going to happen over time no matter how it is stored (age is going to eventually curl ANY valve, leather or plastic), so I decided to store them in their safest position. It is easier to replace a valve than scratches... or a cracked accordion because it fell 4 feet on to a hard (in my case a carpet covered cement), floor.
Before:
Now (well, before I got my last 2 others, that also sit on their own feet):
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Dingo40
Been here for ages!
As Jerry said, issues relating to storage orientation may or may not appear after 50 years, but issues arising from toppling off a shelf and falling several feet on to a concrete floor will be evident in a split second!
Lydia
Member
Well I now have a lot to ponder. I definitely won't be storing mine in a high position that's for sure.
Lydia
Lydia
Paradise found!
