Dingo40
Been here for ages!
One of my accordions still has some new accordion smell after 50 years!
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New car (accordion) smell🙂
- Thread starter Dingo40
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accordionmaniac
Member
What smell is that?
When I inherited my sister's accordion it definitely had a new accordion smell, but it wasn't a "new accordion" smell, rather a new "stored in a badly vented (or not vented at all) room for 50 years"...
The "new accordion" smell typically the smell of the different glues that were used in the production: glue to keep pieces of wood together to form the accordion case, glue used to glue fabric and bellows tape on the bellows, wax used for the reed plates, glue for the valves and pallets, etc. There is a lot of glue that goes into an accordion... But that smell evaporates over time.
The "new accordion" smell typically the smell of the different glues that were used in the production: glue to keep pieces of wood together to form the accordion case, glue used to glue fabric and bellows tape on the bellows, wax used for the reed plates, glue for the valves and pallets, etc. There is a lot of glue that goes into an accordion... But that smell evaporates over time.
Dingo40
Been here for ages!
It's definitely still got some!
accordionmaniac
Member
That explains the intense glue smell when my accordion was new, and also the smell it receives after being in its case for a few hours.
When I got my Hohner Morino new, the first time I opened that case (and yes I clearly remember that smell, yet I was 13 years old at the time), I had that whiff of wood smell, no glues or anything else. To this very day, when I put on this accordion, I air out the bellows 2-3 times and as I do that, I inhale that exact same smell.
Here is a little good news. When I don't air out my basement via open window for a few days, it takes on that wood smell just a little. We recently had like 10 days straight of rain so I kept the window closed and when I went down, it smelled to me like my Morino. Of course, most accordions have that smell, as confirmed by the very near same smell the Gola has, or any of my other accordions, but to me there is something magical about that smell, its the start of a process that puts me in one of my favorite states of mind.
I don't know what woods they use, but I like it... lol
Here is a little good news. When I don't air out my basement via open window for a few days, it takes on that wood smell just a little. We recently had like 10 days straight of rain so I kept the window closed and when I went down, it smelled to me like my Morino. Of course, most accordions have that smell, as confirmed by the very near same smell the Gola has, or any of my other accordions, but to me there is something magical about that smell, its the start of a process that puts me in one of my favorite states of mind.
I don't know what woods they use, but I like it... lol
accordionmaniac
Member
Maybe it's aged wood as opposed to most new accordions?
I had a Weltmeister Monte which had a distinct wood smell too, regardless of how many years I had it.
I had a Weltmeister Monte which had a distinct wood smell too, regardless of how many years I had it.
The old 'knackers yard'* thermal adhesive kept hot in the pot is the source of many familiar smells.
* ( Made from boiled up bones and hide scraps )
* ( Made from boiled up bones and hide scraps )
Interesting. My nose must not be as good as yours. When I got my Hohner Morino "new" (it sat in a warehouse for a long time before I got it, because it's a Morino S type bought at least 10 years after the demise of Excelsior) I do not recall it having a distinctive smell. I have also bought quite a few Bugari accordions new and don't recall a specific smell. Even my Russian AKKO had no strong smell. The only accordions I recall that had a distinctive smell were old ones that had not been stored properly or came from a smokey environment. And that is a smell that is very hard to impossible to ever get it completely out.
If there was any smell at all in my new accordions it was mostly the glue, of which an accordion contains quite a lot. The woods in a new accordion have (supposedly) been dried/cured for several years before being used to build an accordion. There should not be any smell left, because "wood smell" is mostly the smell of the sap/resin/moisture inside the wood and that smell disappears over time. Only accordions with cheap soft wood that isn't aged enough may really smell like wood. Some of the lesser Hohner models have such wood. Think of student models or the Atlantic series (with half-size reed blocks to avoid any effect of warping).
My sense of smell then must is better, but its not just me, but any of my friends or family that I bring down to the basement smell the same. My sister and parents saw my actions many years ago and also told me the smell is pleasant, it's a little like being in a wood workshop.
Even kiln-dried wood has a smell.
Now, the newest accordion I own is the Beltuna, when I pump the bellows out at the start, there is a light wood smell, but not the same amount as the others, and the Gola, though not new, definitely has a lot of "Morino" in it (lol).
Even kiln-dried wood has a smell.
Now, the newest accordion I own is the Beltuna, when I pump the bellows out at the start, there is a light wood smell, but not the same amount as the others, and the Gola, though not new, definitely has a lot of "Morino" in it (lol).
Between the age of 15 to 25 electronics were my hobby. A lot of soldering, with lead-based solder, has greatly diminished my sense of smell. It has since returned to some extent, but will never again be good enough to detect faint odors... An advantage is that I can play the old Crucianelli I inherited from my sister despite its smell. (It did take a lot of cleaning and airing, for many months to reach that point, where I can tolerate the smell while playing...)
Sorry about that Paul... but at least we can say that from a bad situation came a little something good.
There is also the smell of the perfume the last vendor used inside the bellows for masking mouldy scents. That can be a surprisingly long-lived annoyance as well.
Just as an aside, being an accordionist, I think the smell of a new accordion far outweighs the smell of a new car ! Just sayin.....
By far!!!!
