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Author Topic: Advice needed  (Read 2186 times)

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RVJ87

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Advice needed
« on: December 01, 2018, 11:07:55 PM »

If anybody here could give me any advice, I'd be very grateful. Possibly a bit of a silly question, but anyway.

I bought a second hand Saltarelle Nuage a while ago. Unfortunately it was in less than ideal condition and needed some major work doing to it. I sent it to Martyn White in Chelmsford and after about four weeks of waiting and a £310 invoice I got it back.
Only about a day or two after I'd received it I'd noticed that the very top left bass button (the D/A chord, actually) has begun to stick. I can just be playing away as normal and the button will go in and not come out unless I move it manually. I'm extremely put out, as you can understand, after spending over three hundred quid on a repair job for the thing (a repair job that, may I note, actually included re-seating the bass buttons).  I don't know if I can solve the problem easily myself? Is it just a case of taking the side off the bass end and fiddling with it? I don't like the idea of having to ship it off to Chelmsford again; neither do I like potentially having to pay even more money to have such a minor problem sorted. Any more experienced people on here who might be able to suggest what to do?
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Ray

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2018, 11:33:20 PM »

Martyn is a great restorer - if you have feel that you have a potential issue with some work he's done I'd try giving him a ring fist. He's a top bloke who I'm sure would be able to advise you how to fix it yourself or would try and help out some other way.

Either way, you should be able to take the bass plate off easily enough and have a look. Unscrew the bass strap and then unscrew the plate itself and have a play around - you can't do much damage and it'll be good experience.
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mselic

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2018, 11:35:19 PM »

You should begin by bringing the issue to the attention of the person who carried out the work, in private. This personal is a professional and I have no doubt he would stand by his work and take care of you, but he needs to be made aware of the problem firsthand. Also, it is not unreasonable for other issues to pop up with a box even after work has been properly carried out.
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Anahata

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2018, 11:53:17 PM »

Everything in the two replies above is true. Martyn has done excellent work my boxes and he will certainly be able to help you, either by advising you (it might only need a simple adjustment) or fixing it for you. Martyn is also a member of this forum so you could PM him here.
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2018, 01:40:54 AM »

Another endorsement for Martyn from me. He is a fine professional restorer and repairer, worthy of all our trust and respect. Please contact him privately and explain the problem you have. I'm sure he will be only too pleased to (a) put right anything which has gone wrong or (b) fix a new fault which was not previously apparent.
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Steve
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Theo

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2018, 08:38:25 AM »

Wouldn't you always go back to the supplier/repairer if this sort of thing happened with any consumer product?  It's no different with boxes.  If I had done the work for you I would have been very disappointed if you didn't come back to me first to get it put right.   I've been doing this sort of work for a lot longer than Martyn, and although I would like to say I never make mistakes it's not true.   I don't often make mistakes these days, but it still does happen occasionally.  Martyn will want to hear from you for two reasons, first of course to fix the fault, and secondly to learn from what has happened.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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Microbot

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2018, 08:56:49 AM »

Hi

... I agree with all the above comments, especially the remarks that those of us who repair/set up instruments are always prepared to rectify any problems and would prefer to be contacted first.

But it's also worth noting that these Nuages have a very crude bass action that is prone to wear and subsequent snagging, in exactly the way that the OP describes. Where other instruments have a true hinge or pivot, these instruments simply have two aluminium rods that form a 'hook and eye' pivot. With a lot of use, the two rods abrade and the circular profile is destroyed... The hinge then starts to snag erratically, freeing up when wiggled.

I rebuilt one of these bass actions with new rods, which itself was fraught with problems, only to be later told that our own Squeezy and another (might have been Steve?) had to tweak the set-up at a festival for the player... Embarrassing...! And it shows that sometimes, with our best endeavours, we rely on the support and goodwill of others.

These Nuage bass actions can be a nightmare when worn and they are the weak design feature in what is otherwise an outstanding model.

Regards!

Mike R
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Microbot

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2018, 09:34:51 AM »

...just as a follow up ...

If it does prove that wear to the rods at the pivot point is the problem, ive seen some improvised repairs that have been very successful, including very small cable ties and even rubber sleeves. Both were effective in taking up the wear in the joint, and preventing the worn rods slipping into the position where they snag/catch and hold the pallet open.

Cheers!

Mike R
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RVJ87

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2018, 01:55:39 PM »

Thanks all for your replies and advice. I suppose the best thing to do would be to contact Martyn. The only real reason I haven't spoken to him yet is I find it difficult to bring up and discuss things like this with people. I don't want to come across as excessively critical or "whining" or anything like that. Overall I have to say the work he did was excellent.
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Gena Crisman

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2018, 02:10:10 PM »

Well, rather than think about how he might perceive you due to any complaint, you gotta think about it more from his perspective as a restorer - he's much more likely to rather have *counts* half a dozen people extoll his virtues and quality of work than to cut ties with someone who's having an issue. At the moment, he most likely doesn't even know that there's a problem.

I can do this kind of thing too, and end up creating hypothetical conversations with people I don't know every well, and get stuck spiraling around in those. If you're able to, get in contact and just stick with just the facts of what seems to be happening, and perhaps that would help insulate you from those feelings. Let him know the problem exists and you might not even need to relate your put-outedness.
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2018, 05:35:22 PM »

Thanks all for your replies and advice. I suppose the best thing to do would be to contact Martyn. The only real reason I haven't spoken to him yet is I find it difficult to bring up and discuss things like this with people. I don't want to come across as excessively critical or "whining" or anything like that. Overall I have to say the work he did was excellent.

What Gena says. If he doesn't know there is a problem he can't help. From the sound of things, it sounds like the sticky key isn't his fault and certainly isn't your fault. I am sure he would much rather support you getting it sorted than have the dirty washing hung out on a public forum.

A used melodeon is probably a bit like a used car. Don't be surprised if it develops the occasional fault or even a series of faults. Mind you, I reckon the gain is worth the pain.
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Greg Smith
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RVJ87

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2018, 03:13:06 PM »

Hello and thank you all for your input. After some deliberation I took off the side plate and discovered that the spring wasn't creating enough pressure to provide a tight seal, which of course is what was causing the problem. I rang Martyn to let him know what had happened and he kindly helped me to sort the issue out over the phone. Seems to be working fine now. Many thanks once again.
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Advice needed
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2018, 03:51:12 PM »

You see, we may be the fount of all wisdom Melodeon wise on here, but for pukka gen, you must go to the source.

SJ
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