Accordion for my Father

[beejui]

Hello,

I'm wondering if you could give me some advise on purchasing an accordion for my dad. It's his 60th birthday, and he has fond memories of playing the accordion in his teenage years. He's from China, so the accordion that he had played when he was younger (in the 1960's) was probably pretty old.
1. What kind of questions should I ask when I purchase an accordion?
2. What are the key concerns for an accordion?
3. How much money should I be looking to spend?
4. What type of maintenance supplies should I purchase?
5. What type of music scores would be appropriate? Where would I purchase them?

Many thanks for your help in advance!
B

 

[barkis]

Don't forget to ask your father what kind of accordion he played. They come in many variations; piano, buttons, diatonic.....

 

[Glenn]

Unless it is going to be a surprise you cannot go wrong by simply visiting an accordion specialist and letting him try some of the second hand instruments.

 

[beejui]

The accordion will be a surprise, so my father can't actually try it out.
The image for "Glenn" looks a bit like the one my dad used to own. Which accordion variation would this one be?

 

[TomBR]

Can you talk to him about his memories of playing, and get him to show in pictures or to describe what he played, without letting him guess what you plan to do!

 

[pentaprism]

The accordion will be a surprise, so my father cant actually try it out.

Does your dad prefer surprise or satisfaction? Note that these two things in many cases dont come hand in hand, particularly if the buyer doesnt know much about the gift.

Tools, gears, instruments, clothing, jewelry, furniture, house decorations,.... are very personal.

My other hobbies are woodworking and photography. After the very first drill my wife bought for me (she later realized it was a mistake), whenever she wants to give me a present in woodworking or in photography, she doesnt want to surprise me any more (neither do I).

 

[Happy girl]

Members are giving you excellent advice, although it could seem to you that they are not responding to your specific request for information I suspect this is because all these questions have already been explored at length elsewhere on this forum.

If you have an hour or two to spare, type in the key words of your enquiry into the search box & absorb.

 

[pentaprism]

If you list your location, some members here may be able to help you better.

The image for "Glenn" is what called a "piano accordion." It is the most common in the US. But like most other things, the price range is very wide. A new piano accordion can be from US$ 300 to US$ 20,000. A decent used one is US$ 500 - US$ 2,000.

Go to youtube and search for videos uploaded by Liberty Bellows. You can see/hear them, and know the prices too.

 

[Glenn]

The image for "Glenn" (thats me I guess) is a full size 120 bass piano accordion weighing in at around 12kg.
It's not the biggest of its kind but certainly not small.
As has already been said, prices and quality vary but that is so obvious.

Maybe one thing you can try is arrange with a good accordion dealer to buy the accordion with the view that it can be exchanged for a different one if your father comes to the conclusion it is not quite right for him. That way both you, your Dad and the shop keep their options open.

 

[JIM D.]

This might help -- http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/11754/uhm_ma_3170_r.pdf?sequence=1

 

[dunlustin]

As well as all the useful info to date, this may give you a start:

http://www.bradfordaccordionband.org.uk/choosing-an-accordion-part-1-2/

 

[beejui]

Thank you all so much for your input! I will some more research and perhaps attempt a satisfactory (rather than surprising) gift.