Vibrating sound

[Scottimaskedmusician]

OK cheap Chinese time! Got a Chinese box (used but in immaculate condition) as a travel instrument but there is a metallic vibrating sound when I play certain notes from e to a, I've opened it and I'm convinced it's coming from the coupler mechanism and not the reeds or valves causing it - the metal is very flimsy and loose. Has anyone experienced this and does anyone have a solution as to how I can dampen the vibration. I'm thinking about foam tape under the slider to lift it off the backplate (there's at least 1/8 inch room underneath it and it wouldn't stop it from moving freely)

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.

 

[debra]

When you hear a metallic vibrating sound it usually comes from reeds that are not properly centered over the hole they are going through when the reed plays. In some cases it comes from the reeds just slightly touching the side-wall of the resonance chamber, when the reed plate is not positioned correctly over the resonance chamber. In other rare cases it is because the rivet holding the reed to the reed plate is a bit loose (you can put the reed plate on a anvil and hammer on the rivet to fix that).
If the problem is exactly the same on pull and push then it may be something inside the accordion that is vibrating. It may be hard to find what it is because when you open up the accordion to look for it you cannot be playing at the same time, so you cannot hear it. Sometimes it is the grille that is vibrating. You can try stopping the grille from vibrating by pushing on it with a finger while another finger presses the key for the note that causes the problem... Spurious sounds that come from inside the accordion are some of the most difficult issues to diagnose and fix...

 

[Dingo40]

...I'm thinking about foam tape under the slider to lift it off the backplate...

Sounds like a good idea: try it and see what happens?

 

[Scottimaskedmusician]

When you hear a metallic vibrating sound it usually comes from reeds that are not properly centered over the hole they are going through when the reed plays. In some cases it comes from the reeds just slightly touching the side-wall of the resonance chamber, when the reed plate is not positioned correctly over the resonance chamber. In other rare cases it is because the rivet holding the reed to the reed plate is a bit loose (you can put the reed plate on a anvil and hammer on the rivet to fix that).
If the problem is exactly the same on pull and push then it may be something inside the accordion that is vibrating. It may be hard to find what it is because when you open up the accordion to look for it you cannot be playing at the same time, so you cannot hear it. Sometimes it is the grille that is vibrating. You can try stopping the grille from vibrating by pushing on it with a finger while another finger presses the key for the note that causes the problem... Spurious sounds that come from inside the accordion are some of the most difficult issues to diagnose and fix...

Hi thanks, yes it's happening on push and pull all reeds look fine I'm pretty sure it's the flimsy metal used to make the slider mechanism that might need to be dampened down in some way. As you say it's pretty impossible to play it when the front ends off the bellows - think it might be a case of trial and error.

 

[dak]

OK cheap Chinese time! Got a Chinese box (used but in immaculate condition) as a travel instrument but there is a metallic vibrating sound when I play certain notes from e to a, I've opened it and I'm convinced it's coming from the coupler mechanism and not the reeds or valves causing it - the metal is very flimsy and loose. Has anyone experienced this and does anyone have a solution as to how I can dampen the vibration. I'm thinking about foam tape under the slider to lift it off the backplate (there's at least 1/8 inch room underneath it and it wouldn't stop it from moving freely)

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.

With foam tape I'd fear longterm disintegration and short-term rub-off that may find its way into the reed gaps. I think that this kind of elasticity for making things non-rattling is typically provided by pieces of bent metal sheets from a material similar to that of booster springs. No idea where to get that, though.