marinucci or scandalli

[Marije]

hi all,

Here another question in the endless search for a new old accordion ;-)
After deciding against an Excelsior of dubious origins, now I am choosing between two very nice instruments, both 3 voices, 5+2 registers, 72 bass.

a Marinucci of around 10 years old, retail price for this model was €2250 back then. Now it seems to be around €3500, but can't actually find any new Marinucci's  anywhere, so a bit hard to verify..


a Scandalli Cantore 72, it seems to be a bit older, but not too much.

Would you have any remarks on the quality level of the brands in general and these instruments specifically, also in durability?

Thanks!

 

[jozz]

I guess typically:
marinucci: low - mid
scandalli: mid - high end

In this case that says nothing about these specific examples, or their maintanance history. You should give them a testride.

The Scandalli looks quite a bit older, by the looks of the switches. Maybe from the 90-ies? There was one for sale here by a member, maybe they have more insight. --> LINK to sales forum

 

[debra]

Both instruments are not very high grade of course, but the most important difference between the two is that the Marinucci goes from G to
E and the Scandally from F to D. You have to decide for yourself whether you will need the low F and F# more or less than the high D# and E.
A 72 bass accordion typically has just 34 keys and no repeat bass rows which is why, if you can handle it, a 96 bass is always better, having two extra bass rows both at the top and bottom, and having 37 keys on the treble side (often F to F, sometimes G to G).

 

[Marije]

Both instruments are not very high grade of course, but the most important difference between the two is that the Marinucci goes from G to
E and the Scandally  from F to D. You have to decide for yourself whether you will need the low F and F# more or less than the high D# and E.
A 72 bass accordion typically has just 34 keys and no repeat bass rows which is why, if you can handle it, a 96 bass is always better, having two extra bass rows both at the top and bottom, and having 37 keys on the treble side (often F to F, sometimes G to G).

Thanks Paul,
You are right, they are both not super instrument, but it is exactly for the more rough work that I want to use it, like playing outside or in chaotic situations.
Actually, I'm intrigued by the fact that it seems a 72 light instrument can be more easy to carry, but at the same time more arduous to play... I can't really lift my Serenellini Regina Gold w cassotto but she plays really light, and I can use the weight of the instrument itself to move the bellows...

 

[Dingo40]

Marije,

The Marinucci has 2 more  bellows pleats  than the Scandalli 

 

[debra]

Marije,

The Marinucci has 2 more  bellows pleats  than the Scandalli 

That only matters if the bellow folds have the same depth. That's certainly not always the case.

 

[Dingo40]

"That only matters if the bellow folds have the same depth..."

Oh, OK Paul, good point!

 

[maugein96]

That only matters if the bellow folds have the same depth...

Oh, OK Paul, good point!

Dont think Id ever worry too much these days about what badge was on my accordion. If you have access to both instruments before you buy then the only choice is the one that best suits your needs. 

That Marinucci looks like it is more from the late 50s/60s than being only 10 years old. The register switches look to be newer than that, but Im not sure. The original Marinucci factory in Recanati, near Ancona, Italy, was only in production from 1922 - 1962. 

A UK outlet has had a few new Marinucci accordions for sale recently, but they look nothing like the one in your pic. 

I have a Marinucci CBA, which is about the same age as I am (67), and it is built like a tank. That being the case, I wouldnt want to carry it around for long. It looks pretty much like the accordion in your photo, with regard to the badge, grille, body case, and logo style.  

The new Marinucci accordions advertised in the UK look like the one in this link, but appear to be of a different breed entirely to the one shown in your pic. Looks as though the brand name has been revived, but I couldnt really say. My old style Marinucci like the one in your pic would only be worth about €500. 

http://www.accordion.co.uk/marinicciparis.html

 

[boxplayer4000]

This Marinucci Model 370 is just passing through following some repairs.
I don't understand the earlier comments which seek to place Marinucci in the 'lower quality' league.
One of the best retailers (probably THE best) here in the UK has Marinuccis on sale between 700 and 900 British pounds.

 

[donn]

Actually, I'm intrigued by the fact that it seems a 72 light instrument can be more easy to carry

You can't really count on that. Between two models in the same line, one with 72 and the other 96 basses, the 72 will indeed probably be lighter, but only because the manufacturer understands that 72-bass customers want a lighter accordion (and more economical.)

For example, the Scandalli "Air Junior" line. 72 bass is 8.2kg, 96 is 8.8 - presumably because of some construction differences. They have different reeds, etc. The extra 24 bass buttons and the linkage behind them don't seem like they'd add up to a pound, and that's all there is to that. All the reeds are already there, when you have buttons for all 12 tones of the scale. Extra bass buttons, per se, are practically free - they recycle reeds. The weight budget of an accordion design comes out of a lot of other things.

 

[colinm]

I had a Marinucci that cost about £500, all the valves were curling and some of them were falling off, had to trade it in to a dealer, made me suspect the quality of Marinucci.
I had a Scandalli Cantore that cost about £1000, nothing special, not much volume.