Lira Centra Matic versus FIAS Stradella
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
Ventura
Been here for ages!
i cannot compare them, but i will say that for ME personally
i avoid Lire as a general rule, unless it is pristine
my feeling is based on just a lot of observed stuff, which
may not be fair but generally i found them to be not
nearly as reliable or robust as other brands, they tend to use
a lot of heavy chrome and they were thik un's to begin with,
the centromatic idea looks cool but did anyone ever swear by it?
and it is more complicated and has more rubbing surfaces and
seems to need servicing more often than straight line industry
standard shift mech's, add to that they were one of the ones used the
cheap bass button plastics that crumble.. so who knows if they
saved a buck here and there and used other components
also vulnerable to Ultra Violet
there are some sweet pre-ww2 Lire accordions around, and i am just
dissing the post war models
i avoid Lire as a general rule, unless it is pristine
my feeling is based on just a lot of observed stuff, which
may not be fair but generally i found them to be not
nearly as reliable or robust as other brands, they tend to use
a lot of heavy chrome and they were thik un's to begin with,
the centromatic idea looks cool but did anyone ever swear by it?
and it is more complicated and has more rubbing surfaces and
seems to need servicing more often than straight line industry
standard shift mech's, add to that they were one of the ones used the
cheap bass button plastics that crumble.. so who knows if they
saved a buck here and there and used other components
also vulnerable to Ultra Violet
there are some sweet pre-ww2 Lire accordions around, and i am just
dissing the post war models
Thanks Ventura!
The Lira in question is better made in terms of attention to detail in the mechanism and interior fit and finish than the FIAS you have as I recall. The FIAS has a tone chamber of course, and assuming the balky "straight line industry standard shift mechanism" (this particular instrument has very sluggish switches due to crud on the slides- no rust on the reeds et al though) gets fixed it'd be a wash functionally. They both have slides in the foundation plate.
The FIAS with the zippy side indicator buttons in the case above the upper bracket has real vintage old timey pizazz. The Lira is near perfect but has 50's 60's styling. I find both to be pretty appealing instruments in presented appearance.
Decent reeds on both- the valves are in marginally better condition on the Lira- but not so I'd write home about it.
The chrome on the Lira (27B) is pretty much perfect but the Liras- as do many Italian pieces of the era- has a bad track record for the chrome wearing through and showing brass. Same-same as with Alfa's and Fiats of the era!
Personally very much like the Centromatic - a matter of player's personal preference- and having had several, have never had an issue with the mechanism. It gets in the way if you ever need to level the keyboard and must be pulled off- a bit of a pain. Ventura may have come across some that went out of whack. Luck of the draw I suppose. He appears to have a pretty substantial base of experience in these things.
A sad thing that you don't have room for both- if you kicked your family to the curb couldn't you keep both and look for a third?
Good luck- find a good home for whichever one you cull.
The FIAS with the zippy side indicator buttons in the case above the upper bracket has real vintage old timey pizazz. The Lira is near perfect but has 50's 60's styling. I find both to be pretty appealing instruments in presented appearance.
Decent reeds on both- the valves are in marginally better condition on the Lira- but not so I'd write home about it.
The chrome on the Lira (27B) is pretty much perfect but the Liras- as do many Italian pieces of the era- has a bad track record for the chrome wearing through and showing brass. Same-same as with Alfa's and Fiats of the era!
Personally very much like the Centromatic - a matter of player's personal preference- and having had several, have never had an issue with the mechanism. It gets in the way if you ever need to level the keyboard and must be pulled off- a bit of a pain. Ventura may have come across some that went out of whack. Luck of the draw I suppose. He appears to have a pretty substantial base of experience in these things.
A sad thing that you don't have room for both- if you kicked your family to the curb couldn't you keep both and look for a third?
Good luck- find a good home for whichever one you cull.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
sounds like you have seen both of these boxes, so your
eval is likely a good analysis.. and sounds like you have had
personal success with Centro's and like them.. i have no doubt..
it is a cool look and obviously having an exclusive selling feature
was very desirable back when the market was fiercely contested
anyone know what parts of the country they were marketed strongly in ?
never saw a single one in Western Pennsylvania growing up
i have never even heard of "Fias" brand, but you say it has a tone chamber,
so it might be worth looking closer to see if it has any other upgrade
features, like walnut keys and dual pivot action. Chambered models
do tend to be in the higher end, while straight boxes can be student
or pro but still look pretty much the same
eval is likely a good analysis.. and sounds like you have had
personal success with Centro's and like them.. i have no doubt..
it is a cool look and obviously having an exclusive selling feature
was very desirable back when the market was fiercely contested
anyone know what parts of the country they were marketed strongly in ?
never saw a single one in Western Pennsylvania growing up
i have never even heard of "Fias" brand, but you say it has a tone chamber,
so it might be worth looking closer to see if it has any other upgrade
features, like walnut keys and dual pivot action. Chambered models
do tend to be in the higher end, while straight boxes can be student
or pro but still look pretty much the same
Thanks for your input Henry! I find the FIAS is a little more responsive in reed action and tone, probably due to the chamber. Some of the waterfall keys are cracked, and it’s a little more beat up as you know. But it’s a wonderful accordion and I wish I could keep them all. But alas, a guy from across the sea is coming to look at on Monday at a price respectful of its provenance, and I believe to a good home where it will be played. And I did charge extra for the dime on the side!
I’m keeping the Centro Matic for now, leaving me with (only) 8 accordions so I probably won’t have to get kicked out…..
I’m not sure of the FIAS origin. Seems like I recall maybe it evolved from the merger of two companies??? An acronym but I don’t know of what. Someone knows…..
The FIAS appears to be very much alike to a Dallape 25 in most regards internally. The switching and cosmetics are different of course- but the feel and sound are very similar. The Dallape has five LH switches as opposed to the one on the FIAS- I don't really use the LH switches a great deal but "just the one" was mildly irksome though quite livable for me.
"FIAS" is an acronym ("Thanks for that Henry...") and as I recall is stencilled and spelled out in purple ink on the wood inside- RH or LH side I don't remember. It could even be that the other "Stradella" accordion (FIAS and the Stradella brands appear to be one and the same) I have ( a "Super Salas") is the one with the stencil. My memory is indeed a weak reed these days (seemed an apropos metaphor given that this is an accordion site...). "Fabbrica Italiana Armoniche Stradella" is my best guess but I could be way off.
Recall this disclaimer if you pull the pins and it's not stencilled on the instrument you have...
They seem to be a conglomeration of craftsmen from various shops cobbling together instruments based upon pieces of successful time honored designs. In some ways seemingly built with an eye toward keeping costs down, but pretty well done in other ways. The designs are indeed well tested and whatever the carpentry/mechanical finishing details on the inside the reeds are quite nice and the blocks fine.
As it happens I have an old Dallape 25- cosmetically aged but mechanically and sonically just fine- reeds are quite nice. It's presence here is why I donated the FIAS to you. I also have a Lira 50, which is how you got the 27B. (27A is the three voice model, the 50 is very similar to the 27b (LMMH) with ostensibly better reeds though I couldn't hear or feel a difference of substantial note, with more LH switching options).
The Centromatic style switching is really a boon to someone like me who switches between accordions and is too feebleminded to keep track of the straight line switching lineup which differs from instrument to instrument. I like the all in the middle and easy to locate with out even thinking of looking. If you play only the one- as most do- familiarity would pretty much erase the difference.
I found the LIRA to be better suited for straight ahead playing, while the FIAS was a bit richer. Liked both sounds. The same observation applies to the 25 and the 50- clearly personal perceptions "in the ear of the beholder"; me.
"FIAS" is an acronym ("Thanks for that Henry...") and as I recall is stencilled and spelled out in purple ink on the wood inside- RH or LH side I don't remember. It could even be that the other "Stradella" accordion (FIAS and the Stradella brands appear to be one and the same) I have ( a "Super Salas") is the one with the stencil. My memory is indeed a weak reed these days (seemed an apropos metaphor given that this is an accordion site...). "Fabbrica Italiana Armoniche Stradella" is my best guess but I could be way off.
Recall this disclaimer if you pull the pins and it's not stencilled on the instrument you have...
They seem to be a conglomeration of craftsmen from various shops cobbling together instruments based upon pieces of successful time honored designs. In some ways seemingly built with an eye toward keeping costs down, but pretty well done in other ways. The designs are indeed well tested and whatever the carpentry/mechanical finishing details on the inside the reeds are quite nice and the blocks fine.
As it happens I have an old Dallape 25- cosmetically aged but mechanically and sonically just fine- reeds are quite nice. It's presence here is why I donated the FIAS to you. I also have a Lira 50, which is how you got the 27B. (27A is the three voice model, the 50 is very similar to the 27b (LMMH) with ostensibly better reeds though I couldn't hear or feel a difference of substantial note, with more LH switching options).
The Centromatic style switching is really a boon to someone like me who switches between accordions and is too feebleminded to keep track of the straight line switching lineup which differs from instrument to instrument. I like the all in the middle and easy to locate with out even thinking of looking. If you play only the one- as most do- familiarity would pretty much erase the difference.
I found the LIRA to be better suited for straight ahead playing, while the FIAS was a bit richer. Liked both sounds. The same observation applies to the 25 and the 50- clearly personal perceptions "in the ear of the beholder"; me.
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