christmas came early! (Hohner Claviola project)

[jozz]

must keep busy in those partial lockdowns

 

[Corinto]

Congrats!

 

[Dingo40]

What is that??

 

[JerryPH]

If the bag is right about what is inside... it's one of these:


And they have a great sound! Jozz... we need a demo!

 

[Dingo40]

Thanks Jerry,
Here's more about it:?
Happy playing, Jozz!??

 

[Mr Mark]

Learn some new reeds everyday...those sound pretty swell on youtube, nice prezzie!

 

[jozz]

can't play yet (although of course I secretly did)

can you see the covid in there?

 

[jozz]

Surprisingly, I could restrain all those springs from jumping out.

I now have a de-constructed Claviola, so I could clean it inside out and do a check-up.

 

[jozz]

Both the air chamber and the underside of the reeds, against the pipes, have a gasket. The one against the pipes I nearly tore, because it sits against the wax of the reeds. Luckily it's a rubbery flex piece.

Anyone reading this and doing the same: be careful!


Plexiglass sealing the air chamber comes 'easily' of it's gasket. Be sure to keep your arm on it when removing the last bolts, because the springs are loaded.



To help you with that, the springs are clamped on the valve assembly. This piece sits completely free in the slot.


All valve parts out of the air chamber and lined up.



Keyboard assembly removed from the pipes 'block'. This piece is a massive block of plastic and has a black powdery coating that seems strike resistance. The wood piece is glued to the 'block'.



Reeds waxed into place on the pipes. They sit above a slot running straight down into the base of each pipe. Once assembled, on top of the reeds sits a rubbery gasket that stays in the keyboard assembly.



Keyboard assembly. Here you see the gasket and you can look straight through into what normally would be the air chamber. On the right side is the air intake, where the mouth piece goes into.



The top piece only comes off once all screws on the inside are removed, the biggest one inside is retaining the black cover piece. Once the cover is gone, you can undo the two bolts here visible next to the air intake, then the wood piece slides off the air intake.


Now to cleanup and put back together!

 

[jozz]

Example audio after cleaning​

(at first 5 or 6 reeds were sounding at once because I hadn't seated them properly)

thankfully, now it works, and feels quite airtight too

second part I try to wahwah the sound with my hand at the end of the pipes, kind of difficult as you have to guess which pipe you're currently playing, and move along

 

[JeffJetton]

Thanks Jerry,
Here's more about it:?
Happy playing, Jozz!??

Hey that's fellow Nashvillian Rory Hoffman!

 

[JerryPH]

Thanks Jerry,
Here's more about it:?
Happy playing, Jozz!??

OK, I was sincerely surprised and impressed with that sound... totally not what I was expecting... Joss, that's an amazing new instrument you have there!!

 

[jozz]

Dent removal​

After an hour with a heatgun and a round plastic hairbrush from my daughter, I was able to reduce the obvious dent at the front a bit.


Before


After

Next: the chipped wood at the top...​

I guess I have to glue in a piece. Any tips on what kind of wood these endcaps are made of?

That video of Rory's shows the caps a tad darker than mine. I suppose this is either stained or different kind of wood. Mine don't look really stained, as the cutting surfaces of the milling on the inside, and the inside of the broken off bit, is much the same color as the outside.

 

[Jim2010]

Here is a little more info about Claviolas.

HOHNER Melodica Cassotto

(Scroll down.) Lists some players.

CLAVIOLA

Short discussion of reeds.

Claviola spielen Das neue Blasinstrument für Jedermann. Anleitung für das Spiel | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Claviola spielen Das neue Blasinstrument für Jedermann. Anleitung für das Spiel at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Method book? (I don't speak German.)

 

[JerryPH]

Before


After

Next: the chipped wood at the top...​

I guess I have to glue in a piece. Any tips on what kind of wood these endcaps are made of?

That video of Rory's shows the caps a tad darker than mine. I suppose this is either stained or different kind of wood. Mine don't look really stained, as the cutting surfaces of the milling on the inside, and the inside of the broken off bit, is much the same color as the outside.

Just by the inside colour my completely uneducated guess would be mahogany.

 

[Chrisrayner]

Another one.

 

[Dingo40]

Chris,
Thanks for sharing this clip: comprehensive!??

 

[JeffJetton]

Claviola spielen Das neue Blasinstrument für Jedermann. Anleitung für das Spiel | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Claviola spielen Das neue Blasinstrument für Jedermann. Anleitung für das Spiel at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Method book? (I don't speak German.)

I know a little German. (Cue "Top Secret" reference.)

Looks like a method book. I think it says:

Play Claviola
The new instrument for everyone
Instructions for playing alone and in groups

 

[jozz]

Just by the inside colour my completely uneducated guess would be mahogany.

my guess too, although i thought about stained douglas fir as well, because of the pink en the contrasting line pattern

 

[Pipemajor]

Another one.

Surely this is the same one Jozz bought?. It already has the dent.