Removing Bass strap from early Paolo Soprani

[Brassodemolish]

I removed the bass plate and the adjustable side of the strap with no problems. the end of the strap that's mounted inside the accordion is the problem. I've tried inserting the strap further into the bass end and wiggling to see if it was a typical latch but no dice. I can't see behind the strap(between the strap and the wood) but on the inner face of the bass strap I see two rivets. I'll post pics in a bit.

 

[Ventura]

lots of times it's a square hole riveted to the end of the strap,
but the angle for catching it/releasing it on the hook is acute
so that it doesn't ever slip off by accident

if you slice off the strap with a razor blade close to those rivets
you may get more angling wiggle room, but then you need a new strap (lol)

good luck

 

[Brassodemolish]

lots of times it's a square hole riveted to the end of the strap,
but the angle for catching it/releasing it on the hook is acute
so that it doesn't ever slip off by accident

if you slice off the strap with a razor blade close to those rivets
you may get more angling wiggle room, but then you need a new strap (lol)

good luck

I was actually trying to remove the strap so I can find what size I'll need for a replacement. I guess I'll measure carefully with my good old fabric measuring tape. Appearance wise the strap looks really to be in good shape, until you actually touch it and the velvet lining feel like sandpaper and the leather sounds crunchy like a bag of potato chips. lol

 

[Dingo40]

Just saying, another option would be to sew up a stiffish sleeve that you can simply slip over the existing strap: it could last for years!
Here's an example:
This one has already lasted about 20 years

 

[TonyChicago]

Just saying, another option would be to sew up a stiffish sleeve that you can simply slip over the existing strap: it could last for years!
Here's an example:
This one has already lasted about 20 years

Can you hem up my tux pants?

 

[debra]

I removed the bass plate and the adjustable side of the strap with no problems. the end of the strap that's mounted inside the accordion is the problem. I've tried inserting the strap further into the bass end and wiggling to see if it was a typical latch but no dice. I can't see behind the strap(between the strap and the wood) but on the inner face of the bass strap I see two rivets. I'll post pics in a bit.

Please do post a pic. When you shine a light into the bass compartment you should normally be able to see how the bass strap is held in place. In the more distant past hook was always used. In more recent years more and more manufacturers started just screwing the bass strap into the wood, changing removal and reattachment from a 5 minute into a several-hours job... Only pictures can tell us what you have here...

 

[Pipemajor]

Just saying, another option would be to sew up a stiffish sleeve that you can simply slip over the existing strap: it could last for years!
Here's an example:
This one has already lasted about 20 years

This is my solution. A velvet car safety belt sleeve. Fastens on with velcro. (must get round to sorting out the paintwork on that bass cover plate).
One other point is that the seat belt cover is shorter than the bass strap and allows the hand to slide up and down the bass with no friction problems.

 

[debra]

This is my solution. A velvet car safety belt sleeve. Fastens on with velcro. (must get round to sorting out the paintwork on that bass cover plate).
One other point is that the seat belt cover is shorter than the bass strap and allows the hand to slide up and down the bass with no friction problems.

Nice work on the "bridges" too! I never saw them made out of wood, but I guess that works just as well as plastic.

 

[Pipemajor]

Thanks debra. Actually, after reading your post on the solution to the sliding bass hand problem, I had been getting numbness in my left wrist and hand so, thinking this may be the solution, I have ordered some black delrin bar to make the spacers. I just put these wooden ones in temporarily while I waited for the bar to arrive, but I've found that it has cured the numbness. All thanks to you

 

[Ventura]

i like the wooly sheep type seat belt covers best !

and yes Debra's lifters on the ends is brilliant and i will
fix them on all my accordions as soon as i find some
'round tu-its out in the shop

 

[Scuromondo]

i like the wooly sheep type seat belt covers best !

and yes Debra's lifters on the ends is brilliant and i will
fix them on all my accordions as soon as i find some
'round tu-its out in the shop

I apologize if this was mentioned somewhere—I looked but could not find it mentioned:
…how are those lifters attached to the body of the accordion? Is it an adhesive?

 

[Brassodemolish]

Finally got it guys, trick was to guide the bracket off the hook with a butter knife. I think eventually I'll have to take the bass mechanism apart to restore so when that day comes I'll clean or replace the hook for the strap.

 

[debra]

I apologize if this was mentioned somewhere—I looked but could not find it mentioned:
…how are those lifters attached to the body of the accordion? Is it an adhesive?

I use superglue, being careful to not spill any on the celluloid. I make these lifters out of PLA plastic. Superglue works fine but may work even better if the lifters are made out of ABS plastic (which dissolves in acetone just like celluloid).

 

[debra]

Finally got it guys, trick was to guide the bracket off the hook with a butter knife. I think eventually I'll have to take the bass mechanism apart to restore so when that day comes I'll clean or replace the hook for the strap.

This is the classical hook mechanism. You should be able to reattach a new belt without disassembling the bass mechanism. Just use a screwdriver to pull the hook open a bit more, and after hooking up the new belt push the hook more closed again. There isn't a lot of room but I've done this without bass mechanism disassembly.

 

[Brassodemolish]

This is the classical hook mechanism. You should be able to reattach a new belt without disassembling the bass mechanism. Just use a screwdriver to pull the hook open a bit more, and after hooking up the new belt push the hook more closed again. There isn't a lot of room but I've done this without bass mechanism disassembly.

When I order the new strap I might as well replace the spindle hardware and thumb wheel while I'm at it. I also want to make a new bass grill so that I can add taller feet to compensate for the thicker bass strap. I play arabic music and surprisingly I can play a lot of the songs I like with only 25 treble keys, so to me this small gem is more useful than it would be for a typical accordion player.