Excalibur Triple Crown Pro Model with pickup
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Anyone have any experience with these? The pickup is an inline model. Priced at a little under $200. I’m considering getting it as a backup to my fairly fragile Hammond 44.
Have you done any research on Excalibur, Gayle? If you Google “Excalibur Melodica” or “Excalibur Accordion” you’ll find people saying that they are a rip-off and some saying that they are repackaging cheap instruments and making questionable claims about where these instruments are manufactured. I don’t really know, but I would proceed with caution.
For example: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/excalibur-37-note-pro-artist-series-melodica-black-wisconsin-c381891.html
I’m surprised to hear you say that your Hammond 44 is fragile.
Hi Alan, Thanks for the response and the link. I read it with interest. Yes, I’ve done lots of research on the Excalibur but it’s hard to say without actually seeing and playing an instrument. I could never buy a guitar or piano without playing it but something you blow into is different. I think Jim Laabs Music and Excalibur Accordion company are partners of sorts since they are almost next door to each other and Jim Laabs is the only place you can buy Excalibur Melodicas. yes, Interesting that the person in the complaint felt they were repackaging a cheap melodica and selling it as a pro model. I spoke with someone today at Jim Laabs about the one I’m interested in knowing more about…the “Excalibur Triple Crown Pro Model with pickup”. I would want my rigid flextube mouthpiece from my Hammond 44 to fit it and gave him the exact measurement of the blowhole but he was unable to give me the exact measurement of the Excalibur and said the only way to be sure is to send him one of my mouthpieces since they have no return policy. I will call them again tomorrow and try to nail them down on where the thing is made. Re My Hdammond 44, seems I’m always fixing something on it…well, not “always”, but enough. Much tuning, now this blown reed, the mouthpiece broke off IN the blowhole and it was a very difficult and delicate job to get it out of there, the flap on the spit-valve broke and although my husband and I fixed it, it’s not as air-tight as I think it should be and I have to open it just a certain way to use it or it’ll fall apart again. Biggest problem I think with the Hammond 44 is the amount of condensation that builds up in it. I’m always slightly horrified when I open it up to tune it. Makes me think I should open it and wipe it down after every gig or rehearsal but eventually the screws would strip and that could open yet another can of worms. If I knew where I could get parts for sure, I’d feel a lot better about it. You see these advertised as now coming from Japan (Suzuki home base) but still no information about repair and parts.
The Hammond mouthpieces fit Suzuki melodions and also fit the Schoenhut, if that information is of any use, Gayle. They do not fit Yamahas. I think the Suzuki M-37C is quite nice and solidly constructed, but it doesn’t have an inline pickup.
Do you use a guitar strap with the Hammond and the rigid-flexible mouthpiece?
Hi Alan,
Just a quick note to say that Hammond mouthpieces also fit Hohner. At least, they do in a couple of cheap ones I have lying around.
GayleCan anyone tell me if putting new reed plates on a melodica is any more difficult than unscrewing the old ones, taking them off, putting the new ones on and replaceing the screws? I have a replacement set coming from Hammond-Suzuki. $137.50 plus shipping. Don’t want to mess them up.
Someone else can probably provide more information than this, Gayle. But I have removed a reed plate on a Yamaha pianica, and I can tell you about that. It required a tiny Philips screwdriver — I have a set of jewelers’ screwdrivers. The plate was mounted on a gasket, which seemed to have been lightly glued in place and to the reed plate, or possibly the gasket material is just sticky. Earlier in this thread is a photo of Kevin’s of the same kind of gasket, also on a Yamaha. It would be important I think to be careful not to damage the gasket, which is flexible and also may need some kind of gluing. The gasket could tear. Reed plates, as you have observed I’m sure, are usually sectional, with two or three plates, and you probably only want to replace the plate with the damaged reed and save the other(s) in case it is needed in the future. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
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