Hohner Student 48 bass

[boxplayer4000]

Garve: Many Hohner accordion bass ends are renowned for being loud (in relation to the treble end). My own is such and I have the largest set of bass reeds 'blocked off'. This has the additional advantage of saving a lot of air, making the bellows/accordion easier and more pleasant to play. I see you are in the UK/Borders area. I am in Midlothian but am often in the Scottish Borders area. I would be quite happy to deal with your bass end (no charge). It's a totally reversible process ie. if you don't like it the accordion can easily be returned to its original condition.

 

[dak]

Garve: Many Hohner accordion bass ends are renowned for being loud (in relation to the treble end). My own is such and I have the largest set of bass reeds 'blocked off'. This has the additional advantage of saving a lot of air, making the bellows/accordion easier and more pleasant to play. I see you are in the UK/Borders area. I am in Midlothian but am often in the Scottish Borders area. I would be quite happy to deal with your bass end (no charge). It's a totally reversible process ie. if you don't like it the accordion can easily be returned to its original condition.

On my own Hohner, I commonly switch off the higher set of bass reeds: that leaves a stronger bass sound that still interferes less with the treble. However, it requires low bass reeds with a good enough response that they don't really depend on the higher reeds as starter help.

 

[Dingo40]

Is there any way to quieten the bass such as internal muffler or will that just ruin the overall bass sound.

If you don't like it, don't buy it!
If you do buy it think of it this way:
The bass provided didn't come about by accident. It evolved over a century of demand, so it's like it is to fulfill a demand.
Secondly, generally accordions are made in such a way that the best sound effect is produced by all cylinders firing: ie all voices playing.
Meddling with this will result in suboptimal results.
Finally , when you master a tune to the point where you can play it at the proper speed, with feeling (swing) and in a manner in keeping with its ethnicity, the basses will "automatically " fall into line.
Remember, despite intensive efforts by various individuals to force the accordion into a "classic" mould it (particularly a 48 bass model) is essentially a country yokel, happiest playing local, popular, "ethnic" music, for which it is well suited!
40 million Hohners can't be wrong!

 

[dak]

If you don't like it, don't buy it!
If you buy it think of it this way:
The bass provided didn't come about by accident. It evolved over a century of demand, so it's like it is to fulfill a demand.

"a demand" is not "every demand".

Secondly, generally accordions are made in such a way that the best sound effect is produced by all cylinders firing: ie all voices playing.
Meddling with this will result in suboptimal results.

I can think about a number of counterexamples I could record for that statement. It's mostly small instruments that are intended for firing on all cylinders for considerable fractions of the playing time. On my own box the effect is somewhat excessive. I think the last time I did that unironically for more than a second was when playing the Mendelssohn wedding march in an unamplified outdoors setting. You cannot even practice this in this mode for extended amounts of time because my instrument is such an air guzzler in that mode that your arms are ready to fall off within a minute.

Finally , when you master a tune to the point where you can play it at the proper speed, with feeling (swing) and in a manner in keeping with its ethnicity, the basses will "automatically " fall into line.

Mozart is as Austrian as the Styrian harmonica regarding the ethnicity.

Remember, despite intensive efforts by various individuals to force the accordion into a "classic" mould it (particularly a 48 bass model) is essentially a country yokel, happiest playing local, popular, "ethnic" music, for which it is well suited!

What am I, chopped liver?

40 million Hohners can't be wrong!

You'll find that Hohner's attempt of creating an accordion orchestra "tradition" did not really take "ethnicity" as the linchpin. And the solo stuff they commissioned from Schittenhelm to promote the instrument was not exactly "ethnic" music either. Don't blame Hohner, they tried probably more than most others.

Yes, I know you are trolling. But you are pressing more of the right buttons than I do in most performances.

 

[Ocu]

I have been offered a Hohner Student 48 bass which is in good condition and plays well. The only issue I have is that the bass sounds very heavy and I have been told this is common with German accordions. Is there any way to quieten the bass such as internal muffler or will that just ruin the overall bass sound.
Also, can anyone recommend a 48 bass that has a better balanced bass sound, I have been told that I should look for an Italian made but anything decent seems quite expensive.

Hi! I am searching 26/48 accordion and I think Hohner Student would be good for me. You have got a good point concerning the bass. Have to think about that. Could that Hohner still be available?

 

[JerryPH]

Many accordions can sound heavy (and remember, this is not fact, its 99% OPINION), for 2 main reasons:

- the person playing it is listening to it from the playing position and not in front of it where everyone else would hear it... or...
- the person playing it is clueless about bass button control and is just heavy hitting the bass buttons without knowing why it sounds so loud.