Help with info re an old Scandalli, please?

[Edward Jennings]

Hi,
I've just acquired this Scandalli 120 bass accordion and wondered if any of you experts on here might help me out with some info about it? I'd like to know if it is a particular model, what sort of age it could be and if it would be a good box to hang on to?
It's in pretty nice cosmetic condition, as it's been kept in a case. I'm not yet a player, but it sounds OK and everything seems to work. I imagine it has only 3 voices, but I haven't had a look inside, yet.
Any help........anyone?
Thanks in anticipation,
Edward.

 

[JIM D.]

This one looks amazingly clean for an early 40's early 50's box. At the time a well made Italian student model accordion.
The box has 2 sets of reeds treble & 4 sets of reeds bass. The machine made reeds were of fine quality.
These were an Italian models imported here in the US during "The Golden Age Of Accordion" , and in this era most
accordionists would in lieu of repair of these would upgrade themselves to a box with more features.
I see your an aspiring accordionist and will advise you to consult an another accordionist with experience as this one's condition
& playability.

 

[Edward Jennings]

Hi,
I've just acquired this Scandalli 120 bass accordion and wondered if any of you experts on here might help me out with some info about it? I'd like to know if it is a particular model, what sort of age it could be and if it would be a good box to hang on to?
It's in pretty nice cosmetic condition, as it's been kept in a case. I'm not yet a player, but it sounds OK and everything seems to work. I imagine it has only 3 voices, but I haven't had a look inside, yet.
Any help........anyone?
Thanks in anticipation,
Edward.

Thanks very much for that. I'm actually a melodeon player (not very good, but it gives me great fun!). So I'll know in what sort of condition it's in when I have time to delve inside.
You've more or less satisfied my curiosity for the moment: It''s about 70 odd years old and has an inherent value of its own, so I shouldn't just break it for reeds etc. Although it would be classed as a student model, it doesn't have an actual model name.
Thanks again, and keep well.
Edward.

 

[Edward Jennings]

Well, JIM D, I'm pleased to tell you that on this occasion, you're mistaken! (I'm more than surprised, actually.)

On opening it up, I found that it has 4 voices in the treble and 5 in the bass. So it would have been a bit on the pricey side to have been a student model, I would imagine. Although everything looks to be in place and working OK, and the wax feels fine; the valves have seen better days and the tuning needs touching up. Although I'm happy tuning a few melodeon reeds, I really don't fancy having a go at the almost 400 which this fine beastie has!
Although it would certainly yield a boatload of reeds in order to keep my Frankenstein melodeon tendencies going for a few years, I don't feel inclined to break it. So it seems that someone else is going to have the opportunity of enjoying it as a whole instrument for a while longer. Someone has replaced one of the original feet with a wooden one, and it has some buckle rash in one spot.

 

[Edward Jennings]

I feel that I must offer my apologies for not reading some of the posting guidelines on this site. I'm stupid like that, but I'm sorry to have caused unnecessary work for the moderators.
While I'm on, is there possibly anyone who could offer any more info on this instrument, now that we know that it has all those voices?

 

[boxplayer4000]

This is one of those accordions where the amount of time and cost of spare parts required is going to far exceed the value of the finished product. It's going to have be done for 'love'. However that said the condition of your instrument would certainly suggest that if it is decided to go for restoration then the result could be an instrument to be proud of.
The chances are that it is double octave tuning but it would be interesting to know.

 

[boxplayer4000]

It would be interesting to know what happened to this accordion.

 

[JIM D.]

Yes, from the interior picture it's a 4 reed. Puzzling from the exterior as it has only two treble shifts. It really limits the voices
available from a LMMH.

 

[wirralaccordion]

Could it have a palm switch on it? You can't tell from the photo.

 

[Edward Jennings]

More apologies from me! I've only just now returned to this and come across the last couple of posts.
If I remember correctly, I did tidy up the tuning and then sold it on, making small profit but keeping the instrument as one which would be played.
Edited to add;
I've just remembered about the switches! Yes it only had the two, but they were not the ordinary sort. They were both double acting, in effect, four switches in two.

I've since bought another Scandalli, but this one's a bonny CBA. It's still in its box under the bench, waiting for me to pluck up the courage to have a go at it. It's extraordinarily heavy, and I really don't know what tempted me to buy it; it's too heavy for me to ever be able to play it, and that's for certain!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Yes, from the interior picture it's a 4 reed. Puzzling from the exterior as it has only two treble shifts. It really limits the voices
available from a LMMH.

Jim, my Armoniosa (made by Cooperfisa) and about eleven years old has five sets of bass reeds but only four register switches, so this type of cost-cutting is not new, cosidering that the Scandalli in question has four sets of treble reeds but only two register switches. Could it also be possible that the Scandalli’s two treble register switches are toggles?