South Branch inventor presents twinkling accordion

It's no ordinary accordion.

With each button that is pressed to make sound, a corresponding miniature light brightens. If more than one button is pressed at a time, the same number of lights illuminate, and they all correspond to the buttons, in the right order and right on time.

Wallace Gale, a retired school bus driver from South Branch, spends many of his days thinking about new inventions.

He began thinking about brightening up his accordion some 14 months ago. Understanding small electrical systems, he approached the project one circuit at a time.

After eight changes to the prototype, 21 different circuits and some 50 miniature Christmas light refills later, Mr. Gale can now play his 25-year-old, 4.3 watt Horner accordion with twinkling lights at the touch of a few buttons.

"You could use it anywhere, playing anywhere.

"It's more or less a decoration," said Mr. Gale.

The lighted accordion would surely provide additional entertainment and draw extra attention anytime it is played in front of an audience. It's also easy to see how the accordion lights could also prove to be a teaching aid when helping someone learn how to play the traditional Newfoundland instrument.

Mr. Gale said the only two other people who have seen his special accordion are his wife Shirley and another South Branch man, Ron MacIsaac.

"They thought it was pretty neat," said Mr. Gale.

The South Branch inventor said he has developed other inventions in the past, but doesn't want to say what they are because after he invented them, someone else had the invention patented.

That won't happen this time, said Mr. Gale. He fully intends to get a patent on his lighted accordion.

His only concern now is about his wife Shirley. When asked where he got the miniature lights for his invention, he admitted to taking them from his wife's Christmas tree decorations box.

She doesn't know they're missing yet.

editor@gulfnews.ca