So I'd like to preface this by saying I am completely brand new to the world of accordians, as of yesterday, when I found this absolute BEAUTY on the sidewalk. I am still completely stunned by the fact that I found it abandoned. The case was pretty banged up, and I didn't assume anything was inside, but when I opened it up, I found this Iorio Concert Accorgan within, and in very good condition. The only defects that I have seen on the instrument itself so far are the 'C' in 'Concert' being bent, and a couple stickers (?) next to it that are missing. The whole thing is incredibly heavy. It produces a very beautiful sound. As I said, I am completely new to accordians and know pretty much nothing, but it seems to be in perfect working condition. I'm really excited to learn more about how to use it and making music with it. I was hoping someone here might be able to identify it more specifically? I'm not sure what other pictures to take that may be helpful. There are screws behind the pad that's snapped on that I could take off, but decided not to unless it was necessary. The cover on the top that shows the electronics is very easy to remove though. Thanks again in advance for taking the time to read and hopefully provide any more information!
Iorio Concert Accorgan model?
- Thread starter Wyth
- Start date
I am not very knowledgeable about this Iorio Accorgan. I believe it is similar to a Cordovox that was popular in the '60's -70's. They were basically an acoustic accordion with electronics added to get an organ tone. Cordovox used the electronics from a Lowery organ to give the organ tone. I don't know what the Ioria used for the electronic organ tone. Jump ahead to today and probably the electronics are not functional (and it's hard to get parts), so many folks only use the acoustic part of the accordion.
Dingo40
Been here for ages!
Welcome Wyth !
You may have heard, a motorist inadvertently left his car unlocked, with his own accordion resting on the rear passenger seat, in a seedy part of town only to find on his return two other accordions nestling alongside it!
Haha, is it a known thing that people are regularly abandoning these incredible instruments?Welcome Wyth !
You may have heard, a motorist inadvertently left his car unlocked, with his own accordion resting on the rear passenger seat, in a seedy part of town only to find on his return two other accordions nestling alongside it!
Thank you! Just to provide more information and theories, it was left all the way by the curb of the sidewalk, as opposed to the fence right in front of the building, which usually means it's something being gotten rid of. My theory is that it belonged to a really old man (I often see one sitting in front of the building nearby), and that it had been sitting abandoned in a basement for decades, which might account for why the case is in such poor condition, but the instrument itself looks so good. It's so heavy, that they probably can't really use it anymore if they wanted to, so they had it put outside thinking that it might bring someone else some joy. It has certainly bringing me a lot of it!
I think my theory was more or less confirmed yesterday when I walked past the same house, and there was an old water boiler in the same spot. So maybe they needed to clear some room to have that replaced, and decided to part with an instrument that wasn't getting used? Either way, I'm still over the moon about my find!
Thomas N
Well-known member
PRECISELY my first thought when I read the OP's description on how he obtained the accordion!Welcome Wyth !
You may have heard, a motorist inadvertently left his car unlocked, with his own accordion resting on the rear passenger seat, in a seedy part of town only to find on his return two other accordions nestling alongside it!
I think that it should have a generator box..........................I would be surprised if it works without the generator box .
It's all old hat technology................Accordion may be ok to play ....doubt the electronics is any good .
Don't spend a lot of money on it ........
Good Luck
It's all old hat technology................Accordion may be ok to play ....doubt the electronics is any good .
Don't spend a lot of money on it ........
Good Luck
It definitely didn't have any other components in the case besides the instrument itself, but I would love to be able to find out if the electronics do work or not. I wonder if there's anyone in NYC that might have the parts just for testing, before trying to invest in tracking them down for myself.
Also, more of an update on the origins! I walked past the same spot again today (this is a route between work and home), and the old man I see sometimes was sitting on his stoop, so I stopped to ask him if it was he who had left it. It's unclear if it was his wife or his neighbor, But he had me ring her bell so I could tell her how much I appreciated finding it. She definitely had left it out hoping someone would find it and use it, and told me to have a blessed day! Apparently it belonged to her aunt and uncle who she inherited it from, and it sounds like they used to own a music shop in the neighborhood quite a long time ago. The man said they got it in '63, or thereabouts.
Also, more of an update on the origins! I walked past the same spot again today (this is a route between work and home), and the old man I see sometimes was sitting on his stoop, so I stopped to ask him if it was he who had left it. It's unclear if it was his wife or his neighbor, But he had me ring her bell so I could tell her how much I appreciated finding it. She definitely had left it out hoping someone would find it and use it, and told me to have a blessed day! Apparently it belonged to her aunt and uncle who she inherited it from, and it sounds like they used to own a music shop in the neighborhood quite a long time ago. The man said they got it in '63, or thereabouts.
A wonderful story ................Good luck in your search.............
This model did NOT use a tone generator, came with a foot pedal. I am pretty sure the Concert badge is a user added modification.
Functionally the same as mine
I can almost guarantee that none of the electronics work.
Functionally the same as mine
I can almost guarantee that none of the electronics work.
Congratulations. These are well made accordions. I will join the chorus advising you to take out the 1960's electronics unless, by some miracle, they are in perfect working order. Then you will have a several pounds lighter, high quality acoustic accordion.
Yes, it does look pretty much just like that! Do you mind sharing what model it is, because I still haven't actually figured that part out, and most of the Internet doesn't seem to have much information in that regard. Also, the stickers (?) for two of the keys that change which reeds are getting used (I'm still extremely new to to accordion, so I could be misinterpreting that that's what they do) on the bass side from mine are missing. Any chance you'd mind sharing a closer up photo? The one you added is kind of small and blurry if you try to zoom in to that spot.This model did NOT use a tone generator, came with a foot pedal. I am pretty sure the Concert badge is a user added modification.
Functionally the same as mine
I can almost guarantee that none of the electronics work.
Also strange that the concert badge would have been a user add-on! It looks well made like it would come that way! Would it have been taken from another instrument or something? It's made of metal.
Thank you! I have been spending a little time each day playing it and learning more about how it works and falling even more in love with instrument. I must admit it feels like quite a shame to remove the electronics when the whole thing appears to be in such good condition, but it is very heavy... I wish I could find someone with the extra components to test it and at least see if they work or not, even if it's extremely unlikely.
Alan Sharkis
Well-known member
If it were mine, and the electronics were shot, I’d remove them and have midi installed.
It's an Iorio S3.
Sure, please give me a day or 2... I just got in from a bit of a trip.
I've seen many iterations of this model, NONE of which had the word CONCERT on them... matter of fact, yesterday I saw 3 of these on the same shelf beside each other at an accordion museum!
Everyone has an opinion on what to do... I tend to not Frankenstein my accordions... lol
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