Mike K
Active member
Does anyone have any experience with the Iorio Syntara accordion/accorgan? there is one for sale about 100 miles away from me. Wondering if it is worth the ride to take a look at it.
Iorio Syntara accordion/accorgan
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Not a good choice unless it's free. The old electronics in these units are past their lifetime and the parts to repair them are obsolete.
I have a "H" series Iorio here in the shop that works but, I won't sell it as I can't guarantee it.
It's free for pickup for now but shortly I'll strip the accordion for reeds and send the rest to the landfill.
The box you speak of here is a Farfisa syntaccordion with a different badge and most all of them have spent their lifetime with now cooked electronic's and have been dumped.
I have a "H" series Iorio here in the shop that works but, I won't sell it as I can't guarantee it.
It's free for pickup for now but shortly I'll strip the accordion for reeds and send the rest to the landfill.
The box you speak of here is a Farfisa syntaccordion with a different badge and most all of them have spent their lifetime with now cooked electronic's and have been dumped.
AccordionUprising
Well-known member
A Brief, Comprehensive History of the Cordovox and Other Electronic Accordions, by Fabio Giotta has many pages of info on the old Accordion organs. Trying to even figure out which model youre looking at seems like a project. Getting the once cutting-edge electronics to function is a significant undertaking indeed.
http://caffetrieste.com/Abrief.pdf
http://caffetrieste.com/Abrief.pdf
Mike K
Active member
Okay, sounds like a good thing to stay away from.....Thanks. Save myself a ride and possibly a poor investment.
Zevy
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Mike K said:
<FONT font=Garamond><SIZE size=125><COLOR color=#0040FF>At the risk of replying differently from what our senior colleague Jim D. said, I will tell you about my experience. I played an Iorio Syntara for many years. If this is the same model, it is a SEM accordion (LMMM) that had electronics added by Elka (remember them?). I dont think this had anything to do with Farfisa. Of course, as Jim said, the electronics are obsolete, but if the midi still works you have yourself a midi accordion. I used to midi out just the bass. You can see me playing it (a long time ago, when I still had hair...) here: Learn to Play Klezmer Sample.
Thank you for the very interesting PDF regarding the story of the Cordovox and other electronic type accordions .it's a keeper for reference !!
In 1966 I saved all my summer season gig money to purchase the Farfisa Transicord , I later owned the Transicord deluxe , Transivox , and then the farfisa synthaccordion (farfisa UK) actually replaced my instrument free of charge 3 times !!!.....due to technical problems !!! after that I played the synthaccordion for many years and it was very reliable , I then purchased an Elkavox 83 and gigged with it for many years and had a lot of fun times !!
in the Early 1970's I met and became very good friends with a cabaret artist and world travelled musician and entertainer billed as Mr Cordovox ..... Valentino !!! he had a special cordovox custom built and modified to his own specification , model CG7 quadrophonic sound , special custom built CL 20 leslie speaker cabinet . you would need to see his cabaret act , he virtually made it talk !!!so to speak ! the sound was awesome . I actually had the opportunity many times to play this special instrument ...and will never forget the feeling and experience .
Regarding the cost of the cordovox in the Uk ....in the late 60's and early 70's the cordovox cost more than the average house ........yes it is true !!! so perhaps in the story that CMI recruited top management only with MBA's with no business /music experience only interested in big profits !!explains why the cordovox was so expensive in the Uk and out of the practical price range of many potential cordovox customers !!....myself included !!
You may ask what I'm currently using .....I'm playing a special lightweightl Piermaria 41 keys and 120 bass acoustic/midi accordion with the musictech midi ,with midi wireless receiver and data transmitter unit allowing me complete freedom to walk around whilst performing and not attached to any lead /firing cable .
I was lucky to have specially module custom made for me ,which is Yamaha psr3000 keyboard ......minus the keys / internal speakers removed and fits in a special gig box with my midi receiver and head band mic receiver unit , all very compact and easy to carry !! just need to plug into mains outlet and plug in external pa speaker/speakers ......
so that's my electronic accordion journey !!! I'm sure I'm not alone on this one !!!
On a trip to San Francisco a few years ago I visited Caffe Trieste !!! it was very interesting lots of photos on the wall you could sense the wonderful times !!! I visited during the week and there was no music !!! on my visit . I liked also seeing pictures of that beautiful city "Trieste "........the place of my birth !!!.........regards to you all Giovanni
In 1966 I saved all my summer season gig money to purchase the Farfisa Transicord , I later owned the Transicord deluxe , Transivox , and then the farfisa synthaccordion (farfisa UK) actually replaced my instrument free of charge 3 times !!!.....due to technical problems !!! after that I played the synthaccordion for many years and it was very reliable , I then purchased an Elkavox 83 and gigged with it for many years and had a lot of fun times !!
in the Early 1970's I met and became very good friends with a cabaret artist and world travelled musician and entertainer billed as Mr Cordovox ..... Valentino !!! he had a special cordovox custom built and modified to his own specification , model CG7 quadrophonic sound , special custom built CL 20 leslie speaker cabinet . you would need to see his cabaret act , he virtually made it talk !!!so to speak ! the sound was awesome . I actually had the opportunity many times to play this special instrument ...and will never forget the feeling and experience .
Regarding the cost of the cordovox in the Uk ....in the late 60's and early 70's the cordovox cost more than the average house ........yes it is true !!! so perhaps in the story that CMI recruited top management only with MBA's with no business /music experience only interested in big profits !!explains why the cordovox was so expensive in the Uk and out of the practical price range of many potential cordovox customers !!....myself included !!
You may ask what I'm currently using .....I'm playing a special lightweightl Piermaria 41 keys and 120 bass acoustic/midi accordion with the musictech midi ,with midi wireless receiver and data transmitter unit allowing me complete freedom to walk around whilst performing and not attached to any lead /firing cable .
I was lucky to have specially module custom made for me ,which is Yamaha psr3000 keyboard ......minus the keys / internal speakers removed and fits in a special gig box with my midi receiver and head band mic receiver unit , all very compact and easy to carry !! just need to plug into mains outlet and plug in external pa speaker/speakers ......
so that's my electronic accordion journey !!! I'm sure I'm not alone on this one !!!
On a trip to San Francisco a few years ago I visited Caffe Trieste !!! it was very interesting lots of photos on the wall you could sense the wonderful times !!! I visited during the week and there was no music !!! on my visit . I liked also seeing pictures of that beautiful city "Trieste "........the place of my birth !!!.........regards to you all Giovanni
P
porkchop
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Perhaps a different opinion on the Iorio Syntara. After nearly 40 years of pulling my Excelsior out only a couple of times a year, I decided to pursue what had tickled my ears back in the 60's when I was starting college after taking lessons for years. My accordion teacher took my Dad and I to his house to show us his new instrument ... a Cordovox. I was astounded by what it could do since it was new technology at the time. Couldn't afford it, of course ... more than the price of a new car at the time. I retired 3 years ago and decided to pick up where I left off 40 years ago. I passed on trying to get a Cordovox because it was obvious that only a repair tech should make that leap. But, I found an Iorio Syntara that had been played literally by a "little old lady" in Cincinnati. I bought it for $1,200 and put another $300 or so into some necessary repairs to make it work as designed. I "wasted" some repair money BEFORE that with someone who was a novice. He helped, but never got it "right". I finally took it to John and Kurt at Accordions and Keyboards in Clearwater, Florida where we now go for the winters. Kurt, the repair tech, really knows his stuff and got it working 100% in no time ... and at a VERY reasonable cost. I've taken it to them a couple of times since then with small glitches, but have had a BLAST with it. I now practice nearly every day and have recovered most of my former playing ability. Right now I have a problem with the board that senses the use of both (2) OUT lines to my amps. It isn't properly sensing that both lines are in use, so I have to use only one of the lines to send all signals to one amp and then through that amp to a second. That engages both amps, but I think there is some small degradation of the tremolo effect when you don't have true stereo signals. Still ... it sounds great and I have been asked to provide some special music at a couple of ministry events over the next few months (NOT paid gigs ... just ministry!). I feel I have gotten more than my money's worth out of the Syntara and love the way you can layer a solo voice over a chorded (mostly organ) voice and then add the amplified accordion on top of them ... with the left hand pumping deep bass notes. John at Accordions and Keyboards did warn me that the boards could fail at any time ... with little recourse. BUT, I have enjoyed playing it EMENSELY. One criticism of the Syntara is that my keen ear picks up some very slight difference in pitch between the bass and treble. It's kind of like how violins are tuned just slightly off pitch for better definition. The electronic voices can be tuned to match the air driven acoustic accordion voice ... precisely ... using an adjustment knob on the tone generator, but I''m not sure the slight "pitchiness" of the electronic bass vs. electronic treble can be adjusted. No one else seems to be able to hear any difference and it seems to be imperceptible when playing away. I just have a keen ear for pitch, I guess.
SO ... I wouldn't pay a fortune for a Syntara ... like the $4,000 that I've seen with one website seller. But, it might be a good bet if you have $700-$1,000 to invest in an outfit that's in good shape ... AND ... have a access to a good, experienced repair service in the event it is needed. I use it with a Roland KB-60 and was recently given a Peavey KB-300 that I have added into the mix. I may someday spring for a bigger Roland and recently had the magnet changed out on the KB-60 to a 20 oz. (at the recommendation of a pro). I like the output tone of the Roland better than the Peavey, which does sound just a little "muddy" by comparison. But ... with both cranked up ... it's just rich and a lot of fun. That's my 2 cents.
SO ... I wouldn't pay a fortune for a Syntara ... like the $4,000 that I've seen with one website seller. But, it might be a good bet if you have $700-$1,000 to invest in an outfit that's in good shape ... AND ... have a access to a good, experienced repair service in the event it is needed. I use it with a Roland KB-60 and was recently given a Peavey KB-300 that I have added into the mix. I may someday spring for a bigger Roland and recently had the magnet changed out on the KB-60 to a 20 oz. (at the recommendation of a pro). I like the output tone of the Roland better than the Peavey, which does sound just a little "muddy" by comparison. But ... with both cranked up ... it's just rich and a lot of fun. That's my 2 cents.
I have an Iorio S3 H that is in really good condition except for about $10 worth of electric parts needed as diagnosed by a friend of mine that was supposed to fix it but unfortunately he passed away. Since then, its been in the case. I had a LOT of good times with it,, but might also consider using it for parts for a couple of projects like the bellows for a tuner and what not... But then I start to think and get all sentimental about it. 
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