brand new accordions, cheap

[landro]

https://wholesaler.alibaba.com/prod...60449710852.html?spm=a2700.7724838.0.0.0nUzuT

According to this ad ,performance grade 41/120 accordions are $220 . Min order is 10, shipping is $909.

 

[maugein96]

Please see this vid from Norwegian dealer who took a gamble. He could be my brother but he has more hair than I have. Luckily he has a wood burning stove!

 

[debra]

Please see this vid from Norwegian dealer who took a gamble. He could be my brother but he has more hair than I have.

To be fair that video is from 2008 and they may have improved.
In fact, Goldencup was at the Frankfurter Musikmesse this year and it didnt look that bad any more. They still have not mastered simple things like making a PA where the black keys require only similar force like the white keys (something Parrot does better for instance), but at least for the show they selected instruments that actually worked.
You have to realize of course that building an accordion is very labor-intensive so at a rock-bottom price and even considering Chinese low wages you know they had to cut corners.

 

[maugein96]

I have a Chinese made Hohner Nova which is also capable of that awesome sound you hear in the clip on one or two reeds. Did I say awesome? Sorry I meant awful!

Never noticed the date of the video. Well spotted Paul. Still don't think I'd take the chance as my Hohner was made in 2014. Decent enough box for the money, but think they made some of the reeds out of old paper clips.

 

[Pianoman1]

If it looks too good to be true then it is

 

[JerryPH]

If it looks too good to be true then it is

I wasnt going to post anything, but that was sincerely the first thing that came to my mind. There is also tradition, and traditionally, there havent been many Chinese manufacturers that came close to having the sound and build quality of the Italians, French and Germans. I guess they prove again that there is no free lunch, you always get what you pay for, and nowhere is this more true than at the low end.

 

[landro]

Obviously these Chinese accordions are not high end or even mid grade but it`s still absolutely amazing that they can actually build a full size , 41 keys and 120 bass , 4 reed accordion with 13 treble voices and 5 -6 bass voices and sell it for a profit for $200 USD.

 

[JerryPH]

Indeed, quite surprising. In the last few months, I have bought a $100 microphone for $15, a $175 wireless lavalier for (no kidding), $6.75 and I am gathering the parts for a $900 accordion microphone kit (with 30 microphones) in a DIY format that I want to make for myself for under $100, 20 gold plated 1/8th inch plugs for $2.25 shipping included, and a couple other things equally very low priced... all parts from China.

Makes me wonder how people can even survive there!

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

Maugein Frères list a Goldencup CBA on their secondhand (occasions) page . They list it as New with a price of €1000 !!

http://www.accordeons-maugein.com

 

[JerryPH]

But it is being sold by Maugein!
For that price, they'd better have fixed and tuned the crap out of it, and still it is 50% overpriced!!

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

But it is being sold by Maugein!
For that price, theyd better have fixed and tuned the crap out of it, and still it is 50% overpriced!!

Perhaps they traded it in against a better instrument and then they rebuilt it , hence the price ?

 

[artelagro]

Living out in the sticks, I do most of my hardware shopping via Ebay and therefore I am blind to the quality which will arrive. At least 90% of my purchases which come from the Far East I would put in the ‘better than satisfactory’ class, especially when one considers the price.

I owned one new Chinese (Stephanelli) 3-voice, 96 bass, PA which served me well for about three years and while it didn’t have the tonal qualities of my current one – it did the job.

My latest purchase was a battery driven clock movement to restore a 40 year old wedding present which had given up the ghost. The cost was 99 pence including postage, it fitted perfectly and even the hands were interchangeable allowing me to keep the original appearance.
Who are we to criticise.

Garth

 

[JerryPH]

Oh, I for one am certainly not criticizing, and I hope that was not the vibe I was putting across.
What I hope I was conveying was nothing more than caveat emptor and yes, of course, take advantage of the situations when possible and when equivalent expectations are in place, the low prices are definitely attractive!

Perhaps they traded it in against a better instrument and then they rebuilt it , hence the price ?

For an artisan, like the ones that Maugein would likely have available to work on their accordions, if they spent enough time on a lower end Chinese unit, two things would have to be certain... first that it was properly fixed/tuned/whatever. Second, that the costs associated with it would have a big effect on the final selling price, but, if a new one costs 125Euro and 125Euro had to be spent to fix it, a 500Euro price is not entirely overinflated, but is that particular accordion worth that amount, even if in now 100% perfect condition and new? Would not that 500Euro be better spent on even an equivalently optioned/sized used French/German/Italian box?

What would be the better real world value? Even after spending those 500Euro, its still a lower quality Chinese box that likely wont have a value greater than the Chinese price with reeds that likely wont be able to even hold a tune for more than a couple of months, no?

Just discussing, not arguing. P

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

I doubt a thousand euros would go far at Maugein Fréres, what with wages, insurances, pension contributions, sales taxes, garantees factory running costs etc etc. I would certainly prefer to spend my thousand on a secondhand european model.

 

[landro]

And yet after all said about the poor quality of Chinese accordions , there are many many Utube videos featuring those who do a commendable job with them.

 

[JerryPH]

I would never doubt that my friend, but I bet that the vast majority of those are Asian people playing them because the vast majority simply could not afford any other make.

 

[maugein96]

With the cheapest Maugein 2 voice "Export" model now retailing at 3880 Euros looks like they are now selling anything they can get their hands on in an effort to stay afloat. They recently introduced one or two "Asiatrash" models aimed at youngsters in what also seems to be a desperate attempt to keep trading.

Now thinking of changing my user name! Looks like the time is near where they would be better to negotiate with a foreign maker so that a practical compromise could be reached if they are not to go bust altogether.

 

[maugein96]

FWIW Cavagnolo's Super Junior model is also way up there at 3712 Euro. Daft thing is these little 80 bass two voice instruments are constructed to the same standards as their bigger pricier stablemates, and sound superb. Some pro players use them regularly for recording and practice, but they are definitely not a lot of accordion for the money.

Typical configuration is one treble register switch, for juste flute and two voice americain, with no bass register. They are also only available with 4 rows. However, anybody wishing to get a no frills French box would do well to pick up a used one in decent condition. Expect to pay upwards of 1500 Euros though. Still a far better bet than a Hohner Nova.

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

Now thinking of changing my user name! Looks like the time is near where they would be better to negotiate with a foreign maker so that a practical compromise could be reached if they are not to go bust altogether.

I don't want to be alarmist but last friday I was told that Maugein Frères will close their doors definitively at the end of this year. Now my source is not official, so perhaps just a rumor or threat, and I have not been able to substantiate it.

 

[maugein96]

That does not surprise me at all. Cavagnolo have had the lion's share for some time, although there are not all that many lions left!

Hohner's Nova range seems to be number 1 with new CBA players in Europe at the moment, and I fear that Cava might end up going the same way as Maugein appear to be going. Quality at a price is one thing when people are banging on your door, but that's not the way it is any more.

Not many learners can afford to fork out 4000 Euros for an instrument which will be worth half that amount before they've mastered lesson one, if they can sell it at all.

I don't know how Hohner are faring these days. Their current French range is a few thousand cheaper than Maugein and Cava are asking, so what are they doing to achieve that? I suspect they are having some parts made on the cheap, although they say the boxes are made in Italy.

The very few French accordion forums are all full of discussion about Cavagnolo instruments. Reminds me of the days when we UK types were waxing eloquent about British makes of cars, and we all know what happened there!