Accordiola Super Italia

[JEBrown]

Hello all, I've just bought a 2nd-hand Accordiola Super Italia for a super-low price, just to give it a go (I've played piano accordion for a few years but always wanted to try button).

Can anyone tell me about this make / model? I've looked online but only found models for sale, no information about it. It has an On-Off slider above the keyboard which I can't work out if it makes a difference to the tone or not. Any information appreciated

 

[Dingo40]

JimD or Ventura probably know all about it.

 

[Ventura]

oh my..

accordiola was european and i don't even know what country they were
based in.. mostly i remember seeing big old huge curved keyboard
models from waaaaay back when and chromatics for anything modern looking

this one looks like a nice mid-sized box LMM reeds.. i guess the slider
at one time closed the bassoon (L) reedset or opened it, but it must
be broken inside now

 

[JEBrown]

oh my..

accordiola was european and i don't even know what country they were
based in.. mostly i remember seeing big old huge curved keyboard
models from waaaaay back when and chromatics for anything modern looking

this one looks like a nice mid-sized box LMM reeds.. i guess the slider
at one time closed the bassoon (L) reedset or opened it, but it must
be broken inside now

Thanks for the information - yes many hits I get when searching this make are from Sweden, and the original owner was Swedish, so.... And thanks for the tip on the slider

 

[dak]

Accordiola is a Belgian brand. You are lucky not to have a Belgian bass... It's C system, pretty surely 3/4 reeds (LMM in treble, 4 reed bass), pretty full range (if no dead buttons, 47 notes C3–B♭6 where the typical 41-key piano accordion will have F3–A6), 120 bass buttons. The slider in front will allow a more mellow sound. On the outside it doesn't look like it has seen significant action. Problem is that accordions don't necessarily appreciate being stored in pristine condition for decades on the inside. The valves may warp, the symptom being that notes may start too quiet and high-pitched at lower pressure, then suddenly snap into the right pitch and volume as the valve snaps shut. Pitch may change, wax may grow brittle (don't know whether this accordion would use wax or leather for sealing the reed plates), metal may corrode and moths may attack pallet felts. However, moth damage typically displays as buttons/keys sticking up at irregular height, and it doesn't look like that. Also the metal on the outside (like the bellows protection corners) does not look corroded.

Could be a pretty nice instrument and you won't run out of notes when playing piano accordion literature.

 

[debra]

Accordiola is a Belgian brand. You are lucky not to have a Belgian bass... It's C system, pretty surely 3/4 reeds (LMM in treble, 4 reed bass), pretty full range (if no dead buttons, 47 notes C3–B♭6 where the typical 41-key piano accordion will have F3–A6), 120 bass buttons. The slider in front will allow a more mellow sound. ...

This accordion does not appear to have the "blue badge" which indicates the Accordiola accordions that were made in Italy. The ones with the blue badge are more in demand than the others. I have no idea where these others were made.
Accordiola is most known for making accordions with a lot of tremolo, but of course was only because customers wanted that. There was a workshop and shop in Dilzen-Stokkem in Belgium for a long time. I have no idea whether it still exists. But I don't believe new Accordiola accordions with the blue badge are still being made somewhere.
The website http://www.accordiola-davidts.com/ is still active, so presumably you can still buy accordions there.

 

[JEBrown]

Accordiola is a Belgian brand. You are lucky not to have a Belgian bass... It's C system, pretty surely 3/4 reeds (LMM in treble, 4 reed bass), pretty full range (if no dead buttons, 47 notes C3–B♭6 where the typical 41-key piano accordion will have F3–A6), 120 bass buttons. The slider in front will allow a more mellow sound. On the outside it doesn't look like it has seen significant action. Problem is that accordions don't necessarily appreciate being stored in pristine condition for decades on the inside. The valves may warp, the symptom being that notes may start too quiet and high-pitched at lower pressure, then suddenly snap into the right pitch and volume as the valve snaps shut. Pitch may change, wax may grow brittle (don't know whether this accordion would use wax or leather for sealing the reed plates), metal may corrode and moths may attack pallet felts. However, moth damage typically displays as buttons/keys sticking up at irregular height, and it doesn't look like that. Also the metal on the outside (like the bellows protection corners) does not look corroded.

Could be a pretty nice instrument and you won't run out of notes when playing piano accordion literature.

Thanks for all this extra information. The previous owner was Swedish, but lived in Belgium, so could easily have bought it here. Now that I've been playing it for a while I find it's in good condition - just one note is out of tune in one register, the others all seem fine to me (or at least close enough )

 

[JEBrown]

This accordion does not appear to have the "blue badge" which indicates the Accordiola accordions that were made in Italy. The ones with the blue badge are more in demand than the others. I have no idea where these others were made.
Accordiola is most known for making accordions with a lot of tremolo, but of course was only because customers wanted that. There was a workshop and shop in Dilzen-Stokkem in Belgium for a long time. I have no idea whether it still exists. But I don't believe new Accordiola accordions with the blue badge are still being made somewhere.
The website http://www.accordiola-davidts.com/ is still active, so presumably you can still buy accordions there.

Luckily mine does not have a lot of tremolo...

 

[JEBrown]

An update on this accordion: I took it today to a repairer, as it is has some notes out of tune, and an annoying buzz. She opened it up and congratulated me on the state of the interior. She was amazed at what good condition it's in, despite having lain in someone's garage for 20 years or so before I bought it.

The On/Off switch just moves a plastic sheet across a set of holes, so it acts like a damper of some kind. However I could never hear a difference no matter where I set it. And it turns out this sheet (she called it a gadget, just there for marketing purposes) is what causes the buzzing. So she will remove it, and tune the 10 or so notes which need it.

Altogether a nice visit to someone knowledgeable about accordions, and interesting to see inside (I would never dare open it up myself!).

 

[Ventura]

it's not a gadget

it is called a Sordino

older accordions used thin wood as the shutter material

 

[JEBrown]

it's not a gadget

it is called a Sordino

older accordions used thin wood as the shutter material

I can understand that. Unfortunately the way it was implemented in my accordion means that it made no discernible difference to the sound quality or volume, and it buzzed. So not very helpful.

 

[JEBrown]

I picked up my tuned accordion this weekend and I'm really pleased with the result. I didn't realise how much the buzzing sound was annoying me, and affecting the tone. The repairer tuned about 15 notes and that also makes a big difference. I feel much more comfortable playing the accordion now - strange how little things can make a big difference.

I really recommend getting your accordion tuned, and any minor problems sorted out - it's really benefited me.