Beware of termites, worms, and other wood borers.

[landro]

Second time I`ve seen it. I had a nice used Borsini arrive today and immediately upon inspection I noticed what looked like wood dust coming from the bass strap opening. I had a good idea what it was likely to be , and sure enough there was some extensive damage. Two corner braces were nearly gone and there were holes in the outer wooden shell under the celluloid. The damage was in the base section. The reed blocks were good. I didn`t bother to check the keyboard since it`s going back anyway.
The first time I saw something similar was wood worms tunneling through reed blocks.
I just wanted to remind others that this could happen even though it might not be too common . We need to keep an eye out for it when purchasing used.

Heh,heh,heh I just wanted to add this thought. I don`t have to worry about the above with my Roland.

 

[Glenn]

Don't be too cocky Landro, it does have a wooden case.

 

[Morne]

Just for interests sake, how common is this (having your accordion eaten) around the world?

As for your Roland, you might want to watch out for these ants .

 

[landro]

Dont be too cocky Landro, it does have a wooden case.

Are you sure about that? I think they are made entirely from a high impact polystyrene. See this:
http://www.accordionusa.com/fe_08_08.htm

 

[JerryPH]

I must be strange.

When I first joined up, I went all over the web listening to the Roland V, watching people play it, and found myself liking it to the point I was looking at price. Well the brakes started when I saw new US prices and added the ~30% to convert to Canadian and then adding taxes and duty. Now, I see the insides and start thinking that this is just one cold instrument and suddenly realize that I have totally lost interest in it.

To my ears, the sounds are bland, the speakers weak, the heavy batteries silly, the ergonomics uncomfortable (yes, I've played an 8x this week). I find myself as one of the people for which the Roland V-accordion is not an option.

 

[Glenn]

I couldn't, indeed wouldn't comment about being strange but it does mean you now need to worry more about woodworm and termites.

 

[JerryPH]

In my part of the country this is a minimal issue. I have not seen a termite in over 35 years. Conditions and location ae definitely not termite friendly. ☺

I will say that I liked reading the article about the Roland and how it is made.

 

[landro]

I must be strange.

When I first joined up, I went all over the web listening to the Roland V, watching people play it, and found myself liking it to the point I was looking at price. Well the brakes started when I saw new US prices and added the ~30% to convert to Canadian and then adding taxes and duty. Now, I see the insides and start thinking that this is just one cold instrument and suddenly realize that I have totally lost interest in it.

To my ears, the sounds are bland, the speakers weak, the heavy batteries silly, the ergonomics uncomfortable (yes, Ive played an 8x this week). I find myself as one of the people for which the Roland V-accordion is not an option.

You might not be alone as each of us have different tastes , but if you had Richard Noel`s settings on that Roland that you played , you would have been hearing and playing a much different sounding instrument. The basic factory presets are simply not optimal .
With regards to the inside I could say the outside of most acoustic accordions is plastic . Those who buy solid wood accordions (no celluloid covering) swear by them as being the best acoustically. Isn`t it nice we have choices?
I see in your first sentence that you did like the Roland till you looked at the price and the brakes went on ? It was then you lost interest in it. All of a sudden it was not an option and the negatives suddenly surfaced .
What do you think a good new acoustic accordion (with all the options of the Roland, midi included ) would cost you.

 

[JerryPH]

Let's look at a few numbers...

From the US, a new FX-r8 would be (with guarantee and some presales tech help, etc...) at $5800US.

Just made a call made to a local currency exchange company (they offer better rates than my bank and about anywhere else, and is where I go to get travel funds at as it is so far always better), and that $5800 jumps up to $7714Cdn. Now we add local taxes and jumps things to $8948.24. We've not even covered shipping costs to get it here.

Purchasing in Canada it is no better. Best price, without any pre-sales support is $7999.00 (that's one of those "not a penny cheaper, take it or leave it" prices). Add sales tax and we are back up to $9164, and delivery will be added on top of that, albeit it is cheaper to ship from Toronto Ontario than anywhere in the USA.

Now, if we want to add any extra modules from Richard Noel and a Dallapé set, or if I wanted to add a Roland BK-7m, and we can toss in another couple thousand dollars on top of all that without even trying.

That is the kind of results that my research has come up with during the early morning hours.

Things are coming scarily close to $10,000. :ugeek:
Now, I am not saying that the Roland isn't worth it, but that is far above what I would ever want to pay for it. {}

"What do you think a good new acoustic accordion (with all the options of the Roland, midi included ) would cost you."
Not a really fair comparison, because even if the prices would be the same, one would still have 2 instruments... a digital accordion (plus whatever) and a "good quality true" acoustic accordion and that is something that the Roland cannot offer at any price. How important is that? To some, nothing, to others, likely the main reason to not make the initial purchase at all.

Perhaps a reason to consider it could be thanks to the one big "issue" to look at a Roland in the future. Price drops on these units is pretty drastic when either used or when a newer version comes out, I note that even discounts on new instruments is pretty deep. But then again, if investing that much, looking at my Hohner, I see selling prices that are higher than what my parents paid for it new... including the cost of the tickets to Germany from Canada going back 43 years ago... nah, I know that it still doesn't sound like a fair comparison, but it is a comparison of a sort.

 

[Nuuksu]

I haven't tested with accordion but honeybees like things that smell like honey. Maybe they also like reed wax?

 

[JerryPH]

To rid the box of the ants and termites is pretty easy using one of those little smoke bombs, a sealed room or container and 2 hours time, but the damage they could cause inside an accordion filled with nice tasty soft wood could be quite devastating given enough time.

 

[Dingo40]

An old thread but maybe worth some more posts??
When I purchased my first accordion, the shop owner/ repairman warned against moths getting at the woollen fittings (like pallets in particular) and strongly urged the keeping of some naphthalene mothballs in the carry case.
I've followed the advice and can vouch for the absence of any insect pest from any of my instruments since 1972!
I'm comfy with that !??
I can't say I've ever seen woodworm associated with accordions but ...??

 

[debra]

An old thread but maybe worth some more posts??
When I purchased my first accordion, the shop owner/ repairman warned against moths getting at the woollen fittings (like pallets in particular) and strongly urged the keeping of some naphthalene mothballs in the carry case.
I've followed the advice and can vouch for the absence of any insect pest from any of my instruments since 1972!
I'm comfy with that !??
I can't say I've ever seen woodworm associated with accordions but ...??

Good to revive the thread so as to warn people to stay alert!
I have seen only one case of an accordion with (minor) woodworm damage, and that was during the Accordion Craft Academy (a few bore holes in Fabrizio's Bugari accordion if I remember correctly, nothing as serious as the sticky pallet problem that accordion had). I believe woodworm will mostly be a problem when an accordion is stored in an environment like an attic that has woodworm problem in the wooden beams already...

 

[Ventura]

here in the USA, my observance is more widely distributed damage from Mealy bugs
attacking and living in the felts

by Mealy bugs, i mean those tiny things you commonly find in the bag of Pasta you lost
behind the canned fruit in the pantry

you open the bag and OMG the odor makes you sneeze, then frown, then you
pour the bag out and there is a huge pile of dustlike debris in the bottom of
the bag and upon close inspection you can SEE the dust is actually little skeletal remains

so these literally tunnel through all your felts and shed Bug Poo that collects in
large dust bunnies near the Key Pivot areas

so you were smiling as you opened the eBay delivery but now you are wrinkling your nose
and rapidly vacuuming out every crevice of the accordion...

after a thorough cleaning, YES intense application of MothBalls and a
serious Quarantine period is a must... then you can decide whether to
replace every bit of felt in the old box or just put it in the "Maybe
i will get to this one someday" pile

i will say the Mothball Quarantine also helps refresh a Smokers Accordion

and i have heard there are some parts of South America where termites
get into EVERYTHING made of wood
(Sebastian, have you seen this in Accordions down there ?)