Excelsior Mod. 940 vs Excelsior Mod. 2000E

[Fredson96]

Good evening, everyone. I'm new in the forum, and this is my first post here. It's a pleasure to meet you guys

I'm an amateur accordion player, and I mostly play for the challenge and fun of it (I'm self-teaching, expert in the classic method of hitting my head against the wall until things get in). I spent a decade or so with a vintage (but very well conserved) Petosa without chamber, and I'm very happy with it to this day. However, I decided that I want to take music as a hobby more seriously and, as I imagine it's the case with many other players, I also wish to "go to the next level" model-wise. I found these two that I'm very interested in (names in the post's title). Both are Excelsior vintage models (both with double tone chamber) that were produced between the 80s and 90s (and, therefore, before Excelsior was bought by Pigini in 2003). Both are well conserved and ready to go. However, since it's always good to know more and hear opinions from more experienced players and professionals, I wish to ask you guys' opinions. Are Excelsior accordions from this period good instruments? And, if so, which one of this models you guys believe is the best bang for my buck? Both have roughly the same price point and, after digging a little dipper, I found that the Mod. 2000E is equivalent to Mod. 940 in terms of features and sound (although I'm not sure about the construction quality). Thank you guys very much in advance

 

[Tom]

Welcome Fred! Sorry I can't help with your questions but wish you luck. Hopefully others more knowledgeable than me will chime in.

 

[Ventura]

the 940 is an excellent accordion, and can go toe to toe with any
of it's contemporaries for design and quality of reeds and engineering

the 9xx series at that time was crafted entirely on premises from
raw materials, including over 20 types of Wood from their own Kiln in the yard..

there are no accordion companies left in the world that are fully vertically integrated
in manufacture, so these were the last of a breed in a way

of course, it depends on the individual items condition

 

[Fredson96]

Thank you guys for the comments. I've acquired the accordion and latter found more details about it. It was made until the end of the 90s, with the Brazilian market in mind. It is quite close to the Mod. 940. Apparently, the main difference is that it's super-low bass (not sure if that's the technical name, but it's the one I was told) goes all the way to the E. I was only able to hear it once compared to another two accordions, but it was quite noticeable then. Apparently, Excelsior still offers this feature as a customization to this day (and I definitely recommend it, it seems small but it really adds up). Finally, I can say I'm more than glad I got it. I was always a fan of the Excelsior sound, hopefully they're still as great now under Pigini as they were before

 

[Ventura]

glad to hear you were able to acquire a nice Excelsior.. i hope you
have many years of enjoyment with it..

post a picture of it sometime..

 

[Fredson96]

glad to hear you were able to acquire a nice Excelsior.. i hope you
have many years of enjoyment with it..

post a picture of it sometime..

Thank you very much! I hope so to

Here are the pictures! The previous owner told me that the small holes in the castles are probably due to the removal of the old mic system. It's a shame the person that removed it did such a poor job at covering them, doing so with some sort of wax. It isn't that much of a big deal, but eventually I'll try to find someone that can do a proper job. This accordion is a pearl, it deserves it

 

[Ventura]

yes looks like the real thing to me.. a 940 class build

i don't see the holes.. or did they remove the volume and tone controls ?

this is a later build than mine, as Italy had not yet moved to the more modern
lucite keytops and was still using leather ventilli on my 911 and 960 reedblocks

nice rhinestone work too.. not overdone at all

 

[Fredson96]

yes looks like the real thing to me.. a 940 class build

i don't see the holes.. or did they remove the volume and tone controls ?

this is a later build than mine, as Italy had not yet moved to the more modern
lucite keytops and was still using leather ventilli on my 911 and 960 reedblocks

nice rhinestone work too.. not overdone at all

What is a "class build" model? Pardon my ignorance, I'm quite new to the "accordion universe", so these terms are quite new to me :/

This is a close-up pic of the castles' holes covered with wax (probably). They're quite small and shallow, which (maybe) corroborates the explanation for their existence. Again, it's not a huge deal, but it's truly a shame the responsable couldn't be bothered to do a half-decent job at covering them :'(

 

[Ventura]

i see.. well he could have used reedwax at least

at some point you could remove the wax, ream out the holes just a bit,
then glue and tap in a small wood dowel , let it dry and cut it off flush,
sand then re-finish to match the rest of the wood

by "class build" i just mean the quality standard of that level of instrument

on the Professional models of that time, including the 9xx models, all parts
of the accordion were fabricated at the factory from raw material.. including
the bass buttons, the keytops, the leathers.. everything. And so the quality
control level was unmatched by any other factory as everyone else had to
but some parts from suppliers fully formed.

in your case, the 2000 may have allowed a bit of wiggle room, as the
Lucite keytops would only have been cut and fitted

but the rest looks typical of the pro quality level to me

 

[Fredson96]

I'd not risk doing such procedure by myself, I'm way too clumsy for that. Eventually I'll try to find someone that's able to do a good job. Instruments of this caliber deserve nothing but the highest level of craftsmanship <3

I'm glad to know I made a good purchase! I really do like this accordion: the more I play, the more I intend to stick with it for a very long time

 

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

What is a "class build" model? Pardon my ignorance, I'm quite new to the "accordion universe", so these terms are quite new to me :/

This is a close-up pic of the castles' holes covered with wax (probably). They're quite small and shallow, which (maybe) corroborates the explanation for their existence. Again, it's not a huge deal, but it's truly a shame the responsable couldn't be bothered to do a half-decent job at covering them :'(

First time I've heard the word "castles" used to describe reed blocks. Poetic!

 

[Ventura]

oh and i just remembered.. wanted to say look for another wax-plugged hole, but
somewhere between the inner chamber and through to under the grill.. the wire
from the Mics had to connect to the Volume control so there would have been
a through spot somewhere

if that spot is waxed as well, the candle wax being hard, may not take the air pressure
which would be felt on a through spot.. quick fix would be an appropriate size/length screw
with a bit of a soft washer to make a good seal, or a bit of stick-um under a metal washer
held in with said screw

if that bit of wax pops out, it might interfere with something else as well as allow an air leak

the wax on the "castles" should stay in place unless jolted..

 

[Fredson96]

First time I've heard the word "castles" used to describe reed blocks. Poetic!

I wasn't aware that was the name in English, sorry for that lol

Here in Brazil, usually, we refer to the reed blocks as "castelos" (which directly translates do "castles"), "torres" (which directly translates do "towers") or "cavaletes". It isn't even a regional thing: varies from person to person (even in the same city), but we mostly use them interchangeably

 

[Fredson96]

oh and i just remembered.. wanted to say look for another wax-plugged hole, but
somewhere between the inner chamber and through to under the grill.. the wire
from the Mics had to connect to the Volume control so there would have been
a through spot somewhere

if that spot is waxed as well, the candle wax being hard, may not take the air pressure
which would be felt on a through spot.. quick fix would be an appropriate size/length screw
with a bit of a soft washer to make a good seal, or a bit of stick-um under a metal washer
held in with said screw

if that bit of wax pops out, it might interfere with something else as well as allow an air leak

the wax on the "castles" should stay in place unless jolted..

Thank you very much for this tip! When I find the person to rectify this situation, I'll make sure to have them look into this as well )>'-')>