Janko/Uniform/Isomorphic conversion projects

[David Colpitts]

Hello, all. Just wrote an extensive draft and lost it....Don't get old!
I have nearly completed the "Jankolpitts" conversion of a nice, older and restored 2-voice, 3-octave harmonium (Indian hand-pumped table organ.) As always with my conversions, totally reversible and non-destructive to the nice vintage instrument. Should be playable by Saturday.
Even more exciting to me, in the long haul, is a rather higher-end (to me, at least) Giulietti 41-key piano accordion with.....drum roll....Moschino free bass left hand! Very nice lightweight (probably student model) that I hope will let me expand as far as my musical interests can take me, and still be a portable acoustic package. I won't pick it up untill mid-month, and will get right to work on it. On this one I will be as careful as I can, since I intend to play it all the time, at least while I struggle with the new left hand. With luck, it might sound (the instrument, of course not my skill!) like Danil's Logicordeon (see Danil Denisov's work on Janko Keyboard Facebook group, if you are interested) save for the non-Stradella left. Anyway, it'll be less than half the cost of that lovely instrument, so it feeds the addiction on a budget! As usual, my conversion will probably cost about $20 US, plus the instrument, and might take about 4-6 hours of slow, deliberative hobby-shopping. But if I really fall for this one, it might be the one to get special treatment: 3D printed (or such) key-top extenders, rather than craft sticks. But I can always convert the simple way and design the next stage at my leisure. I'll try to share pictures when done!

 

[knobby]

@David Colpitts Any progress on this?

 

[David Colpitts]

@David Colpitts Any progress on this?

Hello, Knobby, and thanks for the question. Yes, some progress. The harmonium is finished and very playable, and I am frankly learning/feeling a lot about chords by simply making the shape and moving it up and down the keyboard. That's the Janko advantage, to my brain, at least. And on the Giulietti: I picked it up last week, and after I got it home realized that it is NOT the Moschino free bass, but rather a CBA style C system free bass, which I also think has great potential for me. But, the thing is heavier than I had hoped (only 13+ pounds, but my concertinas a melodeons weigh like 2 to 5 pounds) and I am not sure I will use it as imagined, as a portable-enough for sessions instrument. But in between (yesterday, matter of fact) I went back to the source and picked up the little, actual-labeled "Moschino Free Bass" 26 key PA and it has grabbed my attention. It'll be a simple Janko (Jankolpitts) conversion, and sounds nice and weighs about 7 pounds. The bass end is interesting, but very small. I attach a picture, and one of the harmonium. Probably 2 weeks away from converting the little one.
I enjoy all the different stories and perspectives on this site, so thanks again for that!

 

[David Colpitts]

@David Colpitts Any progress on this?

A small triumph today, with the (tentative) completion of the Jankofication of the "Baby Moschino FreeBass" PA I got a couple of weeks ago. It is my neatest work (since I think I will leave this one alone for a while, at least the keys and buttons) and really plays rather nicely, in my own humble opinion. Of course, it came with the few typical older-instrument things to address.....a couple of reeds to tune, more to re-valve, and the like. But it does seem to be unique. Here is a picture. As always, reversible and non-destructive. Now, to figure out the Moschino part...So an isomorphic 2 octaves on the right, and what purports to be a great little free bass on the left, at about 8 pounds.