Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've got a dry-tuned PA, and I want to change the tuning to wet.

I called the store where I bought the accordion, and their representative said that it was a lengthy and advanced thing which necessitated a cost of between £400 and £600 depending on the accordion.

Is there any truth to this, or is the store just trying to rip me off?

Seems a tad steep! I think the friendly Mr Allodi charges less than that, more in the £200ish area, but he is quite overloaded with work, hence very long waiting lists. He charges £500-£600 for a complete overhaul, so tuning ought to be less than that. Might be worth giving him a ring for advice.
http://www.accordions.co.uk/

PS: Have you considered getting a ready-made wet tuned 'cordie, and keeping the dry tuning for other musical purposes? Dry tuning is more useful when playing with others, and a lot more trendy these days.

I would not assume they are trying to rip you off. I wouldn't be shocked to be charged $400 for retuning my button box, and despite official exchange rates, on the streets of London and Montréal the purchasing power of £1 and $1 are practically identical.

PAs can contain an awful lot of reeds, depending on the number of voices, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that professional PA players fork out the higher end of that range to have their boxes kept in top shape every year or two.

And you are not just asking to fine-tune and restore the instrument's current tremolo setup, but to establish a new one. If you have several voices, particularly more than 2 clarinet (medium) voices, this is a tricky business.

Also going through a shop is bound to cost more since they will put a mark-up on the technician's time. You could probably save money by finding an independent tuner. If you're in the UK, try asking for a quote from the owner of this site: http://www.theboxplace.co.uk/