Hohner Atlanta/Atlantic v Hohner Pirolla ( LMM )

[wirralaccordion]

Does anybody know what the difference is between a Hohner Atlanta/Atlantic PA and a Hohner Pirolla PA? These are both made of metallic parts and I wondered if they will have a distinctive sound, different to PAs with non-metallic parts and maybe between themselves even.

 

[Morne]

Does anybody know what the difference is between a Hohner Atlanta/Atlantic PA and a Hohner Pirolla PA?

I believe the Pirolas have narrower, lady size keys. Some older Atlantics had a jalousie where you could dampen the treble side slightly. Ignoring the jalousie, Im not sure how much of a difference youll hear between those when they have the same reeds.

These are both made of metallic parts and I wondered if they will have a distinctive sound, different to PAs with non-metallic parts and maybe between themselves even.

I think the general consensus is that they have a sharper sound. Some would say shriller.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Phil,

I'm sure I've seen a thread on here about the Atlantic. From what little I recall, they do have a metal frame, and one contributor mentioned the fact that they sound a bit "different."

Jon Brindley owns an Atlantic, which used to belong to his Dad, but I have yet to see him play it. I can give you no reason for this; I simply don't know.

All The Best,

Stephen.

 

[Glug]

Theyre both in the Hohner Atlantic Construction line, along with the Lucia III and IV.
Heres a page from the April 1973 Hohner catalogue (from JerryPH):



Production started in 1953 as far as I can tell.

 

[debra]

Every aspect of the build of an accordion has influence on the sound. The metal construction of the Atlantic is certainly no exception. The original Atlantic IV (the one with jalousiem LMMH) was actually a nice sounding instrument. Some people I know always kept the jalousie closed for a bit more mellow sound. That original Atlantic sadly has a bit of a fiddly keyboard mechanism and what I would call "double arms" (the arm connected to the key connected to a second arm which opens the valve/pallet). The (silicone rubber) connection may break over time, and the hinges of the second arms may develop a squeek (as well as the springs under the keys).
I played an Atlantic IV N for many years and it has a very sharp sound. A fixed metal cover over a row of H reed openings tries to tone that down a little bit, but even so the sound remains very sharp. Also, the two levers used to fix the keyboard side to the bellows are a pain to make airtight (mine always kept losing some air there). The older wooden Morino IV M I worked on has a similar mechanism but with the wood it did not lose air like the Atlantic.