Accordion Sales & Repairs

Guerinni 3 voice , Lmm, 72 BASS. Great condition, £1050 Ono. Great price for one of the iconic accordions of its time.

The job of this morning ... I have been tuning and repairing a "clinkscale" accordion, probably guerinni . It has been a difficult one to work on. The reeds prior to me working on it , had been altered using s Dremel drill... On top of that the valves were popping off when I was trying to tune it. And finally the felts that touch down on the palate needed some work, ie, the leather on the bottom that touches the palate had come loose on every single.note ... So after retunin...g, and unexpected valving I have had to reattach every single leather in the notes.. And when I was about to fix the notes, I noticed there was a huge crack in the casing .. the owner complained about a leak and put cellotape around the there the bellows meets the casing... So reason for the big leak found ...next on the list !!?
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I have been working on a crucianelli accoder, the electronics were stripped out leaving gaps and holes all over which didn't look very pretty.
So I designed a grill for it. Here it is in just 3 stages,I have more photos which I will post but these are the 3 that best illustrates the transformation. I have more templates cut for other accoders if you have one and like the idea. I still have to out grill cloth behind it , that's the final one, looking good so far, in fact , I am delighted with the outcome. ..

Thought I would post this little tip... When reinserting the reed blocks if you have taken them out , be careful of two things , the first is to make sure you don't catch any valves from other reed blocks and bend them over , and the second, not so obvious is , like in this case, in the cassoto chamber , previous work on this accordion has resulted in the leather on the palate being dislodged and folded over .
What's the problem there ?
... If at any part the edge is folded over and the the reed block is clamped in place, this means there is double the thickness at this point between the reed block and the palate... This results in a gap further down the block, letting air in and detuning the reeds becuase the full volume of air is not passing through... ( See pictures attached)...simply realign the leather that the reed block sits on and then clamp it up.. all is restored to its rightful place , no more air leak or detuned notes...
This simple check could save you hundreds of pounds if the technician repairing it doesn't notice this and then starts retuning it.... Big trouble then. !
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Today is the day for finishing grills... Primed 2 X atlantic grills , ready for another couple of costs of primer / undercoat, then a lovely black gloss with laquer .....also started , primed and undecorated crucianelli accoder grill , plus a first coat of black gloss... Looks great already

And finished ...
Tested it on the bench ,looks like it's ok... Tomorrow I will reassemble and have a tune ... All looking positive ,butnwith so many things wrong with the mechanics , I have to trust my self that I have fixed everything I found broken... Fingers crossed I didn't miss anything ...

I have been working on and off on this bass section for a number of weeks now. O just could not get it to settle. I have had it off and on, it was just one bass note , but could I get it to stop sounding. ....so last week I thought I cracked it,no sound , brilliant...
Eh no, instead of the A not sounding , the D started to sound ... Grrrrr ... How could this be ? I opened it up and the bass rod had jumped, now ordinarily I would just fix it and be done , however, why and h...ow did it jump so easily, it wasn't knocked or anything, I just played it... Ok I know I am a heavy player but never seen this...
So I stripped it again trying trying to find out what it was.... Quite simply, the horizontal rod which lifts the felt off the palate, had moved....why ? So further investigation show a contributing factor to the rod moving... The post on which the metal plates ( in the close up photo) attaches was cracked... Someone has put a bit of wood down the screw hole to help the screw catch and tighten up... This crack in the post was probably why the sliver of wood had to be added in the first place.. so o fixed it ,glued, it pinned it and covered it with celluloid ... The V shapes that hole the rods in place had basically been broken off or worn off so I built up the V shape using wood filler.. flattened it off then lacked the top of it with a strip of leather ...so the up shot is, the horizontal bar no longer slides, everything is stable , and so far, everything seems to going accordion to plan now... However, becuase of these adjustments and fixes , the bass rods as slightly out of alignment so I have to adjust pretty much every single bass rod to make sure a chord sounds and not a single note, one at a time until the chord plays... Basically every major,minor,7th and diminishes chord has to be re calibrated...
The good news is after all these weeks I think I have got to the bottom of it.
I am half way through reassembly, so Fingers crossed.
Once it's assembled and working I will post come more ..
Regards
Frazer
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Today has been challenging. To say the least... I finished this old Crucianelli , I was doing my final checks, just finished rebuilding and refurbishing the keyboard... So I start to test, keyboard ...check ...oh wait a minute... There is an air leak...mmm that strange, i checked and made sure ever felt was sitting bang on the palate ... I could hear it , coming from the top area.. maybe I misjudged the tension on the spring , but I couldn't have the math says it's right ... ...Can't be that ...
I stripped the key completely off, checked it out again, assembled it , still an air leak ... Took it off again ...
I remembered that old quote ( can't remember who said ) stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result ... So I know I did my part correctly , what else....
I was thinking is it a broken tone chamber, maybe a leak at the seal, is it the sliders for the registers , maybe they are not sitting properly ..
So I checked the compression , no keys all registers shut still an air leak ... Ok still scratching my head...I split the accordion into two again... It's not the keyboard, it's not the registers, what is it.... So i inspected the tone chamber , and guess what I found... A GREAT BIG HOLE ,😫😫😱😤😤😤😡😡😡.
Ok it's not a huge hole, but it's big enough to cause the leak.. It looks like someone has drilled a hole in the chamber to put a wire through for internal mics. The have long been removed. The hole was filled with what I can only describe as the sorriest excuse for a filler or wax o have seen in my life...
You can actually see where someone has put sellotape over it too but that has long since gone.
I must have disturbed it and removed it or.moved when I was assembling the keyboard...
So holes about to be fixed , keyboard assembled for the 3rd time and begin testing ... Again !!!!
Grrrrr😡😡
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So the past couple days has been more hectic than normal. I .going to Ireland at the weekend.
I am finishing of a 1960's crucianelli that I have been valving and tuning ... It's been a hell of a job.
Rusty reeds etc etc. So it's been tough going on the tuning ..I am on the homestretch now.i think I will finish the tuning tonight, and start on the keyboard refurbishment tomorrow . That will leave me Thursday to pack the speakers etc in the car for Ireland ...and then do any last.minite adjustments to this absolute cracker of and accordion... It is LMMH , with double cassoto and sounds fantastic ..I have loved working on this... Most of you know I have a little thing for crucianelli accordions ,a wee cracker. ...

For sale on behalf of Roberto Enzo
For sale my Roland FR3X with Dallapè sounds and orchestra sound on internal memory... as new, force to sale as new accordion arriving... £1350 or nearest offer...
Contact Roberto or drop me a message , happy to pass it on .

Ok, I have 2 hohner Atlantic's with grilled that have been through the wars.the grill material ( gold with the 3 black strips) is pretty much mangled, by the original hohner microphone on the grill then subsequent repairs .... So I can't get the material and I get anything similar it needs stamped out and it would cost a fortune... So here is.my.idea, don't copy it , make something original , so here is protypes number one for the hohner Atlantic grill insert replacement..ide...as I have are
Bespoke designs ( logo, accordion , band initials etc) Players name on the insert Different colours of material
So thoughts please ( clean ones please ) , ideas changes ????
Thanks
F
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I have just been revalving an absolute topper of an accordion. By now , everyone knows how much of a fan I am of Crucianelli accordions. I have one in for refurbishment from a client in Dublin , who is the original owner(1964). It's been sitting under the stairs for a few years, someone "had a go" at it and didn't do a very good job, so I have been tasked with bringing this grand old box back to life. What a great job I have, loving every minute of restoring the beauty .... A picture of the reeds getting revalved, I will get more up as I am going along.once completely revalved , the keyboards are next. Then I can really let rip and sprinkle the magic pixie dust on it improve on the standard settings of the weight of the keyboard (change the springs or alter them to lighten the key action ).
Magic 😊😊

More pictures of the gig bag. This time it's with an accordion in the case. It has clips on the top and sides to make sure that if it pops open, the zip come undone etc, the accordion won't fall out.
Theu are very light weight , easy to carry with shoulder cut aways like a rucksack for easy of carrying. I got them made with a little less padding to allow you to put extra padding in on the bottom of you want but not paying the extra £20 plus premium for cheap foam that doesn't work. I would.put a little bit of foam on the bottom so when you sit it down it protects it a bit more.

96 bass lightweight gig bag. Ideal for carrying your accordion when at sessions, feis' , festivals etc, a lot easier than big hard wood carry cases. I recently used one when travelling to Spain for a gig on my Brandon wood, 96 bass 34 note.. fitted perfectly, comfortable to carry and did not make the accordion look like an oversized suit case on your back. I got on a Ryanair flight, no problem, no questions asked. It just looked like a back pack.
RRP is £65 My price £50 plus 10% discount to all " Accordion Guy" subscribers ...

I have overstocked some straps, I bought them to put on accordions I have been working on for customers, I bought 3 pairs too many, so I am selling them on. They are 2.5 inches wide , real leather , wide enough not to cut into the shoulders.
I have found with the ones that have over extended "padded" parts , the padding bends up through the pressure of the accordion on your shoulders and you are left with just the leather and literally no padding on your shoulder , you might... as well use a belt !
By reducing the padding thickness and width just a little, you get an over all better and more comfortable fit ( In my opinion 😊)
These ones retail between £55 and £80 depending where you buy them , I am selling them at £50 plus 10% discount to anyone subscribing to my "Accordion guy" page ( basically £45 to subscribers) .
Drop me a pm, or a mail or even just message me if you want more info . Happy to help.
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Hi All, I know its been a wee while. I thought I would just write a quick catch up mail. I am trying to head over to Castelfidardo before August. I am completely refurbishing two Shand Morinos, the next stage is the Celluloid and replacing some springs and general stuff like that , so I am going over to get all the correct parts .
I am also going over to see the final touches to my long anticipated new accordions getting made by Settimio Soprano ...
... All 34 note 96 bass models, Artist 4 model. I have various versions coming, from Solid wood (not veneered) cassoto and non cassoto , with and without mutes celluloid versions and my own personal one, MATT Black 96 bass black keys , the best hand made reeds money can buy... I cant wait to see them.
I am going over with an order for a few accordions, so if anyone is interested on piggy backing on the order and getting a pretty good discount , let me know ...
The New Artist 6 Is also available, with newly developed reeds, I have not seen the yet, I have heard them and they sound great.
I am also getting some bellows made and going to see about a little project I have. I have 3 clients with Crucianelli Accorders . They want to get a new grill to make the accordion look like a normal Baton TC , so I am going over to discuss a couple of ideas.
The challenge is , the couplers, from what I see there are a couple of different coupler layouts , even though the accordions are the shell, so I have to make a universal grill with holes for the couplers and make them inter changeable. So if anyone has an accorder out there, and they fancy a new grill , let me know , the more I get , the cheaper it will be.
I am also stocking up on a few things, so if anyone is needing anything major done to their accordion, now is the time to let me know and I can make sure I get the right parts when I am in Italy. I will be ordering Wrist Straps, shoulder Straps , back straps ,plus new wire to make new springs from scratch on the keyboards, Felt for the palates, Valves etc so if anyone needs anything , let me and I will try and get them in my order .
I love going to the "shops" in Italy, some of you may have heard of one of the main suppliers, its like going into a cash and carry for all things accordion... I could ( and have ) spent many a happy hour just rummaging about ...
Cheers the noo
F
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Sharing a notification of a concert ...
Would you please share this for our band. This Saturday we have a visiting accordion orchestra from Germany that some of your members may be interested in. Many thanks. Ryan Stacey
An international friendship bringing together the Whitwell brass band and The pfungstadt accordion orchestra in concert on Saturday 2nd June. It promises to be a Fantastic event!

I am tuning a Victoria ( double cassoto) for a customer ... First thing is the tuning was , how shall we say, different... The challenge was , the customer said when he played chords on the right hand it was out of tune ... Strange ...ok let me see it ... It was + 15 and -25--27 in places ...no wonder it sounded flat in.musette ... I never asked who did it, I don't need to know, however they have clearly used a drill on them right in the middle of the reed.. you can see the... original tuners marks, the small scrapes ormlines made by the scraping tool , then someone used a drill, you can see quite clearly the drill has "rubbed out" some of the scrapes ... Not only can it alter the metal ( it's been heat treated , so if it's get too hot , it can make the mettale brittle) it has reduced the integrity of the reed, is, the bitnin the middle is now thinner than the bit on top... this means when the reed occilates back and forth there is a great chance the reed will break now in the middle because it the weak point
I got caught out before doing a favour for a friend , trying to salvage reeds and it ended up costing me . I found out later on that everyone and their granny had been in at the reeds and I was last in a long line... Lesson learned here... I can't tune and won't tune the reeds any flatter than they are, but can tune a little sharper ... It's now equal temprement ( the same tuning flat as it is sharp.. ) which is sound quite nice,not too wide . But wide enough to play traditional, some continental etc ... I will be putting a wee sticker inside this time explaining what I have done and what it was like when I got it and left it. ...it's looking good and sounding good now... Pleasure to work on real quality ...
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Just in from a 4 hour session on my newly refurbished 1960 Hohner Atlantic iv mussette.Frazer has breathed new life into an old and neglected accordion...I am over the moon with the sound. Its the reason i bought the box in the first place..Can't recommend him highly enough......

Frazer turned my old very damaged box into an excellent 'good as new' if not 'better than new' instrument. He even buffed out some scratches n bashes. An excellent job and 1st class service from a true professional and thoroughly nice guy!!!

Frazer overhauled my accordion during a very tight time deadline I gave him between gigs. Not only was the accordion fully overhauled, it's sounding as good and playing as tight as it did when it was brand new. Cracking service. Cheers Andy Gordon.

Frazer carried repairs on my box. And jeezo.

Sounds and feels like a new box.

Just needs a service next and few other bits and bobs. I'll be back.

Trust this guy implicitly to do a great job.

Frazer Overhauled and tuned my accordion and although I cant play it just now Frazer played a few tunes for me and I can assure you he has made a really great job of it he has it sounding almost like new again,a great job Frazer my thanks to you, cheers Bill Stewart.

Frazer McLellan is a super teacher for those focused on learning; as well as a seasoned mentor for those with gigging experience using electronic equipment.

So if you have an issue such as anxiety or simply would like support to make your sound more cohesive. Frazer will mentor you to find your own style and improve technique, knowledge and use of gigging equipment; he will help you and your band work as a team to form the best sound and play list for professional gigs. For experienced bands and accordion club goers alike.