K
keelbolt
Guest
I would welcome some advice, please, from the Accordion Elmers here...
I have been given a Pigliacampo Numana - small, lightweight, 34 Treble keys (G to E) with 48 Bass. Apart from being a bit dusty, all the action works OK. Which is surprising, really, because its been in Bangkok for the past ten years, and the humidity and heat here is considerable.
Inside, it looks clean and tidy, bellows seem fine and hold their pressure well with no discernable leaks or whistles. Its in reasonable tune - I suspect musette tuning originally - but the one obvious thing thats failing is the leathers. Most are seriously curled away from the reed blocks, and a few at the top end of the treble blocks are missing altogether (and no sign of them inside anywhere).
I like the feel of the instrument, though it does use a LOT of air to play coupled (maybe the leathers have something to do with this). And there are a few clacks and wheezes from some of the reeds. But its light, small, powerful, and ideal for when I only need a lightweight small instrument (my others are a BIG Baille, and a Roland FR3X).
My first thought is carefully to clean the reeds and replace the leathers and see how that affects the instrument (hopefully for the better).
I attach some pictures, and would be grateful if you those with more experience could (a) comment on my plan of action against the pictures, and (b) let me know where best to get a complete new set of leathers - Im tempted to go for vinyl rather than leather because of the humidity here.
Yes, its a project. Yes, its my first renovation on an accordion (though I have three of them now). And yes, I think its worth it.... for the learning experience if nothing else. What am I missing? What else should I be doing?
I have been given a Pigliacampo Numana - small, lightweight, 34 Treble keys (G to E) with 48 Bass. Apart from being a bit dusty, all the action works OK. Which is surprising, really, because its been in Bangkok for the past ten years, and the humidity and heat here is considerable.
Inside, it looks clean and tidy, bellows seem fine and hold their pressure well with no discernable leaks or whistles. Its in reasonable tune - I suspect musette tuning originally - but the one obvious thing thats failing is the leathers. Most are seriously curled away from the reed blocks, and a few at the top end of the treble blocks are missing altogether (and no sign of them inside anywhere).
I like the feel of the instrument, though it does use a LOT of air to play coupled (maybe the leathers have something to do with this). And there are a few clacks and wheezes from some of the reeds. But its light, small, powerful, and ideal for when I only need a lightweight small instrument (my others are a BIG Baille, and a Roland FR3X).
My first thought is carefully to clean the reeds and replace the leathers and see how that affects the instrument (hopefully for the better).
I attach some pictures, and would be grateful if you those with more experience could (a) comment on my plan of action against the pictures, and (b) let me know where best to get a complete new set of leathers - Im tempted to go for vinyl rather than leather because of the humidity here.
Yes, its a project. Yes, its my first renovation on an accordion (though I have three of them now). And yes, I think its worth it.... for the learning experience if nothing else. What am I missing? What else should I be doing?