Hello from Western Australia!

[kaiju-blue]

Hello there!

I'm a new player from Perth, Western Australia, new to both accordions and music in general. I semi-impulsively purchased a single row Pokerwork at the start of the year, and I've become a bit obsessed with it since. It's the first instrument to feel intuitive to me and not make me want to put it down. I'm starting to learn music theory now as a result too.

I've found a lot of limitations with learning on the box I've got, so my goal is to get a CBA with a significant bass side (ideally around 96) and just learn with a larger instrument from the get-go. Has been quite tricky to scope out my options though as Western Australia has few button accordions and even fewer sold in good condition for what they're worth.

Outside of accordions, I am in my final year of university in a design field I also do a lot of DIY, including currently planning some hand-made shoulder straps for the box as it is without them.

Hope I can learn a lot here, and maybe eventually contribute something of worth myself!

 

[Dingo40]

Welcome K-B!
You should consult with our member Ffingers , another Western Australian with a CBA.
I'm sure he's researched the WA possibilities thoroughly and may able to help you regarding what's available .

 

[McSqueeze]

Hello there!

I'm a new player from Perth, Western Australia, new to both accordions and music in general. I semi-impulsively purchased a single row Pokerwork at the start of the year, and I've become a bit obsessed with it since. It's the first instrument to feel intuitive to me and not make me want to put it down. I'm starting to learn music theory now as a result too.

I've found a lot of limitations with learning on the box I've got, so my goal is to get a CBA with a significant bass side (ideally around 96) and just learn with a larger instrument from the get-go. Has been quite tricky to scope out my options though as Western Australia has few button accordions and even fewer sold in good condition for what they're worth.

Outside of accordions, I am in my final year of university in a design field I also do a lot of DIY, including currently planning some hand-made shoulder straps for the box as it is without them.

Hope I can learn a lot here, and maybe eventually contribute something of worth myself!

I've sent a PM

 

[Ffingers]

Dingo40: "...and may able to help you regarding what's available."

SFA in the West of this big island, and very little elsewhere.
Tip - unless you with to spend your life exploring every avenue in the 'For Sale' adverts around the Globe, best choose C Griff in preference to B Griff for their greater availability. Their popularity in Europe is an important aspect in both their availability and teaching resources.

Hens' teeth and rockinghorse droppings seem to be more readily sourced

I've been blessed with a beautiful big 1970s Paolo Soprani CBA in B griff which was very much a 'chance' encounter.
My attempts at finding a smaller instrument on which to learn and practice have been dismal failures.
Several dealers in other parts have offered instruments of various kinds, but they have either been beyond budget and/or of dubious manufacture.
The Chinese sourced instruments seem to have serious quality concerns both in structure and sounds.
If you are considering used boxes, avoid the ones made in the GDR before its collapse, and be careful regarding some of the more famous names, like Hohner, who have very chequered histories when it comes to the cheaper ends of their products.

Look carefully on this forum for posts which refer to the costs incurred in repairing/reviving older instruments - they can be horrendous, and never, not ever, buy 'sight unseen' unless you are prepared to risk being disappointed and potentially 'out of pocket'.
The local facebook marketplace is fine indication of people who have some weird aspirations when it comes to selling prices, and gumtree and evilbay demonstrate similar illusions.

I suggest that whatever you do, take some time to read through the historical posts here; there is a great wealth of wisdom and experience in them.

Good luck with your endeavours.

 

[kaiju-blue]

Welcome K-B!
You should consult with our member Ffingers , another Western Australian with a CBA.
I'm sure he's researched the WA possibilities thoroughly and may able to help you regarding what's available .

Thanks for the welcome Dingo!
I was actually pointed this way by another member from reddit, they said there was another West Aussie here! Very thankful for the nudge as I've so far only met PA players here Makes sense with our local market though, easily 99% PA from observing Gumtree/Marketplace/local ads the past few months, and only a handful of PA teachers. Can't blame them when the entire CBA market is a smattering of Pokerworks that haven't been looked at or tuned since the 80s (once of which I have), far far more variety of model and pricing with PAs.

I've sent a PM

I saw, thank you!

Dingo40: "...and may able to help you regarding what's available."

SFA in the West of this big island, and very little elsewhere.
Tip - unless you with to spend your life exploring every avenue in the 'For Sale' adverts around the Globe, best choose C Griff in preference to B Griff for their greater availability. Their popularity in Europe is an important aspect in both their availability and teaching resources.

Hens' teeth and rockinghorse droppings seem to be more readily sourced

I've been blessed with a beautiful big 1970s Paolo Soprani CBA in B griff which was very much a 'chance' encounter.
My attempts at finding a smaller instrument on which to learn and practice have been dismal failures.
Several dealers in other parts have offered instruments of various kinds, but they have either been beyond budget and/or of dubious manufacture.
The Chinese sourced instruments seem to have serious quality concerns both in structure and sounds.
If you are considering used boxes, avoid the ones made in the GDR before its collapse, and be careful regarding some of the more famous names, like Hohner, who have very chequered histories when it comes to the cheaper ends of their products.

Look carefully on this forum for posts which refer to the costs incurred in repairing/reviving older instruments - they can be horrendous, and never, not ever, buy 'sight unseen' unless you are prepared to risk being disappointed and potentially 'out of pocket'.
The local facebook marketplace is fine indication of people who have some weird aspirations when it comes to selling prices, and gumtree and evilbay demonstrate similar illusions.

I suggest that whatever you do, take some time to read through the historical posts here; there is a great wealth of wisdom and experience in them.

Good luck with your endeavours.

Ah, lovely to meet you Ffingers! SW-WA I assume?

Yes, I've been told a lot to look at C System where possible, so have been looking!

B system has been fairly tempting though as I've been poking around looking at bayans a bit as an alternative. There's just so many of them online, and I believe I've found a seller who tunes and refurbishes them and has a good reputation for safely shipping them internationally (their store). Which I definitely want as I'm sure you know just how rough AusPost can be. My only gripe is the lack of videos to let me hear the sound quality, but I am considering just messaging them about it to see if I can request such. It's kind-of that issue of, I think no matter what I buy, it'll 99% likely be from outside of the state, so it will come down to going through someone who has a reliable reputation for shipping accordions safely, and who professional tunes them beforehand if secondhand (and if this fact can be confirmed by other buyers). It feels risky no matter what; take a chance on the postal system, or on an old vintage here that's likely in need of work (which will then likely have to endure postage to/from a servicer over east). I think the bayans are my fall-back if I can't find something else that is suitable over the next few months. I don't want to spend forever looking when even a mid-quality bayan could at least let me practice the fingering for multiple rows on an alright budget, and I am fond of how they sound. And god, don't even want to go into budget right now haha, so many secondhand options are so questionably priced.

Re modern Hohners: Someone did tap the fact that a lot of their newer accordions are Chinese-made, is that true for all of them or just some models? The Nova III did stand out to me for size vs bass numbers, and I've had a barely-used one in Aus pointed out to me, but I was under the impression that the new Hohners are all produced in China.

I have seen a recent listing for a 80 bass Hohner Sirena I that's in SW-WA, I suspect you have likely also seen in, it's basically the only non-Pokerbox or non-child toy currently around. Thoughts on it? The price point is compelling at just $350, but I imagine it could easily require more than double that if it needs work, as it's an untested deceased estate item, and I don't know if that is worth it. Maybe if it sounds better than the Nova, as the one linked to me was $2,000. I don't feel confident in making that call, to be honest.

Have you at least found a direction or potential supplier/seller to look at in the future for another instrument, Ffingers? It could be worth us discussing and pooling what we've checked together at some point.

 

[Ffingers]

k-b I would not contemplate that Sirena without it first being carefully checked by a competent repair/service person, not that they were much of an instrument initially by all accounts.

 

[Tom]

Welcome Kaiju!

 

[kaiju-blue]

k-b I would not contemplate that Sirena without it first being carefully checked by a competent repair/service person, not that they were much of an instrument initially by all accounts.

Cool, I had a sneaking suspicion, glad to know it seems to be on the ball. The seller's confirmed it's unchecked, so leaning too heavily into the side of being a big ol' headache.

Welcome Kaiju!

Thanks Tom!

 

[Siegmund]

Glad you found your way here (I was the mystery redditor, and as soon as I suggested coming here, the site went down for a few days).

 

[AndyM]

Welcome k blue, I'm in Perth too, but a PA player. Hope you enjoy the forum.

 

[kaiju-blue]

Glad you found your way here (I was the mystery redditor, and as soon as I suggested coming here, the site went down for a few days).

Yeah I did encounter that, luckily it was a short wait. Thanks again for the recommendation!

Welcome k blue, I'm in Perth too, but a PA player. Hope you enjoy the forum.

Thanks Andy, great to meet another west coaster on here. Brings the number I know up to four!

 

[Ffingers]

We are a rare breed, k-b

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

Welcome K-B!
Good thing you bought that squeeze box! Now is time to get all you can from it and it will bring you lots of joy and those around you. But you gotta learn how to play it properly!

Have you seen the videos of Lucy Riddett?

She is a lovely lady that also happens to live in Australia and loves to play accordions. You should check some of her tutorials about it. She helped me out when I first started.

 

[Dingo40]

Have you seen the videos of Lucy Riddett

Here she be: