subduing / increasing bass / treble sound

[smdc66]

i think i remember reading once people increasing the treble sound or bass sound or lowering by non permanent means such as removing the treble grill or bass grill to simply make the sound louder or covering a grille to lower the sound

has anyone done this or know of this?

i dont really want to make sounds louder but sometimes i feel my bass sounds are a little harsh so wouldnt mind subduing the bass sound at times

i presume people cover the grille vents with crdboard or material or something

or maybe i imagined it :|

edit :in retrospect forget removing bass grills comment as think i did imagine that bit (and i think people would want to subdue bass sounds if anything anyway)

 

[Guernseyman]

I think this opens up a whole discussion on sound because when I bought my new Cooperativa recently, I found it sounded so much more balanced and altogether nicer when I heard someone else play it in the shop rather than when I played it myself (even allowing for different abilities!!!!). Sometimes we are so close to the instrument that we cannot hear the balance well. What do others think? I always think my bass is too loud but then I listen to a recording and it sounds fine. There are many world class players who play with the grilles off (at least the treble grille - I've never heard of someone removing the bass plate because that would invite all sorts of problems. My Cooperativa has holes cut in the bass plate to allow the sound out and it is less muted and you hear the reeds with much greater clarity. A lot of grilles on more expensive and/or bespoke instruments have grilles that allow more sound out anyway.

 

[Pietro]

I agree that the sound of one's own instrument from behind is very different than from in front. I'm always amazed when I hear someone else play mine, how much nicer and well balanced it sounds, and I'm not just talking about the quality of the playing either.

Pete

 

[Anyanka]

I regularly play with the grille off to get the maximum out of the treble side.

A friend of mine bought a second-hand Italian accordion on eBay and found the bass too heavy. Her husband (a regular squeezebox fixer) opened up the bass end and taped off one entire set of reeds to lighten the sound in a way that is easy to undo.
Another fix is to put tape over some of the holes in the bass board.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

This discussion reminds me of what my father did once decades ago...he took off the top and front of our old piano before discarding it and when he played it, it sounded completely different...like a honky-tonk piano. We were a bit amused by this, and I guess it makes sense that a piano keyboard accordion would sound different with the grille removed too.

 

[smdc66]

I regularly play with the grille off to get the maximum out of the treble side.

Another fix is to put tape over some of the holes in the bass board.

sound is subjective

tape over holes sounds like something i may try

playing with grille off (not something i have the desire to do as pa seems v. loud without doing this at the moment) would worry me a bit like driving with no bonnet ! for fear of ? getting into the mechanics

 

[Zevy]

Another fix is to put tape over some of the holes in the bass board.

<FONT font=Garamond><SIZE size=125>I have a Borsini accordion that one tuner felt the bass to be too heavy. He put something on the bass side to mute the sound in order to make it more balanced.

 

[kimric]

I have often put some thin suede on the inside of the bass panel to take the "edge"off of the bass side of a accordion.

 

[JIM D.]

I've done the same with a thin layer of felt taking care that there is clearance for the bass rods.

 

[Anyanka]

playing with grille off would worry me a bit like driving with no bonnet ! for fear of ? getting into the mechanics

I put the grille back on as soon as I finish, to keep things clean & safe. My Pigini CBA has an easily removed grille - little screws to hold it on - but the Pigini Wing PA had pins, so I used to leave that alone.

 

[Jim the box]

The grille and cloth on the holes is there for a reason, namely to protect the delicate parts such as linkages, levers and pads from mechanical damage so I would strongly advise anyone removing the grille to replace it afterwards. :tup:

The grille can also stop dust and other debris from getting trapped between the reed tongues and plates.