Any accordion repair technicians here? How can I become one?

[tcabot]

I would second the opinion about getting a couple old boxes and learning as much as you can yourself.
This will give you some basic knowledge, you can learn it all in your spare time almost for free.
The days of free apprentices were relevant in the dark ages, when there was no information freely available online. There are things that you can only learn directly from another luthier, but if you are a complete beginner, you'll likely waste your precious tuition hours on something very basic (just because you've never done it before and everything is new & difficult to you).
Once you've had a go at a few boxes yourself, you'll get the idea if you like this type of work, you'll get some feel for how long things take and how much you'll actually get paid per hour of this work, and then, if you want to crack on, you can attend a course and fill the gaps in your knowledge.

 

[Tom]

I agree with tcabot. There is just not enough work to sustain an accordion repair shop in most US regions. So you get people who want this career, but, unfortunately, have not put in enough hours working on enough accordions. Although I have restored many instruments for myself and others, I am smart enough not to hang out a shingle. I believe I have talked about my experiences with different repair people who shall remain nameless out of pure politeness. People who live near a fisarmonica shop or liberty bellows are indeed fortunate. Luckily for the rest of us there are now some internet resources and cheap ebay boxes to butcher. Given less covid, and more time, I would really like to take up on the Academy before I get too old.

 

[AccordionUprising]

it is hard to believe that there's not a single accordion shop in the whole country of Canada!

There are accordion shops in other parts of Canada. But the last one in Vancouver (pop 2.5 million) closed about 20 years ago. The nearest is either Tempo Trend in Victoria (3 hour drive and a ferry away), or Petosa in Seattle (3 hour drive plus international border). Better than a lot of places, but I'm sure we'd have our own shop if we didn't have the most expensive rent on the whole damn continent.

There's some shops in Ontario (4,000 km away). Or if you're in Newfoundland, O'Brien's Music is "The oldest shop on the oldest street in the oldest town in North America." They'll set you up with a squeezebox, but that's 7,000 km away, because Canada is absurd.

Our friend Julie Roque is one of a few repairers in Montreal. Pre-Covid she was doing annual tours as an itinerant repairer across the country. It's a treat when she comes through town, but she always has to figure out a place to stay with room for her to set up "shop" for a few weeks. She got a nice interview on TV recently: This Montrealer's bedroom doubles as an accordion workshop

 

[Mr Mark]

Bruce has a great list here. Actually go to as many shops as you can and endear yourself upon these people! Keep your ear to the ground and find out about the ones working in their home and endear yourself there as well.

I can only add to the sentiment being it is best to get some hands on experience yourself first. Get your hands dirty with some older Hohners; they are simple yet sound in their construction and highly plentiful in the marketplace for both rebuilding and using for parts. Once you have done a few of those take the next step with some formal training, otherwise a lot of that knowledge might be lost upon you. Accordions are the most complex instrument in the world being that they have so many trades at work inside - a lot of those very simple tips and tricks skilled repairers take for granted would be lost upon you otherwise - there is so much to learn and the knowledge isn't nearly so uniform as it might be with other instruments. A lot of this is going to be about what works best for you.

I would also add that for beginners (on their own) to stay away from using leather valves. Plastic ones are infinitely less finicky and lay flat without requiring contrapelli. Holy smokes the trouble I have had figuring that out. The other issue with leather being a natural product is quality. I mean, with modern techniques production values are pretty good but starting out with these can be a real nightmare. Also, make sure the wax is hot enough...it must flow yo. With the bellows...as a beginner...buy new. Retaping can be done but with really old bellows your tape is going to be for not.

There are other shops in Canada (two in Alberta) however; not all are recommended . One of the issues with accordion repair is the substantial cost in labour means folks who can afford to repair their guitar cannot afford to repair their accordion. Thus 'some' shops are less than stellar in their means of keeping the lights on. This also tends to mean that the one or two legit accordion repair people in the province are pretty busy with high end work - sadly meaning no time for smaller potatoes (which also doesn't help the accordion world go round but also necessitates it ).

Stay tuned, you may hear of another shop opening here soon...

 

[pillbugg]

Our friend Julie Roque is one of a few repairers in Montreal. Pre-Covid she was doing annual tours as an itinerant repairer across the country. It's a treat when she comes through town, but she always has to figure out a place to stay with room for her to set up "shop" for a few weeks. She got a nice interview on TV recently: This Montrealer's bedroom doubles as an accordion workshop

Going to have to watch that one tonight! I recently also watched the documentary "Behind The Bellows". I think I am going coo-coo for accordions. ?

Actually go to as many shops as you can and endear yourself upon these people! Keep your ear to the ground and find out about the ones working in their home and endear yourself there as well.

That's the plan, just need to get some experience first in order to not make myself look like a total fool.

I would also add that for beginners (on their own) to stay away from using leather valves. Plastic ones are infinitely less finicky and lay flat without requiring contrapelli.

Yep, I had a feeling I should've started with the plastic ones.

Stay tuned, you may hear of another shop opening here soon...

The shop better sell copies of the Accordion Babes Pin-Up Calendar once it opens!


Update: I managed to glue the torn wooden panel back into the rest of the accordion (I didn't even know gluing wood was a thing!). As a result, a lot less air escapes the accordion now, but there is still a spot where I guess some bellows gasket can fix. Now I wait for the wax and leathers to arrive. Any further questions that I have regarding accordion repair, I will now post in the "How do I ......?" section. Thanks everyone.

 

[Longshore]

Montrealer's bedroom doubles as an accordion workshop

Travelling Accordion repairer - great idea for a country as vast as Canada. Hopefully up and running again soon.

 

[Dingo40]

We have a traveling piano tuner.?

 

[SteveBox]

Most repairers get stuff from Castelfidardo, Italy. Carini (carinidena.it) is the largest supplier. For some stuff (some tools, valves, felt) some repairers also use a lady called Bonifassi. There are a few other shops there for things like straps. But Carini is easy and has an on-line webshop.

I am not looking to be a repairman, but I do try to do my own accordion maintenance. You mention that Carini is easy to buy from. Is this a practical source for individuals, or is it mainly for shop owners who need lots of parts?

I looked over their website, but it does not display any prices, or allow you to put anything into an ordering cart. Do you have to register for an account to see prices and order? Their account registration form asks for some very personal information, like date and city of birth. Is this really required to do business with them?

 

[debra]

I am not looking to be a repairman, but I do try to do my own accordion maintenance. You mention that Carini is easy to buy from. Is this a practical source for individuals, or is it mainly for shop owners who need lots of parts?

I looked over their website, but it does not display any prices, or allow you to put anything into an ordering cart. Do you have to register for an account to see prices and order? Their account registration form asks for some very personal information, like date and city of birth. Is this really required to do business with them?

You need to register with Carini in order to see prices (not including vat) on their website.
You do not need to be a registered business. Individual doing some repairs (like me) can buy from Carini and get everything delivered.
It is best to keep a continuously updated list of things you need so that you can put everything in a single order (maybe once or twice a year) and save on delivery cost. If you just need a single item then the shipping cost for it may be quite high, but if you order quite a bit then the shipping cost is a small fraction of the total cost.

 

[SteveBox]

You need to register with Carini in order to see prices (not including vat) on their website.
You do not need to be a registered business. Individual doing some repairs (like me) can buy from Carini and get everything delivered.
It is best to keep a continuously updated list of things you need so that you can put everything in a single order (maybe once or twice a year) and save on delivery cost. If you just need a single item then the shipping cost for it may be quite high, but if you order quite a bit then the shipping cost is a small fraction of the total cost.

Thanks for the advice, but I find it rather off-putting that their registration asks for your date and city of birth, as if they want to do a background check. Is this common for Italian merchants?

What I am looking to do is change the button colors on my CBA. I would need 100+ buttons, and most accordion shops seem to be selling these at close to $2 each. That seems rather overpriced to me, but I have not inquired about quantity discounts. Can you tell me if I would be able to buy them for a lot less from Carini? I am guessing they might sell bags of them at a reasonable price. (14.5mm and 9.5mm with screw, black pearl).

 

[AccordionUprising]

Travelling Accordion repairer - great idea for a country as vast as Canada. Hopefully up and running again soon.

Latest is that Julie is planning another cross-Canada repair tour in April or May, 2022! Hurray! I'm going to ask her to look at my terribly ill treated, but super-cute garmoska I got from the Ukraine (pics):


Another thought: A fellow Eli Kaufman used to have an accordion (and brass instrument) repair shop Bell & Reed in Seattle. My impression is he kind of picked up business that Petosa was too high-end for. Great service to the community, but he wasn't able to make a long-term career out of it. Oh, to have more than one accordion shop to meet the needs of multiple markets!

 

[olivigus]

What I am looking to do is change the button colors on my CBA. I would need 100+ buttons, and most accordion shops seem to be selling these at close to $2 each.

@SteveBox You might check out Bossetto Accordions on e-bay. They have buttons for $1.40 and appear to offer a 5% discount if purchasing a quantity. Not necessarily cheap, but definitely cheaper. I have ordered bellows straps, back pads and various hardware from them and have been happy with the quality.

 

[SteveBox]

@SteveBox You might check out Bossetto Accordions on e-bay. They have buttons for $1.40 and appear to offer a 5% discount if purchasing a quantity. Not necessarily cheap, but definitely cheaper. I have ordered bellows straps, back pads and various hardware from them and have been happy with the quality.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have also ordered from Bossetto in the past. As for buttons, the nearest size they offer may be too large. Buttons come in so many sub-millimeter differences in size! Just considering the ones with screws for the treble side, I have seen 13.8mm, 14mm, 14.3mm, 14.5mm, 15mm, etc. My accordion has 14.3mm. I think I could use 14.5mm fine, but I am not so sure about 15mm, which is the nearest size Bossetto offers in black pearl with screws. I will probably contact FRM Enterprises (accordiondepot.com) in the US to see about their prices (also not shown on their website). However, I figure there must be at least one supplier in Castelfidardo where everyone sources their parts, and maybe Carini is it.

 

[debra]

Thanks for the advice, but I find it rather off-putting that their registration asks for your date and city of birth, as if they want to do a background check. Is this common for Italian merchants?

What I am looking to do is change the button colors on my CBA. I would need 100+ buttons, and most accordion shops seem to be selling these at close to $2 each. That seems rather overpriced to me, but I have not inquired about quantity discounts. Can you tell me if I would be able to buy them for a lot less from Carini? I am guessing they might sell bags of them at a reasonable price. (14.5mm and 9.5mm with screw, black pearl).

Italians are not very up to date with such technologies and certainly not with privacy issues. The Carini site does not even work with https now (so the navigation is not secure in any way). But the people are nice and helpful (more so when you speak Italian than English...). And the store carries about every imaginable thing you may need to do accordion repair.