Clavietta
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froggy.
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January 9, 2014 at 10:52 am #1399
Daren
KeymasterI thought I’d start a new topic for this…
In a recent post, Melodica-Me wrote:
Hello Alan, I took Troys advice and picked up a couple of clavietta’s for parts primarily for the reeds. These were not pretty melodicas nor were they playable but I purchased them cheap. Look for one that is in good playing condition and one for parts. I spent a few days during the holidays replacing the gasket and hard washers with new rubber washers and for most parts it plays pretty good but volume is a little low as a norm. Next to my Vibrandoneon the Clavietta is one of my favorite sounding melodica as well as my oldest one. You will appreciate the quality of this melodica.
Melodica-Me
January 9, 2014 at 11:13 am #1402Daren
KeymasterIt’s true, the build quality is very high. It has a unique tone, unlike any other melodica, much more like a chromatic harmonica. The big drawback is the low volume, but it sounds great for recordings.
Click here for a recording I made a few years ago.
Do you have any photos Melodica-Me? And what material did you use for the gasket? Did you manage to get it completely airtight?
January 9, 2014 at 7:04 pm #1411Alan Brinton
ParticipantThanks for the recommendation, Melodica-Me. I’ll keep an eye out for Claviettas. My guess is that low volume would not be an issue for me, as I’m not a performer, or a high volume player for that matter.
I don’t see an audio file, Troy. I’ve seen a couple of clavietta videos recently. I’ll try to insert the link to one of them here.
January 9, 2014 at 10:06 pm #1415Melodica-Me
ParticipantTroy, your recording of the Clavietta put me in the mood to leave work early, head home to my cable knit sweater and enjoy a shot of Blue Label Johnny Walker. excellent recording. For Alan, here is Ray Conniff using the Clavietta
January 9, 2014 at 10:10 pm #1416Daren
KeymasterThanks Alan. I’ve made the link a bit clearer!
And here’s another link – this time the clavietta is accompanied by a small string section:
January 9, 2014 at 10:14 pm #1417Daren
KeymasterOh yes Oscar, I’ve listened to that Ray Conniff clip so many times. Beautiful, and haunting, specially as the female voices float through, in the background. The clavietta is certainly good for atmosphere…
January 9, 2014 at 10:21 pm #1419Alan Brinton
ParticipantGot it — ethereal. Very nice.
January 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm #1423Daren
KeymasterThanks Alan 🙂
January 10, 2014 at 8:41 pm #1426Quetscher
ParticipantTroy, I love your music!
January 12, 2014 at 7:31 am #1442Daren
KeymasterThanks Quetscher!
January 12, 2014 at 8:11 am #1458Melodica-Me
ParticipantTroy I have been trying to upload these pictures but can’t seam too. Can I email them to you?
OscarJanuary 12, 2014 at 8:52 am #1461Daren
KeymasterHi Oscar, you can’t upload images to this site – only link to them. Yes, go ahead and email them…
January 14, 2014 at 2:22 am #1495Daren
KeymasterHere’s Melodica-Me’s photos
Hi Troy, here some pictures of the donor melodica I bought for $20 bucks on Ebay and the (2) Clavietta’s I repaired. I also took a few pictures of the materials I used, all found at a local hardware store. The picture of the TFE used was modified with a couple of drops of vanilla so it would not smell. There are other products that would probably work better, but this worked fine and it was inexpensive. Note the first Clavietta I repaired is the one I use all the time. This is the one (shiny back) with all the new washers and gasket. The second clavietta (dull back) I only replaced the hard washers and (1) key that was broken with some of the donor parts. The matte under the donor Clavietta is a cutting matte very useful while cutting the gasket material. I wish I would have taken pictures during the whole process then it would have made a good tutorial. One more thing the washers I used are not the best fit but they worked great, they move a little but they do not leak air tension will need to be tweaked just a bit after replacing your old ones (screw next to reed). If you have any questions just let me know.
Thanks
OscarJuly 27, 2014 at 2:51 pm #2860Kipp Sturgeon
ParticipantA friend recently found me a clavietta in a pawn shop for a great price. I’ve been playing a basic plastic HOHNER melodica for awhile but this Italian made beauty is so nice. lts tone is like an accordion. I have two non functioning keys. I have it apart and will clean the reed area with alcohol and a q-tip. How do I get those two keys back to working order? Is there anything I have to be careful about not to hurt or break? I am a guitarist who has fallen in love with these instruments. Thanks.
KippJuly 27, 2014 at 3:10 pm #2861Melodica-Me
ParticipantHello Kipp, if you see the pictures that I have posted can you tell me if there is a missing hard washer or if it is cracked? If you are one missing or broken you can remove it and replace it with a small rumbler washer, I use a 7/16 washer and it works great. If you see the reeds at there is a tongue missing, well you are out of luck. The best solution is to look for another Clavietta on ebay for parts. Open it up and take a picture of of both the reed Aection and washer section, post the pictures and maybe we can sve you problem.
Melodica-Me -
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