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Bass row changes

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One for the accordion repairers probably (and at the moment hypothetical).

Is it possible to change 12x4 basses ( eg., Hohner Lucia CBA, etc.) from counterbass thought to minor chords to fundamental through to 7th's.

Is it feasible and if so would it be prohibitively expensive?

I'd welcome any comments about the feasibility of this process.

Thanks
 
Too clever for me.

I hope one or more of our resident experts can help you with your query, though I imagine that the cost in man-hours would be prohibitive.

Good Luck,

Stephen Hawkins.
 
Stephen Hawkins said:
Too clever for me.

I hope one or more of our resident experts can help you with your query, though I imagine that the cost in man-hours would be prohibitive.

Good Luck,

Stephen Hawkins.

Me too Stephen, I wouldnt even attempt this myself.
Im hoping for a acccordion repairer/builder who knows (small?) Stradella basses inside out to give me their thoughts.
 
Sorry not sure what you're asking for.

Are you saying you want your four columns of 12 buttons to be counterbass, minor chord, fundamental, seventh chord?

Swapping a bass column and a chord column would be difficult and expensive.

Transposition changes, which can be done by moving reeds are easy, changing the pallets that a given button opens is hard.

Taking notes out is easy, but may be destructive. (ie reducing four note sevenths on an old accordion to three notes.)

When you press a button the little projections on the piston attached to the button press on little arms attached to one of twelve rods so that the rod turns. When the rod turns other arms attached to it press on another piston which pushes a lever to open a given pallet to let the chosen reeds sound. For a chord piston several projections engage with several arms needed for the notes of the desired chord.

"Reprogramming" would involve moving those projections/arms etc so as to link your button to different reeds. They are not designed to be moved!
The rods only have the arms they need, no more.
 
What I meant TomBR was changing the rows of counterbass, fundamental, major chord, minor chord and replacing those 4 rows with fundamental, major chord, minor chord, 7th's.
I think you've answered my question anyway-impractical and very expensive.
Thanks for replying to my query though.
Orma
 
Not helpful for your immediate issue, but Im researching a US folk-revival (1930s on) accordionist Jenny Vincent who played a distinctive little Hohner Imperial IIA model from around 1940. It had a small 25 key piano with 32 basses (4x8) which Im told was fundamental, major, minor, seventh.
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.town...1e3-906f-0019bb30f31a/52448339a4044.image.jpg>52448339a4044.image.jpg

Out of the 500 models on the Hohner chart I have theres only about six models that had 32 bass configurations, so its a curiosity. Pity because for her it was an ideal size for travelling and playing at outdoor gigs. Her stories about the places she played is pretty wild if youre interested in the Leftist political side of folk music.
http://www.unmpress.com/books.php?ID=11437514446272

I understand shes still alive, 103 next month and still singing. Sweet story.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/pa...cle_5402aa1e-81f0-5ef1-aa7e-c4f6f55cc377.html

(sorry to jack your thread there, but I go off on these tangents.)
 
A great read. I loved learning about this most inspirational woman, we are lucky that she is still around well in to her hundreds... Nothing short of amazing.
 
Just goes to show they are out there AccordionUprising. Looks perfect for traveling-just need a CBA version. Good luck with your research.
 
I had a Hohner Student 32 which was bass, bass, major, minor, seventh.
Just a matter of production engineering and marketing, I think. With that layout you only need 8 bass reeds (OK, pairs), not the 12 that are needed for bass and counterbass layout. It's easy and cheap to add the sevenths to the Stradella machine and hey presto you've got another step in the range to tempt buyers a little higher than the 24 bass.

The economic argument about bass reeds losses its point when you have a 12 row bass, but I guess as with the 32, it's easier and cheaper to add a seventh column to a 12x4 48 to make a 60 than it is to re-jig everything for a bass, major, minor, seventh layout 48 that will have fewer takers.
 
"I had a Hohner Student 32 which was bass, bass, major, minor, seventh"
Now it's your turn to confuse me TomBR. ;)
 
Orma said:
I had a Hohner Student 32 which was bass, bass, major, minor, seventh
Now its your turn to confuse me TomBR. ;)

Oops! :oops: Bass, Major, Minor, Seventh[/quote]

Sounds just the thing if there was a 3 row CBA. Ive never heard of such a thing though.
On another tack I know the Lucia is 12x4 (cfmm) and the Pirol is 8x3 (I assume thatll be fmm).
On melnet they seem to be popular for for right hand conversions to diatonic whilst retaining the left hand stradella.
 
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