altering bass tuning

[smdc66]

can the sound of the bass be altered in the same way that treble tuning can be

what annoys me is the harsh bass tone (moreso on some chords)

i know the german bassess are a bit um pah 'ish so part of their make up - but do they have to be :?:

if not i guess the question is how difficult - how costly - is it worth tinkering ???????

 

[Theo]

Provided that all the bass and chords reeds are properly tuned there is not much you can do. All the octaves should be perfectly in unision so if you hear any beats when playing bass notes then you need to see a tuner. Chord reeds are all shared between several different chords, for example the same A reeds will be the fundamental in the A chord, the fifth in the D chord, the third in the F chord etc, so if you are sticking with equal temperament then there is nothing you can do to sweeten the tuning. If you do sweeten some chords you will make others sound worse. I will stick my neck out and say that most accordion basses can be improved by a tuner who really knows what they are doing. Even new accordions can be improved and any instrument that has been played for some years will stand some improvement by careful tuning.

 

[JIM D.]

Some of the German accordion models have reed blocks made of plastic and bass panels of aluminum. This results in the sounds produced from the bass machine to sound harsh and tinny. A layer of felt applied to the reed blocks and bass panel will result in a more mellow tone not unlike an Italian bass machine. JIM D.

 

[smdc66]

Some of the German accordion models have reed blocks made of plastic and bass panels of aluminum. This results in the sounds produced from the bass machine to sound harsh and tinny. A layer of felt applied to the reed blocks and bass panel will result in a more mellow tone not unlike an Italian bass machine. JIM D.

suppose 1st job find out if mine has plastic/alumin parts....

what would this cost roughly ?

also could this explain the after play echo /vibration that comes after bass played for a second

 

[JIM D.]

Applying the felt is a simple do it yourself project -- let me know what you find and the make and model of your sqeezebox. JIM D.

 

[smdc66]

thanks, might not be for some time as not confident removing bellows - well not confident doing much really - i take it you would need to remove bellows or could you tell by removing bass plate

my worry with bellows is if i remove them , they wont go back as good when replaced and there may be leaks of air

its a hohner concerto s 72 bass

 

[JIM D.]

Try a visit to the ACCORDION REVIVAL website and in chapter 1 you will find - opening up the accordion - Give it a shot, if you can change a light bulb removing and replacing bellows pins should not be a problem. JIM D.

 

[Soulsaver]

If you do Dave - keep the pins in order - stick 'em through a bit of masking tape or the like, so you can put them back in the same holes. It's possibly over kill but it lessens the chances of a leak, or other complications, because the tolerances on the pin diam. may vary a little, and one too tight another too loose.

 

[smdc66]

yer i remember top tips of using same pins for same holes and make sure bellows goes on same way round which sounds good advice

JIM D , Adam confirms Hohner never used plastic reedblocks but often used aluminium treble end Soundboards, my Concerto has one like the Atlantic has .. the bass one is wood ....

guess i'm stuck with the bass sound then

 

[Soulsaver]

You could still try muffling the bass a bit by covering the outlet holes in the bass board with felt? Not tried it but would seem logical. Make sure it can't interfere with the bass mechanics...
I've got a lovely Swiss made Hohner Verdi 111N with 5 reed bass and a very untypically mellow bass - not sure how they've done it ..and, as an aside, a mechanism with a light italian like touch.

 

[smdc66]

that sounds a good one - my coach has a german verdi 96 bass with wrist coupler and think 7 treble couplers - think 90'S - not listened to his bass closely though but when he tried my italian pigliacampo he commented the basses were mellow and smooth on it,so think different to yours

you mean felt on inside not outside

though some sound comes through bellows doesnt it