Low Reed Not Sounding on One Note

[afuller5]

Hi all,

On my nice Castiglione accordion (3/5 LMH, 41/120, 19-inch), the low reed is not sounding on the high F-sharp when pulling the bellows. However, air is moving in even though the reed is not sounding. I have never done any accordion repairs. Is the something that I may be able to repair myself? A picture of this accordion is below.

(I also have a 14-inch student accordion that has a few issues. I’m not really worried about getting that one repaired since it’s not as nice. It also has a note not sounding. So, if necessary, I can practice a repair on this one.)

Thanks,
Allen

 

[JerryPH]

It all depends on what is "wrong". If it's a stuck reed SOMETIMES it came be unstuck by pressing the key AND the one above or below it and pushing or pulling real hard (depending which side is stuck). If it doesn't release after several tries, it may be nothing worse than a stuck valve thanks to some dust or dirt... or it may be as severe as a reed that's fallen out due to the wax drying out.

The easy one you can handle... if you are not getting the warm and fuzzys about how to move forward, time to get it to someone that knows what they are doing.

 

[afuller5]

Jerry,

Thanks for the tip about pressing adjacent notes and pushing and pulling forcefully. It fixed the reed not sounding on both the large and small accordion.

Thanks again!
Allen

 

[craigd]

Don't think I've ever seen Lou Reed mentioned on this forum before!

I did actually think that was what I read for a moment. I'm a little disappointed, going to google Lou Reed accordion now, see if anything turns up.

 

[craigd]

 

[Dakota_Squeeze]

It all depends on what is "wrong". If it's a stuck reed SOMETIMES it came be unstuck by pressing the key AND the one above or below it and pushing or pulling real hard (depending which side is stuck). If it doesn't release after several tries, it may be nothing worse than a stuck valve thanks to some dust or dirt... or it may be as severe as a reed that's fallen out due to the wax drying out.

The easy one you can handle... if you are not getting the warm and fuzzys about how to move forward, time to get it to someone that knows what they are doing.

@JerryPH

Does this apply to bass buttons as well? My F bass button seems to play only one reed on the pull on one of my boxes. Visually I can't see anything wrong when I look, it's never been so bothersome that I can't play that accordion. In fact that Concerto III might be my favorite even with its "character".

 

[Ventura]

dear Dakota

there are several reasons for a reed to not sound

the trick used above is a quick fix long shot lotsa luck
way to get a lot of vibration and air around a specific reed
for the purpose of dislodging the tiny spec of something
(dust, dirt, bug-leg) that came in on the airstream and got
stuck in a spot between the reed and the reedplate

it may also work if the reed is held from starting due to
a temporarily stuck leather

reeds fail from losing their relative position in the gap,
fissures in the wax, drying out of a leather mount, deterioration
of a pallet valve and other problems

the lotsa luck fix is not something to count on and will never
take the place of a close inspection of a problem reed,
but if you are on a gig and need to get it working quick, try it..
but what SHOULD always be the FIRST thing done in diagnosing
why a reed is stuck. is visually and closely inspect the reed,
notice it is stuck from a particle, and ping it gently to
make the repair (dislodge the dirt) much safer than strenuously and
with the full force of your muscles ravage your bellows and reeds,
which may do more damage if the problem was NOT a spec of dirt
and you keep squeezing smashing keys and jiggling the poor
accordion around

i am making this point because you are a newbie, and it felt
like you were getting the wrong idea about Jerry's tip..
the internet does that..

now for your concerto, look again at that reed.. first
ping it to make sure it moves freely. look more closely at the
wax, then look from the side and try and see how it sits in it's
plate compared to the reeds near it.. does the reed tongue
sit higher? lower? shine a light through it to help see the size of the
gap and position

a repairperson with tuning experience should be able to
ease/bend the reed into position again..

 

[JerryPH]

@JerryPH

Does this apply to bass buttons as well? My F bass button seems to play only one reed on the pull on one of my boxes. Visually I can't see anything wrong when I look, it's never been so bothersome that I can't play that accordion. In fact that Concerto III might be my favorite even with its "character".

It does, but as Ventura so eloquently says it... there are better options, however I have had success on a couple of accordions that had not been played in a very long time that had a stuck reed or 2, and that resolved it for me... no bent reeds, nothing broke, but I gave a strong push/pull... with feeling! I did not rip the accordion apart.