Castiglione LMM?

[trek4fr]

Hi folks! Im in the market for a light-weight stroller 72-bass LMM. I found an accordion that says Castiglione on it, but most Castigliones that Ive seen were made in Italy. This one says Made in Germany on the back. It looks, to me, like maybe a Weltmeister in Castigliones clothing. The seller is asking $599 for it with a hardshell case in decent shape. All of the notes work except for one on the middle reed that doesnt sound on an outward pull. The straps are okay. Assuming this is some kind of Weltmeister (or made in the same factory), is the price okay for an accordion in this shape?

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx76/bill0689/001_zpsuuwjezec.jpg>

 

[EMan]

Castiglione is a retailer in Michigan that has a private brand with his name on them. I never noticed until you mentioned it, but some of this models do not say "italian made" and the one your picturing looks like his model 548 B. He appears to be a nice guy. I have done some business with him. Why not give him a call and ask him about the accordion. You can find info on contacting him on the web under Castiglione Accordions.

Hope that helps.

Ed

 

[Thomas N]

I bought a $9000 custom-made Excelsior accordion from John Castiglione around the year 2000 and he is an honest person and was great to do business with. I had a lot of customization to the top-of-the-line Excelsior 960 (Magnante keyboard, AC grill, black background with white bass buttons, double cassotto, etc) and he came through on everything. Call him and he'll work with you and make sure you get the type of accordion you need. I wholeheartedly endorse John and have no affiliation with Castiglione Accordions other than a single purchase 15 years ago.

 

[JerryPH]

At worst the one reed not sounding in one direction can potentially be a semi-expensive repair if done by a professional, but odds are that it is nothing more than a stuck valve or dust or obstruction in the reed. At best, it may even free up by itself in time after being played regularly.

As far as Castiglione in Warren Michigan is concerned, count me as being one of the people here that also had a good experience with them. I bought my 4 wide all leather shoulder straps from them and their product and service was exemplary. Not many shop owners pick up their own phones and take the time to personally talk to anyone that calls in... John does and he is both knowledgeable and straight-up.

Add my vote to calling him up and asking about the accordion for some more info about it, if the original seller cannot answer your questions.

 

[trek4fr]

Hi, all. This accordion was being sold by a local pawn shop (which usually isn't where I would buy an accordion from), but it looked good on the Craigslist's listing. I went ahead and bought it and have 7 days to take it back (for any reason).

In the meantime, I got the stuck reed to work by gently blowing into the reed block. Interesting, it has plastic reed blocks instead of wood. :shock: But everything works. Plastic rods in the bass mechanism also. All the wax and leathers look good.

I've also emailed John Castiglione to see what he has to say on this model. I don't know how long he'll take to get back to me, if he does.

It sounds pretty good. Some of the tremolo sounds don't quite match in vibrato rate between bellows-in and bellows-out. I'd probably have to get it professionally tuned to fix that and I don't know if this accordion is worth it. It's not my main box anyway. But I did want something lighter for traveling.

 

[trek4fr]

Well, I finally heard back from John Castiglione via email. His only comment on this accordion is Its very old. Call me to buy a new one. Nothing more. No idea about what it is worth. But I found an almost match on Ebay (only in black and labeled Majestic) that the seller is asking $670 for. He says it is new. I have my doubts. But seeing as the pawn shop discounted it pretty well for the stuck note (which I fixed), I figure I did good.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Weltmeister...413351?hash=item2ef23a76a7:g:xZoAAOSwRgJXl7-I[/url]

 

[JIM D.]

Hi Trekfr:
Really sorry to bust your bubble but this box even in good condition is not worth more than $250.00 USD
Plastic reed blocks, machine made reeds, and a tin plate bass machine. :tdown:

 

[trek4fr]

Thanks for your input, Jim. Yes, it does have plastic reed blocks. I'd agree with you that the reeds are machine-made. But the bass machine is actually made up of plastic rods, not the stamped tin plate like you find on the Chinese accordions. I've got a few more days to "test drive" it and then make my decision. I also found a Hohner Bravo II 48 for about the same money (retail is $1301 on these right now). It is, no doubt, made in China. Whether the workmanship, reeds, and mechanisms are better, whose to say? I can't even find out if these have wooden reed blocks or not. As I said, I have a really nice Italian made 96-bass LMM. I was just looking for a low-cost stroller.

 

[JIM D.]

Yes those tin plate bass machines are inferior but, those plastic bass machine's are just an accident waiting to happen !!

 

[trek4fr]

Jim (or others), do you know if the Hohner Bravo II which is made in China has wooden reed blocks? Have you heard of any pros or cons to these as far as a beginner accordion goes?

 

[JIM D.]

Yes the Chinese Hohner boxes are a nice intro box but they are unfortunately overpriced.

 

[Soulsaver]

Bravo II 48: OK beginners box in my opinion, Ive owned one, got a mint one cheap on ebay (£350 delivered - not a dealer). Wanted it for travelling etc. I found bit too light - an adult has a tendency to pull it out of position. I had no other problems with it, but didnt use it much either - sold it for £450 couple years later - still mint - and it still looked a bargain against what they go for. It is entirely possible, as Jim infers, to get better Hohners 2nd hand for less.
But as I said when I advertised it - you know these havent spent 5 years in a basement or attic and unlikely to have rusty reeds and leathers drooping. Alternatively, lots of detail here on smaller lighter stuff: http://www.accordionists.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1404&hilit=smaller+lighter

 

[trek4fr]

Thanks all. Yes, the Bravo II 48 is pretty pricey at about $1300 to $1400 US dollars new! Some of the US stores have them used for about $800. But I found one mint on Reverb for $525 with gigbag and original paperwork, so I purchased that. I'll return the Castiglione to the pawn shop tomorrow. Thanks again.

 

[Soulsaver]

Thanks all. Yes, the Bravo II 48 is pretty pricey at about $1300 to $1400 US dollars new! Some of the US stores have them used for about $800. But I found one mint on Reverb for $525 with gigbag and original paperwork, so I purchased that. Ill return the Castiglione to the pawn shop tomorrow. Thanks again.

Good stuff, hope you have lots of fun with it.
There should be plenty of these turn up in mint condition if one is prepared to wait... plenty of youngsters start and quickly fall by the wayside, unfortunately.

 

[trek4fr]

Got the Bravo II 48 yesterday. Nice little accordion. Wooden reed blocks. It looks good and sounds good. Thanks to everyone for their advice.

https://reverb.com/item/2277970-hohner-bravo-ii-2012-piano-accordion-48[/url]

 

[siiva108]

The Bravo II 48 was my first box. Everyone always commented on how sweet it sounded. Unfortunately I lost it while traveling this past spring, but it spurred me on to upgrade to what I really wanted, which is a Saltarelle Chaville. I still miss that Bravo though! Best of luck with it.