Have caught the upgrade itch, Titano version

[craigd]

Happy Titano Cosmopolitan owner here, but since selling my Excelsior 940 sometimes miss the tone chamber effect. Overall I prefer the unrestrained (unrefined?) sound and dynamic responsiveness of the unchambered Cosmopolitan, but I'm wondering if the Titano Royal would give me the best of both worlds.

Does anyone have direct experience with these two accordions and can tell me how they compare in terms of tone, dynamics and responsiveness?

Thanks,
Craig

 

[Ventura]

do you mean new ones or old ones ?

there is no relative comparison for old ones because they were
built in different factories with different engineering and
perspectives from the designers.. in other words, if you prefer
an Excelsior, get one, if you prefer a (Victoria) Titano, get one,
and if you don't know which to prefer, get one of each

for the new ones, they both come from the Pigini factory, and have
many similarities of build and finishing, materials and mechanism..

if you want either one to be new and unique, you will need to specify
what your preferences are and have one built for you

 

[craigd]

do you mean new ones or old ones ?

there is no relative comparison for old ones because they were
built in different factories with different engineering and
perspectives from the designers.. in other words, if you prefer
an Excelsior, get one, if you prefer a (Victoria) Titano, get one,
and if you don't know which to prefer, get one of each

for the new ones, they both come from the Pigini factory, and have
many similarities of build and finishing, materials and mechanism..

if you want either one to be new and unique, you will need to specify
what your preferences are and have one built for you

Old. I keep forgetting that some people like new accordions and can afford them! I have a 1960s Cosmopolitan and I am considering looking for a Royal of similar vintage. From the time they were made by Victoria.

I believe the Royal is like a Cosmopolitan with a tone chamber. I can imagine how it may sound, but until I hunt one down, I thought I'd ask for the opinion of someine who has played both. I don't want the subdued sound of the Excelsior, but wouldn't mind a bit of mellowing and shaping. While hopefully maintaining the Cosmopolitan's ability to let 'er rip.

 

[Ventura]

in their day they would have a consistency, coming from a
quality builder (Victoria) and design team (Titano)
but of course 60 years later any 2 seemingly identical Royal's
could be totally different in tone and guts..

are there available/reliable records of the reeds used in yours,
and if the same type/brand/quality were also used in the Royal ?
Reed choices dictated at the manufacturing level are sometimes
different for chambered vs: straight boxes for various reasons

and as a curve, if you really would miss the punch of a straight box,
there were some 3 straight up 1 in chamber designs that were
produced by various factories, which might have your blend if you
ever stumble across one to try.. more from the 50's though

and there were the Pro Stroller type boxes with L or M in chamber
and MM or LM straight up, maybe as a second box ? they can
be sweet AND bold, and are lighter weigh too

 

[craigd]

Thanks Ventura. I'll carry on with the Cosmopolitan until I get a chance to try the Royal. I'm curious to see how much of the punch is lost to the cassotto, and what improvement in tone you get for it

 

[Hongyu]

I used to own a 1960s Titano Cosmopolitan and now play a 1960s Titano Emperor, which is the same as Royal but with an extended keyboard. The biggest difference between these two models is the sound of Basson (L) and Clarinet (M), Emperor has a much more muted and mellow sound coming from the Cassotto. There's a slight difference in Violin (MM), Emperor has a more balanced, less sharp sound. All other registers sound very similar, you can still get that unrestrained sound from Emperor/Royal.

 

[craigd]

I still have that titano cosmopolitan, most of my other accordions I've sold, all for far less than I see them advertised for on the internet. Not out of generosity but expediency: I didn't feel like having to ship them over to Eastern Europe or Brazil and deal with the difficulties and uncertainties of getting paid for them. I got them at a great price and I sold them at a great price. Miss the Excelsior 940 a little bit, for when I want a real mellow refined sound, but it always felt a little suppressed to me - it had both casotto and a nice wooden mute. I also didn't really like the MM sound, with one in the chamber, didn't really come to life. But I'm unlikely to come across such a fine accordion at a price I can afford again in this lifetime. I put the money towards my mortgage, just a drop in the bucket really, but doing me more good than an accordion sitting in the closet.