Hohner Bravo III 120

[keithclarke]

Does anyone have an opinion for or against the Hohner Bravo III 120? It seems to be on offer in the UK at anywhere between £1,050 and £1,600, which seems rather a big variation. What's confusing is that there seems to be more than one version - there's also a 'Hohner Bravo III 120 Bass Black Facelift Model'. One retailer says: 'The New Model Facelift now has black coloured treble couplers and black coloured grill.'

I have been cutting my teeth on a 72-bass Hohner Concert IIIS, which I like a lot, but I see from the chart on this forum that it must be at least 35 years old, so I don't know how much longer I'll get out of it. The big question is whether the next step should be a 'grown-up' instrument, a 120 bass - in which case, how about the Bravo III 120? I realise I would be swapping German-made for Chinese-made, but don't know whether this would be a Bad Thing.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

Hi Keith: I am the owner of the Bravo 120 since Christmas 2013. I started playing a 120 bass in 1957 as a young boy, quit playing for 50 years, and started again. My wife bought this for me so it wasn't my choice, but it has turned out quite well. Yes, these are Chinese-made...on German machines, with German supervision at the factory. I'm told many of the parts are the same used in the higher-level German-made Atlantic model, which sells for considerably more. Though this cost around $1800 new here in the U.S., it wasn't perfect when it arrived, though it was completely factory-sealed in the box. I had some keys that were not reproducing the note, some keys were clicking, and my bass buttons collapsed. I personally called the Marketing Director at HohnerUSA in Virginia...he took quick action, had my accordion picked up, and the service center in Virginia did a first-class job tuning/adjusting what SHOULD have been done in the Chinese factory. I wrote to Hohner Germany and told them they need more quality at their Chinese factory. That said, now that it has had its slight adjustments, it works perfectly, sounds even better than when I opened it up, and is a joy to use usually three times a week that I practice. It seems to be marketed for children, but there are many, many adults who use them. Actually, I would say it's designed not for children, per se, but any one who is not a professional accordionist. Even some of our "intermediate" players who play in the local accordion club here in Las Vegas use them, as well as even lower-level models. I would not hesitate getting one but I would insist to the seller you need to have some time for readjustments/tuning if necessary. As an aside, I lived 6 years in the UK (Oxfordshire and Suffolk) with the U.S. Air Force. We loved Britain and miss many elements of it. Hope this helps. The Bravo is not a high-level accordion, but it works well, and at least here in the U.S. the service center can supply and service any repairs I might have in the future. Good luck! Forgot to mention....I understand the new model is basically a cosmetic change only. I was told the actual accordion components have not changed.

 

[NigelB]

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[Soulsaver]

Concerto 111s is 1985 - 1990 so isn't as old as you thought for another 5 years or maybe 10. I know there is an argument that says late 50s ish models may have been better made, but there are plenty of 60 year old Hohners that stay in great condition, and your Concerto s will only require minor work from time to time to keep it pretty playable. So age itself wouldn't be a reason to shell out £1k on a Bravo... which won't be a step up in quality on what you have already.
Have you tried one?

 

[Soulsaver]

Should you decide to go for a Bravo, this guy has a good reputation having had transactions with a couple of members..
No connection and hes in Birmingham B45 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOHNER-BR...871350?hash=item1c5d357f36:g:VqwAAOSw0HVWEpjU

 

[hais1273]

Hi. A few weeks ago I decided I "needed", (wanted not needed really!) a 96 /120 bass instrument, I had a budget of about £1000. My initial thoughts inclined me towards a Hohner Atlantic or a Weltmeister Topaz or Saphire or maybe something Italian. The feeling on this forum was that an Italian built instrument would probably be better over the long term, as they are generally of superior construction. Although, my first decent box was a Weltmeister Perle which I now regret selling.

Coincidentally, a Victoria Super Musette was listed on the Allodi website. I took myself up to Lewisham "auditioned" the instrument and bought it. It cost £1150. It is superb, it plays beautifully with a silky smooth right hand action, a rich, colour full bass.The right hand sound is delightfully complex, although perhaps a little wetter than is current fashionable. It's so easy to get sound dynamics because of the quality of the reads and bellows. The only slight issues are the bass buttons are a little noisy and that a couple of the notes in the treble may be slightly off, but that could be me getting used to the new sound. Easily fixed though. A budget of around a thousand pounds can buy an excellent used instrument. German or Italian.

I hope you won't mind me suggesting that you have a visit to Allodi's in Lewisham if you live in within a reasonable distance, and have a tinker. Emilio has dozens of used 120 bass instruments I'm sure you could find one that fits..

 

[keithclarke]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses - all very helpful, and giving me a lot to think about.

I think you have managed to put me off the idea of a new Bravo, lasvegascolonel. The idea of taking it out of the box and finding it less than perfect is not encouraging. I am impressed by the vision of you handling a 120 as a young boy - I've always thought of them as desperately heavy - and also pleased at the notion of someone of a similar vintage to me still plugging away at it.

My thoughts on how long the Concerto will last are based on nothing but conjecture, really, and thank you Soulsaver for pointing out the weakness in my maths! I suppose my nervousness is in having now moved quite a distance from Allodi, not knowing of anyone in south-west Wales to do repairs, and being aware that even if I get the box to Allodi, Emilio is so over-subscribed with repair work that I would have to manage without for quite some time. And no, I haven't tried a Bravo. I just liked the idea of a fairly light 120 box, and was seduced by the idea of a black one with red bellows - pathetic, I know, but there you go.

The broader point is whether I need a 120 at all - in my studies so far I haven't yet run out of notes, but something tells me it's the way to go, although I really dont want to spend any more time at the osteopath.

As it happens, I am going to London soon, so perhaps I'll drop in on Allodi and discuss it with Emilio. Probably the biggest problem would be falling for a lovely 120 but not wanting to give up the 72 in part exchange. And although there are dozens of 120s on his website, an awful lot of them seem to be in that queue for repair. Any further thoughts will be very gratefully received.

 

[Soulsaver]

Make sure Allodi's open in advance, he's not usual shop hours - give him a call in advance & he may open for you even if not his usual ..