Bugari owners

[debra]

The only thing my wife ever asked for (in terms of music) was to start learning melody bass (i.e. convertor). One thing led to another: it first of all cost us a new accordion, but then it turned out to be too big to handle, so then it cost a change from PA to CBA, and then we both started on CBA so in the end while we both benefitted greatly from that one wish it turned out to be a very expensive wish...

About the change to converter, how did that go?

The Bugari in question, also has a custom bass side with 3 rows of free bass (slightly more elevated) next to regular stradella rows, leaving out the dim7 chords row. I dont know whats normal 4 rows free bass? Is one row a duplicate or something?

The 3 rows of free bass is called MIII and was used for a long time by not only Hohner but many Italian brands as well. When you have 4 rows free bass (with convertor) the 4rd row is a duplicate of the 1st. Gives you a bit more flexibility in fingering choices.

Our change to the converter still leaves us being beginners, because we do not have enough practice with solo pieces, playing mostly in an orchestra or small ensemble. My main use for it has been to copy what I do in the right hand, so I can produce more volume with the additional 2 reeds. Isnt needed often but nice to have. I sold my last non-convertor CBA a few years ago. I cant stand not having the melody bass on the rare occasion it is needed, and I also prefer the deeper sound on the Stradella bass you get with a convertor instrument.

 

[jozz]

Seriously? That seems quite weird for what sounded to be supposed to be a small instrument. Incidentally, thats not what is called a converter. This is an additional free bass. Converters use a 2+4 system for standard bass and the 4 chord rows can be converted into a 4-row CBA. 4 rows are friendlier for chord play than 3 rows, and the outside rows are nicer to work with than additionally inner rows.

Though I like playing the free bass on my additional free bass instrument better than on a Roland accordion in converter mode.

If you get hooked too much on the abilities of a converter, you might desire them in your right hand as well. That way lies starting over on CBA, like Paul confided.

Beware.

The whole instrument is weird when you see it. Its a bit heavier but still a 72 bass casing.

Trying to understand what youre saying, but you like playing the free-bass instrument more than the converter? Is this because of type of music you play?

I hadnt planned on using it, but just is present in the Bugari. The aim here is to accompany singers with only one other instrument, and it wont be a bass. So I think it might come in handy once I get to know it. My main question is, will these 3 additional free bass rows do me any good as opposed to 4 row CBA converter mode as you put it?

 

[Geronimo]

I sold my last non-convertor CBA a few years ago. I cant stand not having the melody bass on the rare occasion it is needed, and I also prefer the deeper sound on the Stradella bass you get with a convertor instrument.

Deeper sound? Not necessarily. The classic (5-reed) Morinos start at E1 whether you have a standard bass instrument or MIII. Ill readily admit that Ive heard of people playing a Morino VIM solely because they like the sound of its bass better but I dont think this can be attributed to the MIII/Stradella distinction. I think that having to cater for both standard bass and MIII is not necessarily an advantage since one then needs a more piercing voicing in the higher reeds for melody work and needs to make their sound and volume somewhat continuous with the bass reeds.

The old standard bass Morinos even have bass cassotto, giving the bass notes stronger fundamentals. In contrast, an Excelsior I have here starts at A1 (still a rather low sound) with a basically closed bass end (I dont like the resulting boxy sound but its better for the listeners than the players) and I have heard that Golas with standard bass start as high as C2 (!). A 96 bass 5-reed Capriole I had here (East German, better than average but not all that much) started at F1.

One reason the Morino and Capriole cannot start much higher is their rigid organisation: reed sets start at E1/E2/E3/E4/E5 and F1/F2/F3/F4/F5, respectively. In contrast, the Excelsior reed sets starts at A1/A2/F♯3/C4/C5 and the standard bass Gola had three bass reeds and did not couple from bass reeds to chord reeds (like basically all other instruments do). I dont remember the setup of the octave breaks.

At any rate: while a full-size converter basically guarantees you an E1 bass, there are some 5-reed standard bass models giving you similar depth. Admittedly, the Italian manner of masking the octave break in Master by having a staggered reed set in the middle lends itself to higher bass notes. But obviously there is a market for it...

 

[Geronimo]

Converters use a 2+4 system for standard bass and the 4 chord rows can be converted into a 4-row CBA. 4 rows are friendlier for chord play than 3 rows, and the outside rows are nicer to work with than additionally inner rows.

Though I like playing the free bass on my additional free bass instrument better than on a Roland accordion in converter mode.

The whole instrument is weird when you see it. Its a bit heavier but still a 72 bass casing.

Trying to understand what youre saying, but you like playing the free-bass instrument more than the converter? Is this because of type of music you play?

I dont think that there is much of a difference in what you can play (apart from when mixing Stradella and MIII basses). Its more a difference in the button design: the normal bass buttons have a shaft and considerable travel while my MIII buttons have a more rounded top and rather little travel. That makes the unplayed buttons get less in the way of melodic play and you arent in danger of slipping off. Of course, this may be partly due to the different action of the Roland altogether.

I hadnt planned on using it, but just is present in the Bugari. The aim here is to accompany singers with only one other instrument, and it wont be a bass. So I think it might come in handy once I get to know it. My main question is, will these 3 additional free bass rows do me any good as opposed to 4 row CBA converter mode as you put it?

I dont think so. And you have to reach further around: if you want to use them, Id more strongly recommend sitting down than Id do for a converter. But then when accompanying a singer, thats more of an option than when playing solo. And sometimes it works to put the left leg on a chair and otherwise stand.

 

[jozz]

I shall have a closer look at their action when I get the chance. I thought my first impression was that overall they were shallower/easier than my Hohner.

The reaching around hadn't even crossed my mind, that's also a good point. Must ask the owner what he thinks about that himself.

 

[debra]

I sold my last non-convertor CBA a few years ago. I cant stand not having the melody bass on the rare occasion it is needed, and I also prefer the deeper sound on the Stradella bass you get with a convertor instrument.

...
At any rate: while a full-size converter basically guarantees you an E1 bass, there are some 5-reed standard bass models giving you similar depth. Admittedly, the Italian manner of masking the octave break in Master by having a staggered reed set in the middle lends itself to higher bass notes. But obviously there is a market for it...

Sure there are instruments starting at E1. Most standard-bass instruments do not. But Bugari standard-bass instruments start at A1. And even when the bass starts at E1 there are differences in how deep that really sounds, depending on what (size) reed is used, the reed block, a possible cassotto-like element (like winkelbas), the whole box construction... the video comes to mind of a Vignoni (convertor) instrument having the lowest octave in the bass replaced by reeds used by Jupiter, resulting in the same notes but still a better, deeper sound with faster response.

 

[jozz]

I just got my baby-Bugari :!:

I thought about it a long time, finally I made the appointment to try it out. And after a couple of hours play, then I went back to the Concerto, then that felt like a toy. So here I am

 

[Geronimo]

I just got my baby-Bugari :!:

I thought about it a long time, finally I made the appointment to try it out. And after a couple of hours play, then I went back to the Concerto, then that felt like a toy. So here I am

Now the Bugari looks like a toy to be reckoned with.

 

[jozz]

Now the Bugari looks like a toy to be reckoned with.

I think Im going to wear Swarovski earrings when I play it

 

[Geronimo]

Now the Bugari looks like a toy to be reckoned with.

I think Im going to wear Swarovski earrings when I play it

Hardcore. I use clip-ons for playing. Guess I was afraid of a scene like at this link. But you sure have the beard to fall back upon.

 

[Morne]

Jozz, is that decoration a custom design or is it a standard "add-on" for those Bugari's? It's not a style I see a lot of in new accordions.

 

[jozz]

Although the whole thing is a one-off, the 72 bass casing was standard with indeed the design as a factory option. It was built several years ago for the chief Dutch importer of Bugari.

 

[Glenn]

Congratulations on your new baby..


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[debra]

That is one fancy-looking Bugari! And the Artist label is the sign that good reeds were used, so that much show through the sound this Bugari produces.
Congratulations with your new baby!

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Jozz,

That is a very nice looking instrument ......... I hope that you have many years of fun with it. Congratulations!!

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Eddy Yates]

Ho! That is a fine accordion. I know this is an old post, but I want to help you with further transactions, jazz.
I’m a crazed fly fisherman. When my wife and I moved into our first house together, I loaded boxes upon boxes of dishes into our garage. I commented approximately, “Cripes! How many dishes do you need? You can only use one set at a time.”
She replied, “How many fly rods do you need? You can only use one at a time.”
So now, if I want a new fly rod, she gets a new set of dishes. However, the negotiations are getting a bit trickier with accordions.
But back to Bugari. Jazz, what do you think now that you have that blue baby? Could you describe the sound?
Also, I know Kimric of Smythe Accordions found problems with the build of many Bugaris.
I love my Blue 72.

 

[jozz]

Well describing the sound is a hard task for me, I can say I was not very experienced with quality instruments before this one.

It just feels very nice to play.

For me the absolute winner is the low treble reed (single L reg). I use that all the time now, for it is beautiful and uniform, terrific response. It almost has a digital quality to it. The single M is nothing special but was frequently used on my Hohner. The single M now feels much more like an octave extension of the single L than the other way around. The LM reg also sees a lot more use, and produces a balanced sound which never felt quite right on other instruments. The MM reg, used mainly in full band settings, is just as good/bad as my Hohner.

The tutti reg on the basses interferes with the single treble regs, so I have to learn to counter this with my bellows technique. All in all this made me use the other bass reg (singles) much more, to get a nice balance between low treble regs and higher bass sound. Something I never did much before.

All in all I am very glad I took the chance and it is a dream to be able to play from fortissimo to pppianissimo in all registers without cutouts or anything. It really has expanded my horizon, and I play a lot more at home, because it can be played so softly.

I haven't found any problems with the build quality but I haven't trashed it as much as my Hohner yet. Things like uneven keys that I had on all my accordions so far after some years, have not yet appeared. I did take it apart some, to practice roadside repairs, but didn't find anything alarming. That said, I have a feeling that the 115 casing is certainly not the best one Bugari makes. Some stuff, like the register switches feel plasticy, and there I guess Hohner did a better job on my Concerto.

 

[Eddy Yates]

<ATTACHMENT filename=Main Squeeze accordion.jpg index=0>Nice to play seems like a pretty good description! I only had a lot of playing time on two other accordions. I owned both of them. The first one was made for/by Main Squeeze Accordions in New York City. The owner, Walter Kuehr, passed away at a relatively young age and the shop closed. He was a very outgoing man and a great promoter of all things accordion. He let me have the instrument for a good price because I played it on tour. It had a shorter keyboard than I needed and when I got the Bugari, I realized how much easier it was to control, and how much nicer to play it was. https://www.accordionists.co.uk/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3693

 

[OuijaBoard]

Those Main Squeeze accordions are fun re-badged East German/Czech Delicias that Walter dreamed up. I looked at them numerous times in the shop but always passed because at the time I was turning my nose up at 26-key PAs, a bias I've since gotten over, though 30 treble remains my favorite for a small PA. There was a Main Squeeze 34/72, of course, but fewer numbers of those, I never saw one.

There were also Main Squeeze boxes in celluloid, a bit lighter weight than the wood ones, which were hard wood and quite heavy for their 26/48 and 26/72 specs. They were Walter's re-badged incarnations of the Delicia "Junior" series, more or less the identical Delicia celluloid model with "Main Squeeze" in script on the front..

Heavy or not, I've been watching for a Main Squeeze wood model on the various used outlets, out of sheer sentimentality. Walter and Main Squeeze were part of the old NYC magic that at the moment is disappearing, and the disappearing old NYC magic does seem to include, vanishing NYC accordion magic.

Castiglione continues to offer re-badged Delicia/Harmona accordions both celluoid and woodframe. The cosmetics of their wood "Folklore"models are a tad different from Walter's.

I believe the Bugari "Juniorfisa" line is Durall reeds, with TAM/hand-finished in the "Championfisa"--Oops, correction, I think I meant the Seniorfisa as TAM. I would like to have one of the really small 26/48 Juniors with an upgrade to TAM. And that blue 34/72 is a definite fantasy item. I'd just like to have it in a 30 treble version.

 

[Eddy Yates]

The Main Squeeze really was fun to play, but the Bugari seduced me.
I was glad to hear you qualify NYC’s loss of magic as “at the moment.” May that moment be short.