Melodeon help needed

Subject: Melodeon help needed
From: matt milton
Date: 05 Aug 09 - 09:34 AM

I made an impulse purchase on eBay the other day as it was cheap enough to take a punt on: an old melodeon.It's just arrived at work and I took it into a meeting room for a quick go.

I'm a bit bewildered as I can't get any sounds out of the treble side. Do I need to unscrew those black things (stops?) on top of it? All of them? One at a time? What's their function - what do they do?

As far as squeezeboxes go, I've only ever played a piano accordion before, so I'm a total melodeon ignoramus.

Here's a description of what my 40 quid bought:

"GEBR.LUDWIG ACCORDEON 19 button DOUBLE row diatonic German accordeon with 2 sets of reeds on treble side, with individual stops on top of instrument, 4 bass spoon levers, 2 for single notes and 2 for chords
bellows - no marks rips tears and has good compression.
all buttons and spoons work as they are supposed to do, non sqeaking or sticking.
ALL reeds have been cleaned, had new valves and been rewaxed. No bits of trim are missing. There is some minor woodworm (non active) which can be seen in the pictures but they do not affect the instruments operation: a really pleasent, characturistic old playable instrument"

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: treewind
Date: 05 Aug 09 - 09:48 AM

Do I need to unscrew those black things

No, PULL those black knobs UP. They should come out about 1cm, and each one enables a separate bank of reeds. Pull them both out first, then experiment with what happens with one at a time.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 05 Aug 09 - 10:27 AM

You will find a Help Line near Alcoholics Annon. in the phone book

L in C
Sorry I couldn't stop me self

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: squeezeboxhp
Date: 05 Aug 09 - 03:15 PM

save yourself before it's too late LOL

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 05 Aug 09 - 03:53 PM

As a mediocre melodeon player of about 50 years experience I cannot possibly imagine what a piano accordion player could get out of switching to a melodeon. It's like switching from saxophone to mouth organ!!!

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Ernest
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 01:44 AM

Less weight to carry around, Steve G.?

;0)
Ernest

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: treewind
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 03:15 AM

As an ex-piano accordion player who switched to melodeon I know exactly why he'd switch. I went though a phase of B/C/C# chromatic button accordion on the way, but in the end it was power-to-weight ratio that got me on to the Hohner pokerwork, and then the Oakwood that I now play.

And those 4-stop 1-rows - there's nothing else that sounds like them.
[please refrain from obvious retorts....]

Dan Quinn used to play PA too. Not many people know that. It must have been a long time ago.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: matt milton
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 07:44 AM

well, to be honest, I'm not 'switching'. I'm a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to musical instruments. And when a musical instrument happens to look nice, and have a bit of history to it, and be eminently affordable, well, it's pretty much irresistible for me. anyway, 40 quid means even if I really don't get on with it, I could still probably get 20 for it in 6 months time. Or give it to the charity shop and feel I'd done a good deed...

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Bernard
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 09:30 AM

As an habitual collector of anything vaguely musical, I fully empathise!!

At last count I had something like 20 guitars, 2 electric basses, dozens of whistles and recorders, 2 Boehm flutes, an alto sax, a fiddle, a lap dulcimer (Stefan Sobell!), a piano, a Selmer Clavioline 'Concert', a Hohner Pianet (not 'Planet'!!), 2 electronic keyboards, 5 piano accordions, 5 melodeons, 3 English concertinas, 4 Anglo concertinas, a 'harmonium' (well, really an 'American Organ' by Bell, Ontario - they suck, harmoniums blow), and other stuff I'll probably remember next time I trip over them!

I hasten to add, not all of these are in fully playable condition, but I'm getting a round toowit... eventually...

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 09:33 AM

Bernard, you ca be a one-man Bellowhead Tribute band,

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 09:39 AM

Matt,
If it doesn't work out, you could talk to me - I'd make sure you weren't out of pocket, at that price - and these days my restricted income means that I have to go for 'the cheapies'.... :-)

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Bernard
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 10:19 AM

Les, you don't know the half of it!!

;o)

Subject: RE: Melodeon help needed
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 04:04 PM

I understand the weight/power ratio having downsized from a Guerrini ADG with 5 couplers to a Baffetti DG, but accordionists should be able to downsize also. I think the problem here may be stigma. The smaller models are known as 'Ladies' models', although I do know accordionists who have downsized due to severe physical problems. I downsized due to playing solidly in 3-4 hour sessions which was really doing my arm in.