It's been discussed before, but any newer input from people switching to 37 96 bass accordions?

[C Woj]

I never thought about going to a smaller 37/96 box, but i may be seeing the light after playing big boxes for years and now looking at 30lb monsters for sale from the past.

The 37/96 may be an idea worth pursuing while looking for a new box to play. Besides the classical pieces that reach up into the F# and above, i think 37 covers a whole lot of ground. Have to be careful jumping to the upper octave on pieces too. (I always thought a low E would be more useful that high A, but that's a different discussion).

I am looking for those that always played the big monsters and now find the smaller 37 to be "just right". Thanks.

 

[Plinky]

Hi C Woj
Sorry I can't really advise you as my new box is around 7 ½ lbs
and to be honest I would be happier if it was 6lbs

 

[Thomas N]

Hi C Woj
Sorry I can't really advise you as my new box is around 7 ½ lbs
and to be honest I would be happier if it was 6lbs

Wow! The straps on my Excelsior 960 weigh 7 pounds!

 

[Rosie C]

Hi C Woj
Sorry I can't really advise you as my new box is around 7 ½ lbs
and to be honest I would be happier if it was 6lbs

Nice! My new Weltmeister is about 9 pounds and I'm happy with it, but a bit lighter would be better still.

 

[Plinky]

Nice! My new Weltmeister is about 9 pounds and I'm happy with it, but a bit lighter would be better still.

Hi Rosie bit of an impulse buy but i,m loving her ,i,m mid 60s so the lighter the better for me The Weltmeister Perle 48 I tried was 12.9lb I bought the bravo because it was lightest 48 bass ,what model do you have?I will keep a lookout for it because I like a lighter box

 

[Rosie C]

Hi Rosie bit of an impulse buy but i,m loving her ,i,m mid 60s so the lighter the better for me The Weltmeister Perle 48 I tried was 12.9lb I bought the bravo because it was lightest 48 bass ,what model do you have?I will keep a lookout for it because I like a lighter box

Now that is a strange co-incidence because a Hohner just like that was one of the instruments I tried when I bought the Weltmeister. Mine is also a Perle 48 - I'll have to weigh it again - I thought it was about 4kg when bought it, but maybe that was what the Hohner was.

 

[Plinky]

Now that is a strange co-incidence because a Hohner just like that was one of the instruments I tried when I bought the Weltmeister. Mine is also a Perle 48 - I'll have to weigh it again - I thought it was about 4kg when bought it, but maybe that was what the Hohner was.

Hi Rosie I have a bit of back arthritis so I needed the lightest box I could find,I spent as much time researching the weight as I did the playability

 

[Rosie C]

Hi Rosie I have a bit of back arthritis so I needed the lightest box I could find,I spent as much time researching the weight as I did the playability

I have problems with a damaged disc, and some of our paying events involve playing at various locations and walking between. So I too wanted something that was light - but also didn't compromise the functionality too much. 48 bass seemed a good compromise. I had a 12 bass but that was too limited. My 72 bass is too heavy.

 

[LibraryJoe]

I also played a 120 bass, dropped down to 96 bass. Would you consider a chromatic button accordion? I switched over about a year ago. My 18 lb CBA has more treble notes than my "ladies size" 41/120 PA at 21 pounds.

 

[C Woj]

I originally wanted to get a chromatic, but i feel it's a little late to have to put in roughly 10 years of practice to get to the level i play the PA. Not sure it's worth it at this point in my life.... I play other instruments that demand a lot of my time also... I wish i would have picked up a chromatic 20 years ago and learned how to play it. I may still find a chromatic to mess with in the future. It would have to be a cheap box to play with.

 

[Plinky]

I have problems with a damaged disc, and some of our paying events involve playing at various locations and walking between. So I too wanted something that was light - but also didn't compromise the functionality too much. 48 bass seemed a good compromise. I had a 12 bass but that was too limited. My 72 bass is too heavy.

Hi Rosie I did a little research and i,m into folk and at 1.53



kinda sold it to me but it is missing the diminished row.

 

[dak]

Wow! The straps on my Excelsior 960 weigh 7 pounds!

Heavy sweater?

 

[colinm]

I used to play a 120 bass 11.5 kg, changed to a 37/96 10.5 kg, most tunes are no problems, occasionally I have to go down an octave for part of a tune, would never go back to a 120
,

 

[dak]

I used to play a 120 bass 11.5 kg, changed to a 37/96 10.5 kg, most tunes are no problems, occasionally I have to go down an octave for part of a tune, would never go back to a 120
,

Huh. I am not going to leave my 62/190 14.5kg instrument without a fight. Occasionally I go up or down an octave for a part because I can rather than because I have to.

 

[Plinky]

Huh. I am not going to leave my 62/190 14.5kg instrument without a fight.

Hi dak just give it time

 

[LibraryJoe]

I originally wanted to get a chromatic, but i feel it's a little late to have to put in roughly 10 years of practice to get to the level i play the PA. Not sure it's worth it at this point in my life.... I play other instruments that demand a lot of my time also... I wish i would have picked up a chromatic 20 years ago and learned how to play it. I may still find a chromatic to mess with in the future. It would have to be a cheap box to play with.

I feel your pain! It's hard to find a low priced CBA here in the states. I lucked out with a decent Hohner on Ebay, but only considered it since returns were allowed.

 

[dak]

I feel your pain! It's hard to find a low priced CBA here in the states. I lucked out with a decent Hohner on Ebay, but only considered it since returns were allowed.

Return options don't protect against every scenario. You might receive an instrument in need of expensive repairs that you'd be a fool to return. Now what will you tell your minister of finance?

 

[96Bass]

Breezy Bellows made a video that might give you some useful info.

 

[Scuromondo]

Overall I enjoy owning a 37/96. But there are three trade offs that you might want to consider:

1. The most obvious one is the loss of the four notes on the keyboard side. There are definitely some occasions when I miss having those notes. I’ve tried G-G instruments and F-F, and prefer F-F, but you may feel differently. I think the reduction in the number of bass buttons from 120 to 96 is totally inconsequential.

2. If I ever purchase another 37/96 accordion I would pay much more attention to the overall keyboard length, and how the accordion fits between my chin and knee. Even though it is heavier and larger, my 41/120 accordion just fits more comfortably.

3. I do not know if this is always the case, but I find that the reduced size of the 37/96 accordion means that the bellows cross section is smaller, which requires a lot more bellows directional changes than on my 41/120, especially when all four reed sets are engaged.

 

[C Woj]

I definitely agree on the 96 bass. I never get up to the top rows or the 2 bottom rows. Those 4 rows will have no impact on my playing. Missing the RH top G will definitely be something to consider. I do play a couple of tunes that go up to high G, but these are pieces with octave jumps 8vb. The pieces can be played the octave lower without the jump. I can work around that. I can't think of any pieces i play that require walking up past F to the highest notes on the box.

I did look at 41 key 18" keyboards with the smaller keys and decided since i play other keyboard instruments - grand pianos, electric pianos and synths, staying with full size keys is probably just "better" for me. I am sure the adjustment to smaller keys on the box would not be that big of a deal, but why deal with that. The amount of air in the bellows has to be something to get used to. I have always been someone that pulls the bellows out almost too far before reversing. Don't know why, but i have always played that way. Maybe this will help reign in that habit!