Tuned versus Untuned

[Tom]

This video compares a newly tuned accordion to a 20 years old untuned accordion. *****Warning*****. If untuned accordions make your head explode DO NOT listen! Do you prefer the tuned or the untuned sound? I can tell the difference but I would not have noticed that one was untuned. What do you think?

 

[JerryPH]

I heard the issues for sure and there were only certain notes that were as bad as nails on a chalkboard, but I will add that the differences would be much more evident listened to in real life instead of being captured on a tiny cellphone mic.

 

[Tom]

I bet Paul could tell us which notes and how many cents!

 

[wirralaccordion]

Surely it would be better to compare the dry tunings rather than musette tunings which complicate the comparison?

 

[Tom]

Surely it would be better to compare the dry tunings rather than musette tunings which complicate the comparison?

Good point!

 

[Rosie C]

I wouldn't have noticed the untuned accordion. Comparing the two the main difference I noticed was the tuned instrument had a clearer, purer tone. Whereas the untuned versions sounded less distinct somehow.

 

[JerryPH]

The muddier rone was likely.not that it was out of tune but a characteristic of this accordion. Even if in perfect rune, it would hang on to that trait. When playing the Musette register, it was evident that the tremelos were way off from note to note.

 

[John M]

The muddier rone was likely.not that it was out of tune but a characteristic of this accordion. Even if in perfect rune, it would hang on to that trait. When playing the Musette register, it was evident that the tremelos were way off from note to note.

I just had my Excelsior 960 tuned by Tim Swanson of Capital Accordion in Columbus. He did a great job.
What was so noticeably out of tune, was the musette M. Vivace, that is the maximum tremolo created by the +M and -M reeds. As I would go up the chromatic scale, I could easily recognize a change in +/- cents between adjacent notes.
My M. Vivace is a very smooth musette/tremolo now after the tuning. It's about +12/-12 cents. Tim duplicated the curve when going up 2 octaves from middle "C". The +/- cents change gradually with an increase in frequency.

 

[Henry D]

A great example of an accordion which would get a professional such as the good Mr Debras kicked out of his orchestra (though he'd never use it in the first place) but which would be perfectly useable with delight by a happy amateur player who simply enjoys making music.

Something to consider when the high-end player community summarily dismisses older instruments as "would cost more than it's worth to render playable"

There are, of course mechanical issues which might well cause an instrument to fall into that category- but one man's "rubbish" might well be another's, "Suits me down to the ground."

"Who ya gonna make happy with...