Melodeon.net Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome to the new melodeon.net forum

Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: Quieter Box  (Read 3965 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

george garside

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5401
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2018, 09:32:56 AM »

 just a thought - would taping  half the diameter of the air holes  on the reedblocks reduce the volume provided  the pressure on the bellows  was not increased . i'e would it have half the effect of completely taping ????

george
Logged
author of DG tutor book "DG Melodeon a Crash Course for Beginners".

Steve_freereeder

  • Content Manager
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7511
  • MAD is inevitable. Keep Calm and Carry On
    • Lizzie Dripping
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2018, 11:37:31 AM »

just a thought - would taping  half the diameter of the air holes  on the reedblocks reduce the volume provided  the pressure on the bellows  was not increased . i'e would it have half the effect of completely taping ????
Not recommended at all - it usually affects the acoustic properties of the reed chambers and throws the reeds badly out of tune.
Logged
Steve
Sheffield, UK.
www.lizziedripping.org.uk

David Colpitts

  • Regular debater
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 105
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #22 on: July 01, 2019, 12:30:39 PM »

I know this is an older thread, but I’ve been reading it with interest.  I am happily playing a “new old stock” Pokerwork, wetter-than-I-might’ve liked in C#/D (or A/D with a two minute reed swap) and finally have a box I can hear myself play at a session.  Now, I just have to be careful at home, since my wife swears that forty feet away, through two rooms with closed doors, and over the air-conditioner and her television, it sounds like it’s in her ear!  I have concertinas, a nice one row well setup, and an older B/C Pokerwork, but this one....THIS ONE........!!!!

So, I will try the felt-in-the-grill for home play.  I also play it with the (+) reeds taped off, and love the dryness.  But, that takes closer to 4 minutes, and I don’t really like to take the old box apart all the time.  I’ll look up adding stops, maybe, but that sounds like surgery.  Or, could I do it from the grill?

Regards,

David
Logged

Rog

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2295
  • Repair and tuning in Hants
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #23 on: July 01, 2019, 01:48:49 PM »

Maybe you could fashion loose bubble wrap L R sleeves, a bit like lagging on a hot water tank, which can be put on quickly for late night musical  shenanigans ...

ursamyna

  • Member
  • *
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 37
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #24 on: July 01, 2019, 02:06:39 PM »

http://diato.org/trucs/dimbass.htm    (use google to translate)  Bernard Loffet's website is still working, his suggestion was to tape over some of the holes in the left hand grill  to reduce the volume of air going through the basses relative to the treble reeds.  On a pokerwork it should be easy to stick gaffer tape over various holes outside the box  until you are happy with the result
Logged

David Colpitts

  • Regular debater
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 105
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #25 on: July 01, 2019, 02:43:30 PM »

Thanks for the ideas!  Actually, I never touch the bass end, so no volume issues there.  And, I will try both layers of light foam inside grille and tape to the outside, though that look may be even too funky for me!

Modern painter’s masking tape (either blue or green, in these parts) is my friend.  It’s how I tape over the higher reeds, to dry the sound.  And, I have used it to label the inside rows, so I remember which to cover.  And, extra bonus:  The tape can be gently removed and re-applied lots of times, so I just leave the tape in an empty wall space inside the box, for next time I want dry.  I am off to Irish camp in a couple of weeks, and I know I’ll be drying for my lessons.

I can use the same tape on the pad side of the box, but the elegant solution for lifting the pads and holding them gently aloft while I deftly apply the long skinny tape remains to be discovered.  If I get that sorted, I can use the “tape stop” to dry the box without any tools, and just turning the little screw-eyes that hold the grille in place.  That’d be almost like pushing a stop.  Well, not quite, but totally non-invasive and reversible.  By the way, the tape makes absolutely no discernible difference to the breathiness or playability, save for a slightly “tighter” (good) feeling when played with a reed row taped off.  I think I’ll start another thread on taping off rows for dry, and see if anybody has a slick way.

Regards,

David
Logged

invadm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #26 on: July 02, 2019, 11:56:16 AM »

I have noticed considerable loss of volume after new pallet facings and tuning on some of my older Hohners..I usually play out side and one of my CF Koch needs a microphone to be heard when play out side.. thick felt might help ?     
Logged

Steve C.

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1901
  • Erica, Laura, Morse Anglo
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #27 on: July 02, 2019, 12:34:21 PM »

Playing in the closet is always good.  The more crowded with clothing the better.  Garages also good. (voice of experience, pre-Streb)
Logged
Located in Central North Carolina, USA; credit for picture: livingplanet.ca

David Colpitts

  • Regular debater
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 105
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #28 on: July 02, 2019, 01:18:51 PM »

Great news in the easily changeable volume category:  I just cut a piece of light sheet foam (of the kind things get wrapped in for posting nowadays, about an eighth of an inch thick, and sort of porous.  Fit it into the grill, and it gets trapped there as it should when the grill eyes are turned to hold.  My wife could barely hear it from the usual distance (40 feet through two doors over three rooms and an air conditioner.  I confess to trying to play a bit more softly, but that had never worked in the past.

ET, VOILA!

It also seems to sound a bit, well, I don’t know, more “mellow” aside from volume.  High end harmonics reduced somehow?  Magic?  Just bad ears?  Anyway.....

I also taped off the (+) reeds again, to make a single voice of it.  I like the sound, and may leave it there for the summer.  This time, I used Theo’s suggestion of clamping the keys (gently) to lift the pallets and then slide a pre-dulled strip of masking tape into position for both blocks’ higher reeds.  It did allow me to do it without pulling pins, but otherwise took more time and was a bit fussier to slide them into place correctly.  I may just pull the pins next change.  Or......

Can any of you generous wizards share the DIY slide/stop methodology, to make a “proper” pull stop for the swap?  I am handy, with access to tools, and read Theo’s description of 1mm aluminum and plywood for slides.  Is a picture possible?  I can’t send the box to England for such an impulse, so will tackle myself, or leave as currently setup.

Thanks, and regards,

David
Logged

Gena Crisman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1041
  • 🇬🇧
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #29 on: July 02, 2019, 02:05:41 PM »

Can any of you generous wizards share the DIY slide/stop methodology, to make a “proper” pull stop for the swap?  I am handy, with access to tools, and read Theo’s description of 1mm aluminum and plywood for slides.  Is a picture possible?  I can’t send the box to England for such an impulse, so will tackle myself, or leave as currently setup.

I don't know if everything I did would all truly be the recommended strategy, but I added some bass stops to a melodeon last year once I was taught how many of these mechanisms are actually implemented. There was a lot of very helpful advice shared by the very knowledgeable members of this forum, and I shared as many photos of what I did and the results as I could reasonably fit into the posts - I'm still very pleased with the functionality of the results.

Here's a link to the thread: http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,22920.0.html
Logged

Steve_freereeder

  • Content Manager
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7511
  • MAD is inevitable. Keep Calm and Carry On
    • Lizzie Dripping
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #30 on: July 02, 2019, 02:40:55 PM »

I have noticed considerable loss of volume after new pallet facings and tuning on some of my older Hohners..
This could be because the new pallet facing is thicker than the old and therefore needs the action adjusting to give you the previous clearance between the pallet facing and the air vents in the pallet board/fondo
Logged
Steve
Sheffield, UK.
www.lizziedripping.org.uk

David Colpitts

  • Regular debater
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 105
Re: Quieter Box
« Reply #31 on: July 02, 2019, 03:04:44 PM »

Thanks, Gena.  Looks like some reading for me!

Regards,

David
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up
 


Melodeon.net - (c) Theo Gibb; Clive Williams 2010. The access and use of this website and forum featuring these terms and conditions constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions.
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal