Buyin' a bayan advice, please!

[donn]

I believe thats actually made in the Zhitomir factory in the Ukraine. I dont see any videos online, but a couple of vaguely similar boxes at Liberty, where in both cases they describe the bass as reverse Russian so youll have your B towards your (chin?) on the outer row. This one evidently has separate reeds - I cant make out for sure, but waxed with some nails? - but I bet a quarter it has the same coarse sounding bass reeds. Another good application for this style of accordion, besides playing Dark Eyes -- Final Countdown - Europe

 

[debra]

The transition from a piano keyboard to a button keyboard takes a lot of effort and perseverance. My wife and I made the switch and after 7 years are not 100% at our previous level, but pretty close. We changed to the C system which is supposed to be a bit easier to learn for people coming from a piano keyboard, but for people starting from scratch B or C does not make too much of a difference. Finding a teacher before you buy an instrument is important.
There are Russian bayans with the C system (there was one listed on this site half a year ago) but B is more prevalent. An instrument like the Zero Sette (made by Bugari) is definitely a good instrument and is also definitely not a Bayan. In fact, none of the Italian instruments that are called Bayan are real bayans.
The bayan has large reed plates which makes it easier to work on but more difficult to replace a reed. (And the russian reeds are more brittle than Italian reeds.) What is most responsible for the difference in sound is the shape of the reed. A bayan reed is rectangular and an accordion reed is trapezoidal: it is narrower at the vibrating end than at the base. That generates different harmonics and thus a different sound. Some Italian accordions have parts where a number of reeds are also on a common reed plate (mostly for the lowest tones on the lefthand side) and for instance the Pigini basson has such reed plates with the reeds for 6 notes on one plate. But they are accordion reeds (not rectangular) and therefore sound like accordion reeds not like bayan reeds.
There are probably larger differences in sound between different bayans than between the average bayan and an average accordion (if such things would exist). My favorite bayan sound is that of AKKO bayans. I prefer the sound of AKKO over that of Jupiter. The excellent sound of the AKKO can be heard in recordings by Sklyarov. For instance and you should immediately know what I mean.
Alas such instruments are near impossible to find at any reasonable price!

 

[AccordionUprising]

Id echo the former poster: you did check the Pigini for sale on this list?

For Saleigini C37 72 Converter Bass C System
http://www.accordionists.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=805

I believe its this one. http://www.pigini.com/it/prodotti/convertor/item/convertor-37b3

Should be a solid instrument to learn on without too many compromises in quality.

If it could be shipped here to Canada Id be interested, and it would be cheaper than some since its a smaller friendlier item than some 30lb full grown bayans.

If you can, do post back to let us know how you proceed?

 

[Russ]

OK here is your Jupiter Bayan for 3000 euros, should be everything you want

https://www.facebook.com/groups/accordionforsale/

By the way this is a great facebook page - accordions for sale -

 

[james_from_stoke]

there is a c system bayan currently on the sales page

 

[donn]

OK here is your Jupiter Bayan for 3000 euros, should be everything you want

I didnt join the facebook group to look, but ... looking at another Jupiter, J. S. Bach Prelude and Fugue in D minor, I see it has chin buttons for the registers! Kind of trick, if you change a lot in midstream. Anyway, Ill grant that this one sounds pretty good in this piece, dont know if its a 3000 euro model - I think there are more economical models in their line.

 

[Russ]

I forgot the most important question is how much money are you able to spend? That is the real determining factor.

3000 euro is not expensive for a good used converter with 4 reeds in the treble, 15 switches, chin switches, but is sure is more than I can afford. In fact from what I have seen this is close to the low end for a full sized CBA converter.

I had finally saved close to 3500 dollars for over a years and in the last couple of weeks my furnace broke (2500) and major car repairs (1000). Some times I think I will be playing my one reed peter pan for a long long time. Moving to a converter accordion was both a blessing and a curse - a blessing because I love playing jazz chords on the free-bass, but a curse that converter accordions are hard to find, especially in the states, and are so expensive.

 

[JasonW]

Thanks for your input, everyone who contributed here. I thought I'd give an update because I've ended up doing something I never expected. I've bought a second hand virtual button accordion (a Roland FR7x) , despite being (initially) adamant I want to play a 'real' rather than a digital instrument.
But the logic is pretty strong - I just don't yet have the experience to know what I really want in any detail, and this thing can do it all - it's 5 rows, 120 bass, with all the different configurations available at the touch of a (number of) buttons. It plays beautifully. I've found a teacher to help me with free bass and am using it as stradella for my weekly ensemble sessions. It's currently set to B system but if I want to try C system with another teacher, it's just a setting away. I figure I'll use it for 6 or 9 months or something and then sell it on - or maybe I'll get used to it and like it, who knows?
A crucial bit for me was that the guy in the shop (Allodi) was really extremely helpful, and promised to buy it back for a very good sum if I take it back within a year, so I'm really not risking much at all. Whereas if I splashed out on a real instrument, I think the risk would be far higher.
I'm delighted and having loads of fun with it so far.

 

[Russ]

have fun

 

[Glenn]

Congratulations on your new accordion Jason. One of those roland thingies is on my Christmas list. Are you listening santa?

 

[bumblebee]

Congratulations on the FR7-x.
I have an FR2 that I bought at a good price to practice on quietly late at night. It's a piano accordion and seems to be ok but not close to the Fr7-x. I shimmed the keys to get a shorter action as it felt like an organ. I set it up to the Finnish free bass as I also have a Giulietti three row c system and wanted the c to be about the same distance from my palm when I switched from one to the other. So I ignore the first row of notes closest to my palm. Now both accordions fell the same. I am going to double the washers on the bass buttons to have them not stick out as much (about 1.5 mm). I also need to find appropriate gems to glue to the bass buttons instead of the small indentations for the c-e, etc.

 

[Johnniez]

My advice is your really taking a chance buying an instrument on Ebay.. Believe me.. I know a few folks mostly guitar players that got hosed bigtime.

I would never buy an instrument unless I could play it. or at the very least have the seller play it. If you can hear it or see it being played forget it. There are others out there. Don't be in a hurry. I would suggest you get similar facsimile to what you looking for but in a used cheaper item That way if you faulter and don't enjoy it or what ever reason you can usually pretty much recoup the money you put out. You buy a brand spankin new $5000 accordion. Try and get $2500 for it a week later. I doubt it. Dealers will tell you different.

Anyway.. Good luck nice to see enthusiasm.

Johnnie