Advice on buying a piano accordion

[Lola]

Hi - firstly, thank you for letting me join. I'm thinking of buying my husband a piano accordion as a present. He's an older gentleman who has always had a fascination for the instrument for as long as I've known him. He's Grade 5 piano (late starter) and very musical. Do you think this would be a good idea? Any tips for what makes might be suitable, what I should look for & would it be best for him to try it first or could I buy one as a 'surprise'? Thanks for any advice - here's to more music making.

 

[debra]

Not trying to spoil the fun of a surprise, but an accordion as a surprise gift may not be such a great idea in this case. It is important to find an accordion that is a god "fit" and that is very personal. So you may surprise your husband by a trip to an accordion store with a reasonably large inventory, to pick an accordion he likes, but making the choice for him is something I must advise against.

 

[Glug]

Some shops will let you rent an accordion (eg. 2nd hand one) with the rent set against the price if you buy it.
Probably worth checking if any of the larger UK shops will do that.

In any event vising a large shop and trying several boxes is a good idea. There are 2 or 3 in London and I think 2 in Birmingham, and others probably.

 

[dunlustin]

I agree that a surprise accordion is not ideal.
Treat him to a day out 'in Town'and visit Mr Allodi - let him know you are coming and why.
ALLODI ACCORDIONS LIMITED
143-145 Lee High Road, Lewisham, London, SE13 5PF. Tel/Fax: (00 44) (0) 20 8244-3771
e-mail:- info@accordions.co.uk
He is one of the best known and most experienced around. (No personal connection but I've never heard a bad word. )
Lots of choice with reliable advice and the one time I bought from him I was more than satisfied.

 

[Glug]

FYI:

Allodi Accordions: https://www.accordions.co.uk/
The Accordion Shop: https://theaccordionshop.co.uk/contact-us/london/
Accordion Centre Birmingham: http://accordioncentre.com/acb/buying-and-selling/our-products/

 

[Dingo40]

Welcome Lola,
An accordion is something that requires commitment: there has to be an inner urge to use it, preferably daily. Failing that, it will become just another dust trap?
My suggestion would be, a cheap but serviceable second hand Italian made two or three reed model in good playable condition, with 41 treble keys, 120 bass buttons, two treble couplers, zero bass couplers. ( The salesperson will explain all these terms to you.)
Such an accordion would be plenty to progress to a decent enough level to know whether anything more extravagant would be needed.
Good luck!
??

 

[pentaprism]

I threatened my wife that if she bought musical instruments or woodworking tools as surprise gifts to me, I’d buy clothing as surprise gifts to her.

Works great.

 

[Valski]

My wife doesn't drive so for the last 35 years I've taken her shopping. Sometimes she takes too many trips before making a decision, so to keep things within reason I take her to the fasteners section of the big box building store....... just to browse. Also simplifies our shopping excursions.

 

[Lola]

It's as I thought - thank you all for your input. I suspected he would need to see & choose an accordion for himself so thank you for confirming and also for the hints as to what might be a good place to start. I think his present will be a day out at an accordion shop & that will be a treat in itself. Oh - and he does buy me clothes as a surprise, luckily he has a good eye but I'm not going to take that chance. However, he wouldn't dare buy me a saxophone! Thanks again.

 

[olivigus]

@Lola How did the accordion shop excursion go? Did your husband find an accordion?

 

[Lola]

Hi, Thanks for asking. It's not until the end of next month (I like to plan ahead). If you're interested I'll certainly let you know how it goes.

 

[colinm]

We are certainly interested, we may have to dig you out of a hole.

 

[Lola]

Thank you for your support, I may need it ?

 

[oldbayan]

I tend to disagree!

A few years ago I recovered a Paolo Soprani CBA from a man who said it belonged to his father who played it regularly for nearly 40 years until he passed away. The accordion was in need of substantial repairs.

When I opened it, there was some hand writing inside the treble side cover with the year 1968; the previous owner confirmed it was his mom's writing, she bought the accordion as a surprise birthday gift to his dad! He learned to play it and was the happiest man on earth. It must have been a big expense back then, these boxes sell for over $5000 today.

So it can work. I understand buying such an instrument as a "surprise" might be a bit risky, but magic is still possible.

 

[Lola]

Hi, sorry I forgot to post an update - time just got away from me. Well, the home-made voucher for a trip to Allodi Accordions (the easiest for us to get to & I liked the look of the website) with an accordion of his choice, was met with surprise to say the least, but he seemed pleased. Then I heard him telling people about it & how he was excited to go - so I think it worked. We agreed to wait until after Christmas & now with the covid resurgence, we'll wait until it's wiser to travel in London, but hopefully in a few weeks time I can put a call in to make an appointment.
Thank you for all your advice & I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Lola]

So - good news! We visited Mr Allodi yesterday (a day later than planned due to Storm Eunice) and my husband is now the proud owner of a 30 48 Chanson. He did quite a bit of internet research beforehand and then, once there, after a long chat, lots of questions & a bit of trying out, he made his choice with the full approval & encouragement of Mr Allodi. The whole experience was delightful. Thank you all for your input & most of all for the recommendation of Allodi Accordions - what a place & such a knowledgeable & lovely man. So far I have heard a C scale & a G scale - the journey has begun.