How long will an accordion last these days?

[lixnaw]

My new Cairdin gets a maintenance every 3 years.

I won't be playing at roaring fireplaces or dusty barns...
I was just wondering how long the reeds would last, they're Antonelli's. I was told anything else on this accordion will last at least 50 years...
What about the bellows and valves?

[Azalin]

What about the bellows and valves?

A couple of days, at most, if my dreams come true

[Martin Milner]

Depends on the initial quality of the box and of course how much you play it and how much you look after it (i.e. store it safely when not in use, and carry it carefully etc). I know people who have played regularly, 2-3 hours a week for 40 years on the same (Hohner Pokerwork) box with nothing done to it at all.

Bellows tend to rub against the body and get most wear on that bottom corner nearest the treble end. It might be possible to turn the bellows around to even out the wear and make them last longer. Most bellows I've heard of needing replacing are through this sort of wear, or through beer-related accidents.

Modern valves are usually plastic and should last forever, unless the glue gives and they fall off completely. If leather valves have been used, then maybe 20 years? I've seen leather valves curled away from their seatings, but that's when the instrument has been stored unused for years (usually in a musty attic), and gravity and damp have been at work. Regular use probably prolongs the life of the valves, and keeping the box well aired and dry.

Reeds are more likely to break with use - metal fatigue gets them in the end. Avanutria and I have opened up several old boxes and concertinas, and there's usually one or two reeds missing, cracked clean off at the base next to the pin securing them. That may be the reason why the instrument was mothballed in the first place.

I try to look after my Castagnari Lilly, but at the end of the day it's a tool to make music, and if it survives 20-30 years of my playing and other abuse I'll be more than satisfied.

[lixnaw]

Tony Mc Mahon once tore an accordion apart!

[StevieJ]

A couple of days, at most, if my dreams come true.

Well, you know the answer to the question, "If you drop an accordion and a concertina off a cliff, which will hit the rocks first?"

Lixnaw, I'm intrigued by your statement "gets a maintenance every three years." Do you mean the maker wants you to send it back for a service every three years, or that you will take it to someone else for an inspection every three years?

It's common to have the tuning adjusted on new boxes after a year or so of playing, when the reeds have "settled".

[lixnaw]

A couple of days, at most, if my dreams come true.

Well, you know the answer to the question, "If you drop an accordion and a concertina off a cliff, which will hit the rocks first?"

Lixnaw, I'm intrigued by your statement "gets a maintenance every three years." Do you mean the maker wants you to send it back for a service every three years, or that you will take it to someone else for an inspection every three years?

It's common to have the tuning adjusted on new boxes after a year or so of playing, when the reeds have "settled".

I checked out the tuning and i can't find much wrong, except for a few buttons down bellow that are + 20 sharp. And i hardly use these. So this box is perfect for two more years, than i'll bring it in for maintenance.
Michael sure knows when they need tuning, he said the nearest person who works on boxes would do.