I found an antique organetto Bolognese, but...

[NickC]

It could be nice piece of filuzzi history but it's priced high, it would take a lot to restore and I can't confirm the pedigree. If one of those weren't true, I would consider making an offer. But, as it is now, I'd really only want to pay $100 euros just to have it and I think that might still be high for me AND considered to be quite the 'low ball' offer by the seller.

If there was a da Lugo or Biagi label, it could be a cool find. I might contact him anyway to see if there are any markings, but it seems like he would mention that if that was the case.

Here is the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/204240545379?autorefresh=true
And the description:

Rare and ancient organetto Bolognese (accordion) from the second half of the 19th century. probably built by Farinon da Lugo, he was the first builder of this instrument in the second half of the nineteenth century, he was a craftsman from Romagna who settled in Bologna who taught the trade to the better known Bolognese Ettore Biagi (1872-1957). At the end of the 19th century, Biagi learned the construction techniques of this accordion from Farinon da Lugo. The accordions in this period are exclusively diatonic or semitone, that is, the same button, when the bellows is in expansion, emits a different note from the same button pressed when the bellows is in compression. Ettore Biagi set up on his own as an accordion maker in 1906 and gradually began to innovate the instrument technologically. The main feature of this instrument is the absence of bass, the left hand in fact operates only a vent button, this allows you to concentrate on the melody, stylistically very virtuosic and full of embellishments (it was the music that preceded the Liscio). This organetto has 3 rows of buttons and is an archaic example of a Bolognese accordion, therefore attributed to Farinon, Biagi instead introduces this row of buttons. There are very few surviving examples of this instrument and, unfortunately, almost no players. The instrument needs to be restored but none of the reeds are missing, it can be restored, the wooden part has some small defects and probably the original bellows to be fixed in some small air leak. Unique museum instrument, very important in the history of the evolution of bellows instruments (organetto versus accordion).
I ship anywhere in the world, write me for info.

Part of that seems to come from this page: http://www.lisciobolognese.it/FiluzziiMusicistiQuartetto.html

I know that this isn't a desirable instrument for many, but it just caught my eye because it might have been used in the early creation of my favorite genre to play on accordion.

Here is a pic:

 

[NickC]

The reeds seem unusable:

 

[NickC]

I ended up contacting the seller and he said he has a few of these. One is a 'perfect condition' da Lugo with a signature. I'm not sure if he is interested in selling, or what his price would be, but I asked him both of those questions. Waiting for a reply.

 

[Tom]

Yeah, looks like a full on repair job if you want it playable rather than collectible. Anyway, a cool find for you.

 

[NickC]

Yeah. It would be a big job. Like fishing--the most relaxing way to get frustrated.

He sent a pic of the da Lugo.

Much better:

 

[Tom]

Nice! Is it for sale?

 

[NickC]

Yes. I would need to find out if the reeds are in better shape, the buttons work smoothly and the bellows don't leak. It's diatonic so there would be a learning curve, but it would be a lot of fun to play.
He also has a Biagi, but said it is in worse shape that the first one I posted.

 

[Ventura]

in keeping with precedent set by my Bud Light choice

Which Bolognese would i get ?

why, the Spaghetti Bolognese at Topolino's Italian Restaurant

of course

 

[NickC]

The seller contacted me yesterday and said he was open to offers. After a few emails, we came up with a deal for the restored Farninon DaLugo in post #5. I am excited to get it and try out a piece of filuzzi history!

 

[JerryPH]

Its pretty! Once you get a little comfy with it, please make some kind of audio/video for us to hear it please.

 

[Ben-jammin]

Congratulations, I look forward to hearing it.

 

[NickC]

I will try to post videos as soon as possible. But, it is a diatonic instrument and I will have to spend a good amount of time figuring out the fingering.

 

[Ffingers]

I will try to post videos as soon as possible. But, it is a diatonic instrument and I will have to spend a good amount of time figuring out the fingering.

You should never use diettonic with your gin.

 

[NickC]

The organetto arrived and it's beautiful. It's about in the shape that I expected and there were no surprises. He sent detailed pics and descriptions, so I wasn't expecting it to be 100% out of the box. It can still use some work, but it functions well enough that I can map the notes and eventually restore it further. There is a lot of air leakage and some of the buttons need to be leveled out. The tuning is really rough, but I'm going to spend time with it and see how far I want to go with restoring it. I think it can be a performance ready instrument when it's all finished (and once I've spent a lot of time learning the fingering.)

 

[Tom]

Congrats Nick, this will be a fun project!

 

[Ric46]

The organetto arrived and it's beautiful. It's about in the shape that I expected and there were no surprises. He sent detailed pics and descriptions, so I wasn't expecting it to be 100% out of the box. It can still use some work, but it functions well enough that I can map the notes and eventually restore it further. There is a lot of air leakage and some of the buttons need to be leveled out. The tuning is really rough, but I'm going to spend time with it and see how far I want to go with restoring it. I think it can be a performance ready instrument when it's all finished (and once I've spent a lot of time learning the fingering.)

Congrats, have fun!

 

[NickC]

I spent some time with it last night. I started to map out the notes. It seems like the first two rows are the key of C, and the third row is the accidentals. So, it kind of splits the white and black notes on a piano with all the black notes on the third row.
I also looked at what it would take to restore it. I identified the major culprit of the leaks. The back wood panel needs to be reglued and there needs to be some sort of gasket where the keyboard meets the frame of the bellows. There may be a few spots where it needs some bellows tape, but the case is the biggest issue. I don't think this would be too difficult to fix, and I think it would make the notes much more powerful. Right now, there is too much leakage to get a full tone.
All the felt has deteriorated or has been removed. The buttons travel way too far, so it will need some thick felt on each one. One issue is that the middle and third row buttons push on the bars of the first row if I push too hard. I am hoping that felt will help with this.
The toughest part is the tuning. The reeds, themselves, sound pretty good. But there are a few notes that are way out. I don't mind a bit of unstable tuning...it kind of gives it a certain character. But, some notes are just not pleasant.

I don't know if I'm going to tackle this myself. Some things will be a quick fix, but some are above my pay grade. I am going to spend more time with it to see how much I want to invest in it. The mechanics shouldn't be too expensive, but I need to decide if I want any cosmetic restorations done.

 

[JerryPH]

It's interesting to see that you have clear lines about what you can or cannot do and already building a mental plan. That's the sign of experience showing. I'm interested in seeing where this one goes!

 

[Tom]

I think he’s going filuzzi on us!

 

[NickC]

Ha ha. Mark Twain said it best. Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions.

I think I can do some of the work myself, with the big exception being the tuning. One big issue is finding the time. I tend to do OK when I have a lot of free time, but that hasn't happened in decades.