Excelsior model 505, worth saving?

[olivigus]

Well, I acquired another accordion this past weekend. It was being sold to benefit a music scholarship fund, so the money went to a good cause, even though it wasn't really playable as is. Opened it up and, as I suspected, nearly all the leathers will need to be replaced, although everything else inside looks surprisingly clean and seems to be in decent shape. I don't see obvious corrosion on any reed plates, and some of them are stamped Bugari. It's made by Excelsior and is a model 505 slimline. The ones I matched it to online all say Accordiana, while this one is labeled Capriccio, but that might just be how a particular dealer branded it? I'd guess early 60s for the vintage based on the gold sparkly bass buttons and keys, which are still in good shape. I do like that it's very small and compact, but still 120 bass, and am thinking it might be a good traveling box. My question for the experts here is whether it would be worth a few hundred dollars to have my teacher replace the valves and fix the one stuck bass button. (I suppose it's really a question of whether it's worth it to me, but wanted to get a sense of whether there was some quality there worth saving.) Thanks!

 

[Ventura]

these were well built and sound and play nicely

nevertheless it is only a 2 reed treble, so you have to be OK with that limitation.
and that limits it's resale value as well of course

so a few hundred is as much as it could sell for

i personally would try refreshing the leathers first, but i am
comfortable doing that (take the reedblocks out and just
a dab of Lexol on a q-tip.. give those leathers a light swipe then
finger swipe massage them flat gently until they are staying in proper position
an let them rest there awhile

may save some money if they liven back up

yes let him fix the stuck button, as they can be tricky

yes, Capriccio would have been a private label
hmmmm.. the relevant and fun part of Capriccio Italienne can be played by ear

yes worth keeping and using

enjoy

 

[olivigus]

@Ventura thanks for the reply. That's reassuring and great advice. I feel OK taking out the reed blocks and will definitely try refreshing the leathers. I even considered trying to change them myself, but getting all the needed supplies in the right sizes feels daunting. Especially since I'm very lucky in having access to someone who has all of that readily available and the expertise to do it easily. It's a cute little thing and has a solid feel despite being so lightweight, so if I can get it playing again I think it will be a good one to travel with and I wouldn't mind the two-reed limitations if it were a choice between that or no accordion at all. Of course, I will have to learn to play Capriccio Italienne now...