Bellows pin mic attachment

[NickC]

I have a mic clip that I have been attaching with the thumb bolts that hold the grill in place. I wanted to get another one and attach them to the front of the accordion. It looks like I might be able to use the bellows pins to hold them in place. But, the clip is maybe 1/4 inch thick. Should I get longer pins? And are they pretty much standard diameter? Does this sound like a bad idea for any reason? I don't want to mess anything up. I am trying to avoid using velcro or screws.

 

[losthobos]

I use a suction cap, pop on accordion and then clip my mic to that.....couple of quid...vacuum locks on ..never failed me...
But fantastic idea someone discussed before was to attach mic to middle or ring finger and then as you move around keyboard the mic is always roughly same distance from relevant reed.....
I'm toying with connecting gooseneck to wrist/hand glove ....only in my mind so far

 

[NickC]

Good ideas. I've seen the Myers suction cup mics, but never thought to mount my mic to one.
Interesting idea with the finger mounted mic. I suppose it can even have a wireless transmitter attached so there are no wires in the way.

 

[Dingo40]

Should I get longer pins? And are they pretty much standard diameter? Does this sound like a bad idea for any reason? I don't want to mess anything up....

As I understand it, bellows pins are available in different thicknesses.
The problem I would anticipate with anchoring the mikes by means of the bellows pins is that the pins would work loose through the extra wear and tear on their holes, and wouldn't hold any more.
Once loose, they will constantly keep falling out by themselves.

 

[NickC]

Hmm. Yeah, the holes becoming enlarged is enough reason to look for other solutions. I would be putting the mic in and out of the clip, so there would be pressure on the pins that could lead to problems.

 

[Valski]

Years ago I had Castiglione Accordions in Detroit install microphones for me. On the treble side they were 5 of them mounted under the grille and 3 mounted inside the bellows for the bass side. This worked very well for many years and there was never a problem with the microphones. The installation required drilling for the amplifier cable and there were knobs mounted on the grille to control the volume and balance but since it was a professional job there were no issues with the appearance or the performance of the system. Unfortunately John Castiglione passed away and his amazing shop is closed, but I believe that internal microphones installed well are the best solution because you're less likely to damage them in everyday use.

 

[Alan Polivka]

Years ago I had Castiglione Accordions in Detroit install microphones for me. On the treble side they were 5 of them mounted under the grille and 3 mounted inside the bellows for the bass side. This worked very well for many years and there was never a problem with the microphones. The installation required drilling for the amplifier cable and there were knobs mounted on the grille to control the volume and balance but since it was a professional job there were no issues with the appearance or the performance of the system. Unfortunately John Castiglione passed away and his amazing shop is closed, but I believe that internal microphones installed well are the best solution because you're less likely to damage them in everyday use.

Mics installed as you said are preferred by many players because they are protected (from accidental damage) by the grill. However, if all else is equal (e.g., quality and number of mics) the sound quality will be a little bit better with the mics being outside the grill, for two reasons:
1. This reduces the near-far problem that causes notes close to the mics to be amplified more than those farther from the mics, and,
2. The amplified sound will more accurately resemble the intended sound of the accordion, since the grill has a significant effect on the sound of an accordion.

 

[debra]

Mics installed as you said are preferred by many players because they are protected (from accidental damage) by the grill. However, if all else is equal (e.g., quality and number of mics) the sound quality will be a little bit better with the mics being outside the grill, for two reasons:
1. This reduces the near-far problem that causes notes close to the mics to be amplified more than those farther from the mics, and,
2. The amplified sound will more accurately resemble the intended sound of the accordion, since the grill has a significant effect on the sound of an accordion.

And that is why I have been using the Microvox system for years. It is intended to go directly on the outside of the grill (with velcro) but I mounted them on a bracket, about one inch away from the grill, to get precisely what you wrote. Microvox uses a metal (square) bar with 4 capsules (in model 420) and it is highly unlikely that you can damage that.