One of the most fascinating things about the accordion is that there are so many variables that combine to create the final tonal characteristics. It is natural to start with the reeds and by specifying a drier tuning, somewhere between 2 to 5 cent you may find the right ballpark of sounds you are looking for. On a four-voice instrument with this tuning, it is a reasonable option to select the classic configuration of LMMH, known as double octave.
Yet, accordions are not this simple. The tonal characteristics you end up with will be unique to your instrument and will reflect a great many choices made by the accordion manufacturer (and you). So, what do I mean? Well, firstly the choice of reeds will affect the sound, and how the reeds are mounted to the reed blocks will have an effect on the instrument. For example, many accordions have reeds that are waxed to the reed blocks, others are pinned on leather or cork to the reed block. Some reeds are screwed to the reed blocks whilst others are waxed and pinned/screwed to the reed blocks.
Naturally there is a great variety of woods used in the construction of reed blocks. Some are spruce and others are alder. Some are cedar, whilst others offer a mix of other woods including maple, mahogany, walnut...
Then perhaps you need to consider the wood used to make the casing. Many accordions are made from a ply of mahogany and spruce or mahogany and maple, whilst some accordions are solid mahogany. All of these accordions may typically be covered with celluloid, which again affects the overall sound. As an alternative, some accordions are wooden, either with veneer or solid wood and are not covered in celluloid. Again, these decisions all add up. Some accordions can have a mute switch, cassotto, or variable tone chamber and some accordions have open metal grills. Everything affects the final product.
In truth, it is never possible to know exactly how a custom instrument will sound when it arrives at your door. All these things are what makes the acoustic accordion such a wonderful thing. However, you can receive guidance from the person making the instrument for you. They will hopefully have great knowledge and can make something to be delighted with.
I will leave you with a couple of interesting examples - of a fairly dry tuned new accordion and a less dry tuned instrument. It won't shed any light on your questions, but hey it's fun to listen to accordions. Here's a Brandoni Infinity versus a new Hohner Gola. I make no comment on the quality of either instrument. Do you like these kind of sounds or dislike them?
All the best.
Stewart
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