Excelsior info wanted.
- Thread starter 32251
- Start date
Ventura
Been here for ages!
probably built in New York
the rocker shift Excelsiors, even accordiana's, are among the best
of breed around WW2
the rocker shift Excelsiors, even accordiana's, are among the best
of breed around WW2
The brand accordiola are their mid-range instruments. Excelsior as a general rule are a well respected brand.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
accordiana's and excelsiola's
some accordiana's during the rocker shift era still had best quality
excelsior made reeds on the treble if i remember correctly.. i do not know the
fine difference between pro and accordiana models around WW2
i know some of the differences during the italy factory era, mostly
the CEMEX period
Jim D is the expert, if anyone still remembers, it's him, but in general
an Accordiana from around WW2 was way better than most of the Italian
competition's best stuff, and Ex pro models really had no peer for quite some time
some accordiana's during the rocker shift era still had best quality
excelsior made reeds on the treble if i remember correctly.. i do not know the
fine difference between pro and accordiana models around WW2
i know some of the differences during the italy factory era, mostly
the CEMEX period
Jim D is the expert, if anyone still remembers, it's him, but in general
an Accordiana from around WW2 was way better than most of the Italian
competition's best stuff, and Ex pro models really had no peer for quite some time
96Bass
Well-known member
Smythe Accordion in Petaluma, CA has a 60s era Americana Ladies size in stock.
Piano and Chromatic Accordions
Our current inventory of piano and chromatic accordions
www.smythesaccordioncenter.com
The OP has an Accordiana. Accordiola is a completely different accordion brand, unrelated to Excelsior.
It can get confusing with all these names. There are way more accordion brand labels than accordion manufacturers...
(It reminds me of the Belgian beer scene: 700 different brews but 20.000 different labels...)
Thanks Paul, amazing the difference a single letter can make.
I had a similar accordiana 4 rocker. The register switches were more square and I think it might have been a later model. I believe it said “deluxe” model on the back. It played pretty well and had a nice balanced sound, though it liked having a decent amount of airflow before notes would sound and it didn’t provide as much dynamic range as some other instruments I owned. I ended trading it and some cash to a friend for another accordion with better reeds. I think it took a while for him to sell it.
Alan Polivka
Active member
Your "rocker box" is one of the best accordions you'll ever own. It was built back in the days when the Accordiana models had similar very high quality as the Excelsior models. It was only later that there became a significant quality difference between the two brand names, both under the ownership of Excelsior (the most significant difference being that most of the later Accordiana's did not have handmade reeds). Your accordion should have very good handmade reeds. I own one exactly like yours as well as several rocker boxes with Excelsior or Excelsiola brand names. The main difference between them is that the Excelsior and Excelsiola models were lighter (only about 22 lb) and had rectangular, concave shift buttons, rather than the more rounded shift buttons on the Accordiana. Your Accordiana probably weighs more like 24 lb. Also, the former were made totally in America (until the late 1950s), whereas the Accordiana's I've seen or owned were all marked "made in Italy". Your accordion was made around 1940. You'll be hard pressed to find a modern accordion with such good, powerful reeds as this Accordiana.
Alan Polivka
Active member
Oh, and as to the year it was made, I believe that model was made during WWII (early 1940s).
