Some of the notes not playing

[JackDanijel]

So i played a bit of accordion years ago when i was younger ,but i wasn't feeling it ,so i stopped.Few days ago I saw my old accordion rotting away and collecting dust , so i figured i could play it a bit now and then for fun,since i'm a guitarist now and thought it would be fun to merge some stuff and maybe learn something new.I dont know much about accordions so i figured I'd ask here.I'll try to explain the problem the best i can since I'm not familiar with terms and names for parts of the accordion.

This is a accordion with a keyboard on the right side and buttons on the left side.On the keyboard part i have 5 switches , the first one i realized switches to the higher octave,all of the other switches are one octave lower and they just modify the sound ,when in the lower octave my D5 key doesn't make any sound(except air going out) when im extending the accordion but works when start going inwards,when in the higher octave, the same note but on a different keyboard button doesn't make any sound whichever direction i go to it just makes sound of air flowing through.Is there an easy way to fix this?

 

[TomBR]

Hi Jack and welcome to the forum.
You have some reeds not working, clearly enough.
It might be easy to fix but that needs some knowledge.
This link is a really helpful place to start. People here will be glad to help if you make use of the information on the Accordion Revival pages first
http://www.accordionrevival.com/ACCORDION_REPAIR1.php
Good luck!
Tom

 

[colinm]

Hi Jack and welcome to the forum.
You have some reeds not working, clearly enough.
It might be easy to fix but that needs some knowledge.
This link is a really helpful place to start. People here will be glad to help if you make use of the information on the Accordion Revival pages first
http://www.accordionrevival.com/ACCORDION_REPAIR1.php
Good luck!
Tom

Yes Tom is right, read the section, “trouble shooting silent reeds” and then ask your questions again using the terms in that section, we can help you
Cm


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sebastian Bravo]

As he says "it just makes sounds of air flowing through", these reeds must be broken. Get it to an accordion shop, they will be able to replace the broken reeds

 

[Geronimo]

As he says it just makes sounds of air flowing through, these reeds must be broken. Get it to an accordion shop, they will be able to replace the broken reeds

Or the plates are loose. Anything rattling inside? If so, stop trying to play in order not to damage the bellows.

 

[lightninboy]

You can still play it in some ways, just not all of them? It seems to me that sometimes when you bring out an accordion not played much and start playing it again regularly, sometimes it gets itself back into playing condition in some ways.

 

[debra]

It may not be as bad as it seems. Often when a note plays in one direction and not in the other some particle (dust, metal shaving, hair) is blocking the reed. In that case it is a simple fix, but for a novice it may be too daunting to open up the accordion to check it out. Take it to a repairman and it should be fixed quickly and inexpensively.

 

[JackDanijel]

So quick update, i opened it up , one metal part of the reed was stuck , so i cleaned it up and it works now,but one whole reed is missing so i still have 1 button not playing

 

[debra]

So quick update, i opened it up , one metal part of the reed was stuck , so i cleaned it up and it works now,but one whole reed is missing so i still have 1 button not playing

Interesting that a whole reed is missing. Unless someone took it out it should still be inside the accordion somewhere. If the wax has hardened over time then some bump could have caused the reed plate to fall off the block. But it cannot disappear from the accordion unless someone opens it up and takes it out.

 

[JackDanijel]

So quick update, i opened it up , one metal part of the reed was stuck , so i cleaned it up and it works now,but one whole reed is missing so i still have 1 button not playing

Interesting that a whole reed is missing. Unless someone took it out it should still be inside the accordion somewhere. If the wax has hardened over time then some bump could have caused the reed plate to fall off the block. But it cannot disappear from the accordion unless someone opens it up and takes it out.

I know someone mustve taken it out, i asked in my near music store but they said that they dontt sell reeds or know anyone who does, is there any place online that does?

 

[Sebastian Bravo]

i asked in my near music store but they said that they dontt sell reeds or know anyone who does, is there any place online that does?

you can buy them online, but you will also need to buy beeswax as well.

You didnt mention the Accordions Brand, but heres Hohner reeds shop online:

http://www.hohnershop.com/hohner-piano-chromatic-accordion-treble-reed-plates/

 

[debra]

...
I know someone mustve taken it out, i asked in my near music store but they said that they dontt sell reeds or know anyone who does, is there any place online that does?

And in Europe you can order reeds from Italy, for instance from http://www.carinidena.it/ who sell individual reeds, among all possible other accordion parts.

But to get a good match for the missing reed the best thing is to find a real accordion repair shop in your country. They likely have reeds from scrap accordions that are a closer match to the missing reed than a brand new reed.

 

[TomBR]

Is it a D5 that's missing or a different octave? For the moment I'd cut a little piece of wood and use it to plug the hole, then you can play the accordion using the other reeds for that note.
If you confirm the pitch, and post the dimensions of the reed plate (from the others at the same pitch, or the next one in line) I'll see if I have a spare reed. I don't think posting one reed to Croatia would cost too much!
Tom