Any opinion on "not practising" on your favorite accordion to "save" it

[OuijaBoard]

Honestly, I am doing the opposite of what the OP has posited. About a year and a half apart, I acquired a blue version followed by a red version of the Asian-made, Czech-reed Hohner Nova CBA model available as a 3-row MM 30/48. I use them specifically for outdoor folk/roots/trad festival performances where one drags gear across parking lots the size of multiple football fields. Sometimes we session/jam in our booth/tent all day, where one or another long-suffering contributors man the outpost while people roam around the festival partaking of fun at non-performance offtimes. These little CBAS sound and respond marvellously close to the Hohner West German Workhorses at a weight of 11.5 pounds--this is unheard of for a CBA model--Italian producers, take note. While I might struggle with a 3-row for some genres, it works fine and dandy for the Celtic family of traditional /roots/folk tunes--Irish, Nova Scotia/Cape Breton/Shetland, etc.

At home I baby these little 3-row guys and give them very light use. I have heeded the input of debra on this site, that even the playable (more expensive) Asian-made accordions may perform fine for things like folk music, but are not likely to hold up for 50/60 years like the workhorses from West Germany and Italy. These little CBAs are a very playable godsend for trad/folk festival and session playing, and I baby them the rest of the time to extend their life and their fun and spiffy colorful appearance.

It is regrettable that CBA has not caught on enough for the Italian makers to offer quality small/light models at a halfway affordable price point. NB: LB currently has a small 4-row MM 60-bass Saltarelle CBA in stock priced at six thousand dollars. Again: Six thousand dollars, for a small 4-row MM 60-bass with no bass registers. News Flash: The Hohner Nova MM 4-row 60-bass Nova 60A II model offers almost equivalent playability and sound for a fraction of that ridiculous price. The mechanism may start to get problematic after a decade or a decade and a half, but n the meantime you have got a charming little folk box for a fraction of the price you'd pay for the prestige and cachet of a six thousand dollar 60-bass MM Saltarelle.

The more expensive, better-quality Asian-made examples will do me just fine for this very narrow use case. And I do baby them and spare them the heavy lifting during practice at home.

 

[PhiliGol]

Rock solid, amazing versatility, reliable and above average sound quality... I'd easily class it as a professional level instrument that is good in a concert hall or busking on a corner.

As a previous Imperator V owner i fully agree. I sold mine almost 40years ago and still can see and hear it regularly played. The buyer (still) is a good friend - eventually a proof that this isn’t a piece of scrap-metal rather than a solid and reliable instrument.

 

[debra]

You knew I was going to post.

I own an imperator V, and...

Rock solid, amazing versatility, reliable and above average sound quality... I'd easily class it as a professional level instrument that is good in a concert hall or busking on a corner.

I take your word for it that apart from having a cassotto the Imperator line is really a big step up from the Atlantic, which apart from the metalbau that gives it a very sharp sound also has half-size reed blocks made out of rubbish wood also came with rubbish Hohner machine reeds and rubbish valves (for low notes and the bass side).
Too bad the Imperator is the only line with metalbau that was ever any good. Almost all nice Hohner accordions have been made in Italy (since the late fifties). I guess the Imperator is also the only one that doesn't really fit the bill for what the OP was asking: a practice accordion to use in order to "save" there good accordion...

 

[dak]

I take your word for it that apart from having a cassotto the Imperator line is really a big step up from the Atlantic, which apart from the metalbau that gives it a very sharp sound also has half-size reed blocks made out of rubbish wood also came with rubbish Hohner machine reeds and rubbish valves (for low notes and the bass side).
Too bad the Imperator is the only line with metalbau that was ever any good. Almost all nice Hohner accordions have been made in Italy (since the late fifties). I guess the Imperator is also the only one that doesn't really fit the bill for what the OP was asking: a practice accordion to use in order to "save" there good accordion...

You also have to distinguish the Atlantic from the Atlantic de Luxe models. The latter one is what actually works reasonably well as a workhorse in accordion ensembles and uses comparatively high quality reeds (for example, Artiste reeds).

 

[debra]

Honestly, I am doing the opposite of what the OP has posited. About a year and a half apart, I acquired a blue version followed by a red version of the Asian-made, Czech-reed Hohner Nova CBA model available as a 3-row MM 30/48...

For "busking" (which I rarely do but my wife sometimes plays for elderly people and the likes) we now have a small Weltmeister CBA.
It is quite usable as it is a 5 row MM 46/60 accordion in about the size as my old MM 26/40 Crucianelli PA that is just too limited in range.
I don't understand why the small Hohner only offers 30 notes. With CBA you can get so much more in a small package. The Welty even comes with convertor (36 notes melody bass).
I don't know what this Welty has cost when new (I got it for free from a friend's father in law who discovered it in his shed where it had been stored for 10 years after his daughter had given up on learning the accordion.) but for me it was the best money ever spent on an accordion. (It needed new shoulder straps, a new bass belt and textured buttons for C and F as it had none of those, so it wasn't entirely free to bring it to usable condition. And of course it also needed tuning.)

 

[debra]

You also have to distinguish the Atlantic from the Atlantic de Luxe models. The latter one is what actually works reasonably well as a workhorse in accordion ensembles and uses comparatively high quality reeds (for example, Artiste reeds).

That's true. The original Atlantic de Luxe (not the N series), with the disintegrating foam pallets replaced by felt, with the nice Artiste reeds, and with its sordino (curtain) always closed, still is a well-liked accordion in ensembles.

 

[jozz]

I was selling a very small Paolo Soprani accordion this week.

And I had this old man on the phone telling me he was in search of an instrument in order to save his favorite Piermaria accordion which was "wonderful".

I had never thought about "saving" an instrument from being played to practise !

Since then I feel guilty when I practise my arpegios on my beloved Bugari Armando Artist Cassotto.

I am kidding of course, but I would like to know what you folks, think about that?

back in the day it was custom to drop your new bike, or moped, on the ground first thing you got it....

with its first dings and scratches you didn't have to be careful anymore

 

[petch]

Having an accordion that wasn't well looked after by its original owner I don't have to be too precious with it. I take good care of it, but I would be unlikely to notice an additional scratch gained from taking it to band rehearsals every week

I do fear for the longevity of the mechanics, eventually something will go wrong. But if I don't use it and practice daily I wouldn't be able to justify spending a lot of money on getting it fixed or a replacement, would I?

 

[Rosie C]

Having an accordion that wasn't well looked after by its original owner I don't have to be too precious with it. I take good care of it, but I would be unlikely to notice an additional scratch gained from taking it to band rehearsals every week

I'm in a similar position - my Hohner Concerto II is in lovely condition, and I would fret about taking it out to rehearsals in case I damaged it. Then I bought a Concerto III which is not pristine, bearing the marks of years of gigging, and I happily take that out to perform - even though in theory it's the better and more valuable instrument.

 

[OuijaBoard]

For "busking" (which I rarely do but my wife sometimes plays for elderly people and the likes) we now have a small Weltmeister CBA.
It is quite usable as it is a 5 row MM 46/60 accordion in about the size as my old MM 26/40 Crucianelli PA that is just too limited in range.
I don't understand why the small Hohner only offers 30 notes. With CBA you can get so much more in a small package. The Welty even comes with convertor (36 notes melody bass).
I don't know what this Welty has cost when new (I got it for free from a friend's father in law who discovered it in his shed where it had been stored for 10 years after his daughter had given up on learning the accordion.) but for me it was the best money ever spent on an accordion. (It needed new shoulder straps, a new bass belt and textured buttons for C and F as it had none of those, so it wasn't entirely free to bring it to usable condition. And of course it also needed tuning.)

]]]

I don't understand why the small Hohner only offers 30 notes. With CBA you can get so much more in a small package.

To look at it another way, though--You can have a few more notes, but the trade-off is you'll go bigger in box size/weight.

A PA gives you only 26 notes in the tiny package of my little 30/48 Hohner 3-rows. To get 30 notes in that small of a package is a marvel. A 26-key PA works fine for a large majority of traditional Irish tunes. The few that do venture below the 26-key's lowest note, "middle B," usually just hit a low note and go back up, so you can arrange around that very easily.

Not so with Scottish and other folk genres, however--in Scottish music a fair number of tunes spend time down below middle-C. The Nova Scotia/Cape Breton fiddlers love a low growly "A" part to a folk tune. Unbelievable to get 30 notes in a package the size of a 26-note PA. A small 30-note CBA is also wonderful for klezmer and some of the other Eastern European folk tunes that favor d minor and g minor, and spend time down there using the low b-flat, the a, and the g.


For a few more notes and Italian mojo, I see this little Serenellini 3-row 34/60--Liberty has only a B system in stock, in black or blue, but I'm sure a C-griff is obtainable. However, they are three pounds heavier and noticeably longer from lap to chin than my little Novas:

NEW Blue Serenellini 3460 Chromatic Button Accordion B MM 34 60

Type: Chromatic Button Accordion Reeds: 2/4 MM (A440Hz +15 cents) Treble: 34 Buttons (G-E), 9.25 (23.5cm) Button to Button, 3 Registers Bass: 60 Buttons, 0 Registers Weight: 14lbs / 6.5kg Features: 3 Row Bayan Style B System CBA, Tipo a Mano Reeds

www.libertybellows.com

 

[Rosie C]

A 26-key PA works fine for a large majority of traditional Irish tunes. The few that do venture below the 26-key's lowest note, "middle B," usually just hit a low note and go back up, so you can arrange around that very easily.

26 notes is more than I'm used to. My main instrument is recorder and the usable range is only about 20 semitones. I could go higher but it's not pleasant. It's mitigated a bit in that I can play a treble with F as the lowest note, or tenor with C as the bottom note. As you say, if I have to go to low I can chose a different note in the chord, or go up an octave.

 

[debra]

26 notes is more than I'm used to. My main instrument is recorder and the usable range is only about 20 semitones. I could go higher but it's not pleasant. It's mitigated a bit in that I can play a treble with F as the lowest note, or tenor with C as the bottom note. As you say, if I have to go to low I can chose a different note in the chord, or go up an octave.

Everyone's experience is different. I often struggle to make my arrangements fit on a standard 41-key PA. Register juggling is sometimes needed in order to copy with that few notes. 46 notes works a bit better already. Three of our accordions have more: 52, 56 and 64 notes. From using these I have learned that should I ever buy another accordion it needs to have 61 notes at least (very low G to very high G).

 

[hummingbird]

And....here it is!

Lovely!

That's a lovely sound.

 

[noelekal]

Is this akin to saving a trophy wife that one has just married?

 

[Alan Polivka]

Some of the old master accordion tuner / repairmen told me that, if you have good reeds in your accordion, their performance improves the more you play them. The accordion I've played more than any, since I got it new in 1970, still plays great and has no noticeable air leaks. If nothing else, the reed voicing has definitely improved with use (less choking than when it was new). And I used to play that thing an average of probably 4 hours a day, every day when I was a teenager. Very few accordionists will ever put in as many hours on an accordion as I have done on that one, so there is no need to limit how much playing you do on your best accordion. Play it, play it, play it !!!

 

[debra]

Some of the old master accordion tuner / repairmen told me that, if you have good reeds in your accordion, their performance improves the more you play them. The accordion I've played more than any, since I got it new in 1970, still plays great and has no noticeable air leaks. If nothing else, the reed voicing has definitely improved with use (less choking than when it was new). And I used to play that thing an average of probably 4 hours a day, every day when I was a teenager. Very few accordionists will ever put in as many hours on an accordion as I have done on that one, so there is no need to limit how much playing you do on your best accordion. Play it, play it, play it !!!

Your experience is a bit strange, but you might be noticing things that are not really there... When you play the way the airflow works (just like with the wings of an airplane) the reed is pulled towards the reed plate more than that it is blown away from the reed plate. As a result the tip of the reed tongue over time goes closer to the reed plate which may lead to the reed choking more easily than when it was new. However, the valves may not close as completely as when they were new. When a note should start the first bit of air is used to suck the valve (next to the playing reed) closed. That causes the reed to start just a bit slower and reduced the risk of choking. So while in fact the accordion is getting worse (voicing goes off and valves are not closing completely) you may get the impression that it is getting better.
If the accordion has quite flexible reeds you can use it a lot for decades without breaking any reeds. But accordions with tougher reeds to produce more sound volume may not last as long when they are played a lot. I have known reeds to break from playing a lot and mostly loud. I try to be "gentle" with my Russian bayan because in such bayans reeds are known to be more likely to break than in accordions with Italian reeds.

 

[OuijaBoard]

Is this akin to saving a trophy wife that one has just married?

Hilarious. Really amusing gender-based quote-unquote "humor" here on this site.

 

[losthobos]

Atrophy has set in.....

 

[Wheezer]

I find that sometimes not practicing helps to preserve domestic tranquility. Not sure if it does anything for the accordion, though…

 

[Alan Polivka]

Your experience is a bit strange, but you might be noticing things that are not really there... When you play the way the airflow works (just like with the wings of an airplane) the reed is pulled towards the reed plate more than that it is blown away from the reed plate. As a result the tip of the reed tongue over time goes closer to the reed plate which may lead to the reed choking more easily than when it was new. However, the valves may not close as completely as when they were new. When a note should start the first bit of air is used to suck the valve (next to the playing reed) closed. That causes the reed to start just a bit slower and reduced the risk of choking. So while in fact the accordion is getting worse (voicing goes off and valves are not closing completely) you may get the impression that it is getting better.
If the accordion has quite flexible reeds you can use it a lot for decades without breaking any reeds. But accordions with tougher reeds to produce more sound volume may not last as long when they are played a lot. I have known reeds to break from playing a lot and mostly loud. I try to be "gentle" with my Russian bayan because in such bayans reeds are known to be more likely to break than in accordions with Italian reeds.

Well, if my experience is "a bit strange", then I know others (including another accordion tuner and an accordion dealer) who've had the same "strange" experience. While your explanation is logical, the fact that air presses against the reed and that valves may not close as well are not the only factors that may contribute to this phenomenon. The fact that reeds are typically filed or ground on one side and not the other might also have an effect on how they change with age/use. I don't know which of these phenomena is most significant ... I'm just suggesting there may be additional factors. However, I do agree that the potential change of valve performance with age/use could indeed be a significant factor in this phenomenon.
On the topic of reeds breaking, I have played accordions a LOT over a span of 60 years, and I tend to play loud when I'm strolling in a restaurant, playing with the local symphony, or playing in some other purely acoustic venues. When I say I've played a lot, I achieved the often-cited benchmark of 10,000 hours of practice or performing before I graduated from college 46 years ago. Over all of those years, I think I've only had one reed break in any of my accordions. I have, of course, replaced broken reeds in some accordions played by others, so I know they do break. I'm not sure why others tend to break reeds more often than me, but perhaps it is as you say ... perhaps their accordions have more brittle reeds than mine. Most of the accordions I use have very good handmade reeds from back in the 1930's to 1950's. Maybe this is an indication of the quality of reeds made then vs. now. Also, some (if not all) of the broken reeds I've seen in others' accordions were due to an incompetent tuner having filed too much and unevenly on the reed.