Martyn White
Martyn White
Melodeon Tuning, Repairs and Sales
Dear Martyn,
I just want to thank you for making such a good repair of my broken melodeon. To me it seemed a complete disaster, but you repaired all the damage, made the box stronger and improved both the action and the tuning. It now works better than ever and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.
Best regards,
Bill
Dear Martyn,
Thank you so much for all the lovely work you have done on my Hohner. It sounds amazing. Let's hope I can do it true justice in the months to come.
I am loving learning to play and it's a beautiful melodeon to play on.
Jenny
Taking a cue from a recent c.d. we purchased we decided to follow suit mentioning those who help us on the way.
In this case Martyn White who recently retuned our melodeon. He was as delightful in person as he was on the phone while he tweaked the particular problem that we had gone for, and then proceeded to give it a thorough going over.
To cap it all he went and got out an Bb/Eb box and played Handel's March from Scipio and we got a cup of tea as well. Definitely a man who goes that extra mile. Two hours of chat and entertainment thrown in, all at a very reasonable price.
Steve Evans
Thought I'd drop you a line to say how pleased I am with the work you did on my box. Its a complete transformation. I now have a box playing and sounding just how I want it to. You can keep your Costalottis, they are not for me!
John Miriam
The accordion arrived today safely and what a difference in the sound. Hopefully when I start playing with others the tuning will stand out and I will be singing your praises.
Once again I would like to thank you for your hospitality, professionalism and your skills. Long may you continue in your craft creating tunings that others may envy.
Yours sincerely,
William Rafferty
In addition to seeing Martyn's advertisements, I was reassured by personal recommendations from fellow musicians. Luckily I was able to take my well-worn Pokerwork down to Martyn myself (although I know others use a courier), where I received a warm welcome from somebody who clearly knows his business. A specification for the necessary work and the total charge was agreed before I left, which meant that I knew I would not be faced by nasty surprises later on. Martyn also identified a likely completion date, which in practice he adhered to. Since getting my melodeon back I have been really pleased with the quality of Martyn's work, which has given my trusty old instrument a new lease of life.
Christopher Harris, Cambridge
Martyn,
Thanks for tuning my Dino 3 voice to Viennese tuning. I did not realise it would improve the sound so much, it really sounds like a different box.
Reg
You won't go far wrong if you let Martyn fettle your box - He's straight as a die and what he doesn't know about squeezeboxes isn't worth knowing. The smallest detail is important to him - and most of all, he gets it right.
CJH
Hi Martyn,
Just wanted to say how pleased I was with the two melodeons, now playing in tune! And sounding and feeling great to play. I haven’t put them down since I got back.
I also wanted to say how much I appreciated your hospitality on the day and the pleasure of looking over your wonderful collection of melodeons – quite magnificent! And playing the odd tune, you must have a rota to ensure they all get played! I’ll be dropping that pokerwork down to you just as soon as you have a time slot for me. It plays alright after a few beers but it needs some work! (I’m spoilt by how well the other boxes now play)
Martin Roberts
Wow - what a great box that Liliput is now. After the results of the
Club, I sort of expected it to sound great with the fresh tuning but
what's surprised me most are the bellows and how easy it is to chuck 'em about, but also how expressive they are.
Once again, thanks very much indeed for all your effort and expert
attention lavished on this box.
all the best
Steve
Martyn is a wizzard on the piano accordion!!! Especially when it comes to tuning. Yes, he certainly knows how to tune piano accordions as well as button boxes! He has just worked his magic on my new 72 bass Weltmeister Juwel.I was unhappy with the overall tuning which was much too wet - and I thought it sounded a little 'cheap'. Martyn listened to my comments and went right through the treble side also giving one or two individual notes some special attention. He has completely transformed the accordion and it now sounds like an instrument costing twice the price! Talking of prices, Martyn's couldn't be more reasonable.
Ian Meikle
Martyn gave my Hohner Pokerwork a thorough repair, service, and tune up – the end result was like receiving a new instrument. Top value for money! Don’t buy a new ‘box’, just send your current one to Martyn - you won’t be disappointed.’
Ian Prior
Just to say that I have now managed to have a play of the Pressedwood and to tell you how absolutely delighted I am with the result. Thank you so much for doing such a stunning job. It was worth every penny.
Steve Fox
Crikey!
You can imagine what I've been up to since I got home? What an amazing job you've done Martyn, it sounds incredible - so much more three-dimensional than what I've been used to - more subtle and responsive as well as full bodied. I'm so glad I bit the bullet and asked you sort it out - thanks very much indeed!
Steve Penn
Just a quick line to let you know that the accordeon sounds fantastic! I’ve played it quite a lot over the past week & I’m really happy with it & it sounds wonderful against the alto hurdy gurdy, the instruments compliment each other nicely. So thank you again for all the effort & time you put into it.
All the best
Bill
Recently had my Sandpiper B/C tuned and set up by Martyn; what a good job he made. I wanted the instrument very dry tuned (I am seeking that Sharon Shannon sound). I may be wrong but I suspect that dry tuning places particular demands on the precision and care of the tuner; Martyn took a great deal of care and attention, he clearly knows what he is doing and he was so very helpful and informative. I am very pleased with the result - the instrument not only sounds nicer but the response is much more even.
Also it was a very pleasant and interesting day.
Thank you Martyn.
I was going to name him the Melodeon Whisperer! He's rebuilt a 1930's Erika for me and it's a thing of beauty. The whole process was a pleasure; from initially contacting him and discussing what it was I was after and his guidance through tuning options etc. right through to taking delivery and the subsequent joy of playing it. I was at a session last night and for the first time felt happy with the contribution I was making thanks purely to the wonderful tone that Martyn can get these instruments to produce. I've left him with another box to breath life back into. Thanks Martyn!
Ollie Whitelegge
I just thought I ought to share with the world what a marvel that man Martyn White down in Chelmsford is. I needed some work done on a melodeon, searched the internet and his name came up with glowing testimonials.
So I took a rattly old out of tune (pig in a poke eBay purchase) Hohner Club II C/F to him and after rewaxing, and valving, tuning, de-clubbing, re-facing pallets, fitting keyboard stops, and bellows gaskets, cleaning and new bellows straps it's a totally different machine. No button noise or rattle - it now looks and sounds a thing of beauty. And I couldn't resist a 1940s Erika in Bb/Eb similarly completely refurbished by him - probably in better shape now than it was when made. I'm so impressed I'm getting my damaged and ancient pokerwork D/G brought up to the same spec. Give him a call if you need any work done.
Alan Mead
I’ve spent several hours now playing both the Baffetti Binci and the Pokerwork and just wanted to say how delighted I am with your work, and what a pleasure it was dealing with someone who really cares about getting the right result for the customer.
The change is most obvious with the Baffetti – the valve changes have sorted the dodgy response, and everything just sounds a lot sweeter, and I am sure that the Dedic tuning has made a big difference to this aspect.
I particular notice it now when doing duets with my wife – suddenly the box sounds in tune with the fiddle (!!) – and she agrees. Even the members of my functions band said it sounded better, which given the grief I get about accordions, is high praise indeed.
So I shall be back next year with the G/C Sandpiper, once it’s been thoroughly played in, and you can work your magic on that too!
David Johnson
Dear Martyn,
I am not just happy with the sound, but the sound is unbelievably great. I had not expected such a big improvement. You are a tuning wizard. I bought a small accordion from an Italian maker about two years ago. They sent the accordion perfectly tuned, but the tuning work you made is even better than the Italian masters.
All the Best and Thank You,
Miklos
Just got my box back after a complete retune and more, Martyn has done a fantastic job with it. He made note of the fact that I favour French Tunes and made the necessary adjustments and now it sounds better than ever.
Martyn knows his stuff and I would recommend his service to anyone. Once again, thank you Martyn.
Ken Saunders.
Just a quick note to thank you for repairing my Castagnari Tommy after my grandson thought pulling it off the kitchen worktop onto the tiled floor would be fun!
Your sympathetic swift attention was just what I needed after it was obvious that something nasty had happened inside. When I collected my Tommy the next day, it seemed better than new and the cost was more than reasonable (I'll be stopping it out of his pocket money when he is old enough!).
Once again, many thanks. It's good to know that we have a perfectionist melodeon repairer here in Essex.
Kind regards
Jon May
I took my Castagnari Tommy to Martyn a few weeks ago for a general service and a tune up, as a few notes were becoming sharp or flat.
I am really delighted with the results and although some reeds were only a few cents out, Martyn tuned them with precision and it sounds beautiful now.
I will not hesitate to use Martyn again for all my melodeon tuning and repairs.
Jon Naunton
Thank you so much for sorting out my Eric Martin and changing it from an evil-smelling rustwreck to a rather special box. You put a huge amount of care and skill into its resurrection. Thanks for your work on other boxes as well - I can never blame my bad playing on the instrument. Celia
I rely on Martyn to fix my melodeons. He's a lovely fella who's great to deal with, the boxes work well after he's fixed them and he's always happy to go an extra mile to get the important little details - the length of a strap, or the degree of vibrato - just right. And because he's based near the A12, he's also an easy drive from where I live in Kent!
Gavin
Martyn is a highly skilled and reliable craftsman who takes great pains and effort to deliver a high quality, first class job. This applies to fixing a sticking button or to a total refurb and retune and at very reasonable prices.
Syd Pochin
Many thanks for all your work on my Saltarelle melodeon, it's playing and sounding better than ever before. It was great to meet you and thanks for your time, I had a really enjoyable and informative day. I'm really looking forward to getting the C/F Hohner later in the year.
Ian Jones
Hi Martyn,
Just a quickie to let you know how pleased I am with the job you done on my Bb/Eb - I hardly put it down, the D/G is sadly neglected the Bb/Eb is a lovely key combination . The tuning sounds great also, it oozes richness. Well done you! Will be in touch soon.
Many thanks,
John O'Connor
"I have been extremely pleased with the tuning, re-waxing, re-valving and bushing (as well as French polishing to the wooden fingerboard) Martyn has done on my vintage Hohner Koch G/C and Hohner Modell I Eb/Bb melodeons. The verdict on the G/C was ‘superbe’, when accomplished Breton musician Pascal borrowed it to play with his dance band ‘Dzirba!’."
Diane
"Interested in starting to learn the melodeon and looking for someone to repair my wife's piano accordion, I contacted Martyn through his website. He gave me really good advice and listened patiently to all my questions. Two weeks later I'm now the proud owner of a used Hohner Erica D/G melodeon which Martyn supplied at a very reasonable price and my wife's piano accordion has been fixed and tuned to a very high standard.
I would not hesitate to recommend Martyn to anyone - he's one of those people who knows his stuff, is obviously an expert in his field but who doesn't talk down to you if you have a question.
If, like me, you are thinking of "dipping your toe in the water" - Martyn will help you swim not sink. He's also a thoroughly nice chap!!"
Les