Giulietti Leader II model

[David Colpitts]

Hello, All.
I have an opportunity to purchase a Giulietti Leader II (2) model which seems to be a very nice compact (presumably for students?) 2-voice model with a Moschino free bass and piano right hand. Can anyone share their experiences with such an instrument? It looks and sounds great, to my simple ear and tastes, and I am curious about the free bass system. It seems relatively recent, and has a serial number in the 17,000's. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[David Colpitts]

Hello, All.
I have an opportunity to purchase a Giulietti Leader II (2) model which seems to be a very nice compact (presumably for students?) 2-voice model with a Moschino free bass and piano right hand. Can anyone share their experiences with such an instrument? It looks and sounds great, to my simple ear and tastes, and I am curious about the free bass system. It seems relatively recent, and has a serial number in the 17,000's. Thanks for any thoughts!

Just a correction, more for the record than anything....I was wrong about the Moschino-ness of this accordion. I bought it anyway, and am happy to try to learn the free bass left. I imagine it is "C" system? It is three+ full octaves treble, with what sound like single reed "clarinet" and "bassoon" voices, or the combination. Very nice sounding treble (to my concertina player ears, anyway) and a dry combination I like. The free bass lowest notes seem a bit hard-starting, but I've never had any reeds that low, except for a big harmonium that weighed about 32 pounds. This box weighs about 13.5 pounds, so I can probably play it "out" when I get a handle on it. And, I am definitely going to "Janko-fy" it. It is a perfect candidate, with flat black key tops (as opposed to slanted back) which makes the addition of "leveling" sticks a piece of cake.

 

[JerryPH]

Giulietti were mostly all Minor thirds C-system free bass, if they had the free bass option. Never saw one in any other format.

 

[David Colpitts]

Giulietti were mostly all Minor thirds C-system free bass, if they had the free bass option. Never saw one in any other format.

Thanks! For a "rookie" like me, are there other "C" systems than "Minor thirds" or are they all like that?

 

[debra]

Thanks! For a "rookie" like me, are there other "C" systems than "Minor thirds" or are they all like that?

What people call the "minor thirds" system is 3-row chromatic (with a possible 4rd row being a repeat of the first row). When you play the buttons along one of the three rows the notes come out in minor thirds. All chromatic button systems are minor thirds, but not all of them are C system. There is also the mirrored B system (low notes at the top in the playing position) and the Russian B system (low notes at the bottom), and there is the Finnish system and the (Belgian) Do2 system... The only bass systems that are not "minor thirds" are the quint (Palmer) convertor and the Kravtsov system. It's likely that the Giulietti Leader II only came with C system free bass.

 

[David Colpitts]

What people call the "minor thirds" system is 3-row chromatic (with a possible 4rd row being a repeat of the first row). When you play the buttons along one of the three rows the notes come out in minor thirds. All chromatic button systems are minor thirds, but not all of them are C system. There is also the mirrored B system (low notes at the top in the playing position) and the Russian B system (low notes at the bottom), and there is the Finnish system and the (Belgian) Do2 system... The only bass systems that are not "minor thirds" are the quint (Palmer) convertor and the Kravtsov system. It's likely that the Giulietti Leader II only came with C system free bass.

Thanks for the explanation! I will figure it out in a couple of weeks (at least for very simple tunes) but it looks like a life's work to master with my never-too-darned-good left hand!