Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker

Subject: RE: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: treewind
Date: 27 Jan 09 - 04:29 AM

"learn to play the instrument properly"
There are certainly ways of playing that avoid buttons sinking into holes, but isn't it worth noting that more sophisticated instruments don't have this problem in the first place?

As for fitting a coupler to cut out one bank of reeds, in theory this is possible, and they do work the way Manitas describes, but in an instrument that wasn't designed that way in the first place it would require major skill and surgery to fit, and frankly it would be easier to retune the reeds to dry tuning (2 ranks at identical pitch) if that's the sound you want. Or shell out for an instrument that has a coupler if you want to switch sounds. The cheapest practical option may be to buy a second instrument (second hand perhaps) tape over 1 bank of reeds in one and leave the other in standard tremolo tuning.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: GUEST,baz parkes
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 03:12 PM

Peter

Have you visited www.melodeon.net...more hints and tips than you coud shake a morris stick at. Run by Theo Gibb, player, restorer/repairer and all round good chap. Lots of other people more knowledgable than me will help.

Baz

Subject: RE: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: GUEST,Pete Int North
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 12:16 PM

I take your point about workman/ tools the idea is not to make a better melodeon player out of me but to make a different sound other than out of tune clackerty clack 'oh look there's another "morris" tuned hohner' lol

Subject: RE: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: IanC
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 12:06 PM

Peter

Is yours one of the new Chinese Hohners? Mine's 30 years old and still in good tune.

Though it may sound a bit harsh, my suggestion about the "fingers disappearing into the holes" problem is to learn to play the instrument properly. Too many people play the melodeon with their hands like claws. One of the reasons why the buttons are staggered is so that you can hold your fingers at an angle and play the instrument so that your finger ends just go down to the level.

I sympathise if your instrument is out of tune but as for the conformation of the melodeon, it was ever thus with the Hohner pokerwork (and many other melodeons too) and it's best not to let it be the case of a bad workman blaming his tools.

Subject: RE: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 10:53 AM

Basically, you need a slide with holes placed in it so that when you move it up it allows air through to both reeds and when moved down air is allowed through to only one of the pair or the other way round?). This can be operated by a stop or by a switch depending how handy you are are designing and building linkages. I'm not sure whether or not the reed chambers on the pokerwork are designed to allow this ie can you block off the air to just on of the pair of reeds - you might need to put some sort of wall between each reed.

The problem with the fingers slipping into holes is usually overcome by putting something under the finger board. On my one-row I used carpet. This also cuts out a lot of the clatter.

Subject: Tech: modifying a D/G Hohner Poker
From: GUEST,Peter Int North!
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 10:36 AM

i have a D/G Pokerwork and im fed up of sloppy tuning and fingers dissapearing into fingerboards being a student of sorts spending alot of money buying new reed block/ retuning the old ones was out of the window.
so i have taken some fabric tape and taped across oneside of each of the read blocks thus when you play it only plays one reed instead of the two that are tuned like a wet fart, the sound that it now produces is closer to how i like it and seems louder.
im trying to work out a way in which i can make it so that at the pull of a button i can revert it to its standard (rubbish)tuning.
has anybody attepted such sacraledge!

any ideas?

Peter