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Author Topic: Home - making a melodeon  (Read 1000 times)

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Dave Praties

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Home - making a melodeon
« on: August 22, 2018, 10:28:15 PM »

Hello All, I am some way through building a 2 1/2 row, G C melodeon from scratch. I searched this forum for others doing the same, but could not find much. Is any one else out there scratch-building? The wooden casework and action, and most other timber bits, I am making from a big piece of cherry that my wife felled 20 years ago. All timber, after bandsawing,  is being thicknessed using my home-made sanding thicknesser. A wonderful machine! The bellows, I think I will have made professionaly, the reeds are a set of 60s PA hand-made reeds which I will re-tune to diatonic, but with an open mind. If the instrument doesn't sound good, I will grit my teeth and buy a set from one of the big names. I am making huge use of a laser cutter for action, reed blocks, register sliders Etc. If any other home builders would like the CAD files, you would be very welcome. Sharing of pitfalls/advice/bitter experience all welcome! Regards, Dave
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Lester

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Re: Home - making a melodeon
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2018, 10:56:08 PM »

Firstly good luck.

My only worry would be the reeds, although converting PA reeds at the low note end of the keyboard is achievable my concern would be once you get to the high notes. For instance you will need a B5/F#5 on the G row, so if you pick the PA reed in the middle of those notes A5 you will need to tune one side up a tone and the other side down 3 semitones, this is unlikely to be successful.

arty

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Re: Home - making a melodeon
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2018, 10:57:00 PM »

You need to speak to ‘The Cidermaker’ ... type that into the search bar and he should come up.
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Dave Praties

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Re: Home - making a melodeon
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2018, 11:09:31 PM »

Lester, thanks for this. I have not really got down to the nitty-gritty of this proposed retune, and I am quite prepared to fail! One thing though, I have used PA reeds before, and had the best success by leaving one reed as it is, and lead loading the other to bring it down in pitch. You seem to need surprisingly little lead, and it makes less difference to the tone than might be imagined. However - if the rest of the machine turns out OK, It would be worth the investment of a set made by a "proper man" as my old mother used to say. I learned the value of good reeds at this years Halsway manor DG weekend, when I played Anne Niepold's Gaillard. Until then, I hadn't realised quite the dynamic range of hand made reeds when compared to such as my Saltarelle, which is OK, but---!
Thanks for the tip about Cidermaker Arty. Will try it now
Cheers, Dave
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Castagnari Mory D/G.  Saltarelle Bouebe D/G. Hohner Club 2 C/F. Bachenbulach Bb/Eb. Matzini C/F. Some of them even work.
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