Marinucci 120 bass piano accordion beginner repair advice.

[Oliver F]

I recently picked up this old Marrinucci 120 bass piano accordion from a family friend who was getting rid of it(she estimates it is from the 40s). It plays okay, but there are a few issues that I would like to fix. I am very interested in accordion repair, have some experience with DIY, and have read through most of the accordion revival website meaning I feel comfortable working on it. However, I am not certain what steps to take.

• The first problem is that the bellows are leaking due to missing metal corner bits. Other than the corners the bellows seem to be sealed well. My first question is are the corners just squeezed in place and held by friction or is there some glue and if so what type of glue? Then would it be worth it to manufacture my own corners or should I buy them?
• The next problem is that only 2 of the treble side register keys are working and none of the bass side register keys are working. I have found little information online about fixing this and have not been able to diagnose a problem through my inspections. Does anyone know of common problems which could be affecting my register keys and how to fix them?
• Most of the accidental keys on the treble side make very little sound. Through my research, this seems like a problem of dust on the reeds. Is that an accurate conclusion or are there other issues to look out for causing the accidentals to make little sound?
• The bass buttons often stick down. I have looked at the bass machine and have not seen any bending leading me to think that the sticking is caused by dust or other impurities. If this is true then how should I go about cleaning the bass machine (I am intimidated by the prospect of disassembling the bass machine)?
• The accordion did not come with a case so I am building my own. In my research, I have seen information saying to store it in the orientation it will be played in however I have also seen more compelling information saying to store it on its feet on the bass side. Should I store it on its feet or in playing orientation?

 

[Dingo40]

The accordion did not come with a case so I am building my own

This is no mean feat: I suggest that you hunt around for a suitable used hard case and rehabilitate that. That alone will keep you sufficiently busy!

 

[debra]

Best advice is to take it to a repairer.
Go visit Edwin Erickson in Buck Lake (should not be too far away).
Second-best advice is to study www.accordionrevival.com and start exploring by yourself.

 

[Ben-jammin]

This seems like a pretty substantial project. I would expect the instrument has more defects than you have identified yet because you can only play some of the notes on two registers. Based on the current known defects my assessment wouldn’t be it “plays ok”. Have you looked at the reeds yet to see what condition they are in? Before I would start on an instrument like this I would take a look at the what the whole proposition is, and how many total hurdles I would have to overcome to get it where I would want it to be as a properly functioning instrument. I expect it would likely need new wax, reed valves, and probably some tuning as a minimum. It looks like it was a pretty high spec instrument when new, it may even have a tone chamber, but it’s possible that after it’s repaired, even a slightly more modern instrument of fairly modest “spec” may out perform it in the ways that are important to a player. Something to consider.

I would concentrate on he registers issue first. On an instrument of that vintage it could be a fairly fragile arrangement. Compared to more modern stuff, this vintage can be easy to damage and more difficult to repair. If you take the reed banks out (the sliders might be in the reed banks so care may be needed to decouple them from the actuator before removal) so you can see how the system works and see what’s being interrupted.

Paul has some good advice. If you want the quickest path to a functioning instrument a professional repairman is the way to go. They can also help you identify what the instruments real potential is and what hurdles lie in front of you to get it there.