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[Nigel.H]

I would welcome some advice on bass end tuning.

On a "typical" Hohner box, playing in Bb/Eb, with the bass's showing as '2's on the tuner, given that there is a 'big'/heavy reed and a finer/smaller reed in each pair, is there a prescribed differential between the 'setting's for the two reeds to get the necessary tremolo effect.  I have Lester's tuning guide for the treble side ( done ) but the bass end is below the '3's listed. 

Or.....do they both get tuned to be +/- '0' ?  Also......re. the chord reed's, does the tune them to 'pitch' apply.

Reeds and chords are as per the Club models. 

cheers

[Theo]

They should be tuned in exact unison.  Tremolo between reeds in different octaves generally doesn’t sound good.

[Nigel.H]

Excellent - thank you for that....

[Anahata]

Also......re. the chord reed's, does the tune them to 'pitch' apply.

To what pitch, is the question...

In some boxes they are tuned to equal temperament, which makes them match the treble side exactly, but the chords are not perfectly in tune. (like on a piano)

Some are tuned to more 'perfect' thirds and fifths, which makes the chords sound sweeter, but in particular the thirds clash with the same note on the treble side. My Dino Baffetti/Oakwood is tuned that way, for example.

[Theo]

To expand on Anahata’s reply:
Chord reeds:
Tonic - tune in exact unison with basses

In equal temperament major thirds are just over 14 cents too wide compared with just intonation.  If you tune thirds perfectly in tune with the tonic they will be badly out of tune with the same note on the melody side, so any change is a compromise.
 My method is to tune major thirds 3 or 4 cents flat of nominal pitch.  This is enough to sweeten the chord but without too much of a clash with the same note on the melody side
Minor thirds tune to standard pitch
Fifths are about 1.5 cents too narrow for perfect just intonation.  Tuning up to 1.5 cents sharp so there is no audible beat when you play the chord without thirds.  This is such a small difference that I find I can’t always get it right with a tuning meter alone and I have to check the tonic and fifth together and make tiny adjustments till any beat disappears:

[Nigel.H]

Cheers both, in the end I taped off the 1/3's and de-clubbed the Ab/Db using the 'F', taken down to Eb.  Otherwise all as advised and it sounds a treat.
Many thanks. N

[Rog]

LM reeds tuned with tremolo are sometimes called 'saxaphone' on the coupler switch (that’s a yuk). Melodeon basses can be tuned as Theo describes whereas you can never get this nuanced tuning with a Stradella bass,( because the reeds are shared across all the chord/fundamental combinations). I guess that's one of the things that make melodeons a bit special.

[Nigel.H]

Sadly, my musical/technical knowledge is 'limited'.  When having detailed technicalities explained, it is akin to being given an explanation on Nuclear Fission whilst wondering why my hands get warm when rubbed together  , but, I still appreciate the detailed input and pick up understanding as I go along in practice. 

Sticking to relatively simple Boxes helps.  Good advice from practically experienced, helpful sources doubly so.

[tirpous]

Melodeon basses can be tuned as Theo describes whereas you can never get this nuanced tuning with a Stradella bass,( because the reeds are shared across all the chord/fundamental combinations). I guess that's one of the things that make melodeons a bit special.

Good point Roger, thanks for that !