New and Old!

[JicJackal]

Haven't played the accordion in more than 50 years. Slid it out from under the bed yesterday, knocked the dust off and started squeezing. The fingers are old but surprisingly nimble. A few sticky and out-of-tune keys, but the old box is still fun and functional. I'll be perusing the threads here and pipe in now and again. Thanks for accepting my membership application.

 

[debra]

Welcome to the board. Never mind that a few keys have trouble playing (or playing in tune). Give it some time with a good workout and if problems persist you may start looking for a repairer.

 

[JeffJetton]

That's great, JicJackal! Hope you keep playing it and "piping in" here.

To DeBra's point, if you've been keeping your accordion under the bed for many years in a "flat" position, some issues may have developed that could require a bit of repair (much like an old car that's been sitting idle in the back of a barn for decades). But if it's at least playable now, then I guess there's no rush to get it looked at.

 

[Waldo]

Welcome to the geezer section...

Waldo

 

[Morne]

Welcome, JicJackal. What accordion do you have?

 

[Francisco SC]

Hi and welcome!

I have an accordion in Brazil (Hohner Concerto IV), which I only play when I go there on holidays. Every year I experience the same: at first, it sounds horribly de-tuned. After one hour or so producing horrid sounds, it starts improving, and in a week or so it sounds ok-ish. So as Debra wrote, give it some time and see if it imporves.

 

[JicJackal]

Welcome to the board. Never mind that a few keys have trouble playing (or playing in tune). Give it some time with a good workout and if problems persist you may start looking for a repairer.

Thanks for the response. Ive been away for a couple days.

The ol squeeze box is in rougher shape than I thought. I took it apart (major sections) and leather strips are curled up and several have fallen off. I priced having it repaired and it looks like replacement is the logical way to go.

It has been decades since I played or attempted to read sheet music, Ive decided to focus on improving my music reading skills and keyboard dexterity. So, I have purchased a basic electronic piano. While I learn/re-learn the skills I need for proper accordion playing,

Once I get-up-to-speed, Ill purchase a new (or quality pre-owned) accordion. Im giving myself 3-6 months to build up my skills. This way, I can take my time and pick the accordion (sound / price-point, etc.) that best suits me.

Ill continue to monitor this board and accordion sites.

Again, thanks for the response.

JJ

 

[JicJackal]

Thats great, JicJackal! Hope you keep playing it and piping in here.

To DeBras point, if youve been keeping your accordion under the bed for many years in a flat position, some issues may have developed that could require a bit of repair (much like an old car thats been sitting idle in the back of a barn for decades). But if its at least playable now, then I guess theres no rush to get it looked at.

Jeff, Not sure If I am properly responding to the posts. Im hitting the quotation marks.

I would have responded earlier - but Ive been out of town.

Yes, its much like a barn find. Once you knock off the dust, you realize it has good bones, but issues like cracked wiring, lack of compression, etc., begin to expose themselves.

MY RESPONSE TO AN EARLIER POST - BELOW:

The ol squeeze box is in rougher shape than I thought. I took it apart (major sections) and leather strips are curled up and several have fallen off. I priced having it repaired and it looks like replacement is the logical way to go.

It has been decades since I played or attempted to read sheet music, Ive decided to focus on improving my music reading skills and keyboard dexterity. So, I have purchased a basic electronic piano. While I learn/re-learn the skills I need for proper accordion playing,

Once I get-up-to-speed, Ill purchase a new (or quality pre-owned) accordion. Im giving myself 3-6 months to build up my skills. This way, I can take my time and pick the accordion (sound / price-point, etc.) that best suits me.

Ill continue to monitor this board and accordion sites.

JJ

 

[JicJackal]

Welcome, JicJackal. What accordion do you have?

Morne, its a 60s era Cellini. I plan to upgrade to a more contemporary box some time during the next six months.

MY RESPONSE TO AN EARLIER POST - BELOW:

The ol squeeze box is in rougher shape than I thought. I took it apart (major sections) and leather strips are curled up and several have fallen off. I priced having it repaired and it looks like replacement is the logical way to go.

It has been decades since I played or attempted to read sheet music, Ive decided to focus on improving my music reading skills and keyboard dexterity. So, I have purchased a basic electronic piano. While I learn/re-learn the skills I need for proper accordion playing,

Once I get-up-to-speed, Ill purchase a new (or quality pre-owned) accordion. Im giving myself 3-6 months to build up my skills. This way, I can take my time and pick the accordion (sound / price-point, etc.) that best suits me.

Ill continue to monitor this board and accordion sites.

JJ

 

[JicJackal]

I tried to respond to all the welcomes. My apologies if I missed anyone. Also - I may have responded incorrectly. That is, I hit the quotation marks to respond and it seems to have opened a separate discussion. It's been a long time since I used a discussion board. I always try to respond to every contact in a complete and timely matter. I know how frustrating it can be to welcome a noob - only to be ignored. Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[JeffJetton]

I took it apart (major sections) and leather strips are curled up and several have fallen off.

I suspected as much. Since youve seen the inside you can image how, when an accordion is stored on its side for a long period, gravity is not kind to those bits of leather.

 

[JicJackal]

I took it apart (major sections) and leather strips are curled up and several have fallen off.

I suspected as much. Since youve seen the inside you can image how, when an accordion is stored on its side for a long period, gravity is not kind to those bits of leather.

Yeah, gravity cant live with it, would float away without it. ;-)

 

[debra]

The trouble with such an old "barn find" (or "under the bed find" in this case) is indeed often that the leathers have curled up and/or fallen off. One would home that manufacturers nowadays use better glue but that only solves the "fallen off" part, not the curled up problem. If the leathers have not fallen out or curled up on the inside of the reed blocks then a repair would be possible for not too much money but it's more likely that these old leathers need to be replaced as well, and then we are looking at the cost of removing all the reeds, leathers and wax, then cleaning the reeds (soaking overnight in naphta), then revalving on the inside, rewaxing, then revalving on the outside (this is done after waxing to not have any accidents with wax touching a valve). Even on a smallish instrument this is so much work it always exceeds the value of a really old bugger.
In general I would not trust the word of a repairman who says the accordion should simply be replaced when that repairman is also an accordion dealer, but in this case even without seeing the instrument I can tell that it is a total write-off.
The idea of practicing on a digital piano is not a bad one and a usable one can be found for much less money than a digital accordion. Good luck, and check back in when you are ready to move back to the accordion!