Loud bass

[jarvo]

I found this http://talkingreeds.com/ its beyond me but may be of value to the fettlers among us........

CJ

 

[Soulsaver]

hang on a minute...........a thought just struck me like a bolt of lightning.....seriously for once.........if the reeds are the sound of the machine ,and you can obviously remove and refit reeds then surely you can upgrade reeds into a reasonably performing box and improve your accordion that way.....wont be cheap ,but similar to putting better quality strings on a guitar ............food for thought....??

New reeds also need tuning after fitting so - between the cost of new reeds and/or new tuning, unless doing it yself, it would probably make commercial sense to buy a better box, and sell the old one.

 

[jarvo]

Oh.....Pooh sticks..............well that is what I get for having a serious moment.

 

[Bill V]

You can tape off reeds,remove reed block and place electricians tape on the block itself.....my piccolo reed is blanked off too silence the bass, this register only plays one reed, the rest are shut off, check your accordion if suitable.I now have electronic sounds only on bass....slow airs sound great with warm string/horn sounds....jigs etc. with bass /piano chords.The treble will get all the air,the bass volume is controlled with foot pedal...if I select another register I get accoustic bass mixed with electronic sounds..a whole new world of accordion pleasure with separate bass control.One way of controlling the grunters as one band leader of yesteryear called accordion basses.I use a Roland RA 90 and amplifiers on a midi Guerrini S2, midi on LH only.Without this set up you have to practice a light touch on the buttons,even the full register bass can be played a lot quieter than you may think try it and see......It will depend on the reed quality and how responsive the reeds are to less air flowing through them.

 

[mjh]

Great info there Bill. Who would've thought it just takes some good old electric tape eh? That is good to know. May not have to pay anyone after all, which is nice. I read about playing the bass quieter on the Accordion Forum but dismissed it as too difficult to control. Guess you just need to learn the limits of your instrument first to say what's possible. I'll see if anything comes out of that as I'm in no hurry getting the bass quiet just yet. It sounds like you have a dream setup there. Mine has to stay acoustic I'm afraid, so that's a no-go, but it sounds intriguing to say the least. Such versatile beasts these. Thanks to Jarvo for the very practical advice, it's just too bad, like Soulsaver said.. But don't give up on your serious moments just yet!

 

[simonking]

I blanked off the highest reeds on my bass side too - all the registers that used them sound better without I think. Be careful with using any old tape at it might leave a residue or even rip splinters of wood off when you remove it. I've used low-tack masking tape with success or a just thin piece of paper stays in place and is more than adequate.

Simon

 

[Glenn]

Be careful with the low tac masking tape. I left some on my window farm over the winter and I had a devil of a job removing it last week. Maybe it hardens over time and in view if not opening your accordion too frequently it may deteriorate.

 

[the boxman]

hi

Some accordions do have a loud bass. This can sometimes be improved by not pressing the bass buttons too hard. Just give them a very quick jab, touch them as though they were red hot. What you do need to remember is that only the audience will hear the true sound of the accordion.