New Delicia accordions.

[wout]

Hello people! Does anyone has experience with the new Delicia accordions? I was browsing youtube and came accross a nice wooden instrument: http://www.audioworks.cz/akordeony-klvesov/7996-delicia-carmen-viii-klavesovy-akordeon.html . Free bass plus cassotto with a mano reeds if you want for 3300 euros! Now I have been to the Czech Republic myself and I know that there stuff is good quality but cheap for us, but for them this is like buying an Italian instrument moneywise. So I just wondered, is it worth a visit to the Czech Republic? I know the old ones are quite crappy but I cant find anyone with experience with their new improved products. Reviews and sorts. So if anyone has some experience that would be great!

 

[JerryPH]

Is it worth it to visit the Czech republic? Well, my parents are Czech, I speak the language, so for me, yes, I'd love going there... but as to the question of going to the CR for the purpose of buying a Delicia, that's a little bit tougher of a question.

About 40 years ago, they didn't make very good accordions, except for the HLAVÁČEK models, which at least in my family, *everyone* wanted even if they did not play... lol The other accordions were generally of a bit lower quality than their equivalently priced competition. That said, quite a few people that I know say that they have really stepped up their game, especially in the last 5 or so years, but that can also be said of almost all manufacturers, so that's not a bad thing.

They're about a 45 minute drive south of Prague, and you can likely just walk in and not only get a tour, but if you buy, might even see someone putting together your accordion at the final stages, and then walk out with a brand spanking new accordion.

Bottom line, I would say, that they are a fair deal for the price. Not the best, not the worst, you get your money's worth, but before spending anything, it's always the best advice possible that if you can find a model locally that you can test personally, then do it. Czech currency is a bit of a bargain for people outside the country thanks to them having kept their Czech crown, not the Euro, so that is a very nice advantage, but the really nice thing would be to make it part of a small vacation, because Prauge is such a beautiful city to visit, and I find the people there just lovely. They also have the world's best beers there... you cannot beat that! :ch

 

[debra]

. Free bass plus cassotto with a mano reeds if you want for 3300 euros! Now I have been to the Czech Republic myself and I know that there stuff is good quality but cheap for us, but for them this is like buying an Italian instrument moneywise. So I just wondered, is it worth a visit to the Czech Republic? I know the old ones are quite crappy but I cant find anyone with experience with their new improved products. Reviews and sorts. So if anyone has some experience that would be great![/quote]
Well... it may be a bit less of a bargain than it looks. It is a smallish accordion, with 37 keys on the righthand side, separate MIII (no converter) with only 36 notes, 80 stradella basses, I dont see any registers on the bass side, ...
The main problem when buying Delicia is that the resale value is still mostly determined by the poor reputation from the past. These new instruments may actually be quite good but it takes time for people to realize they are getting a whole different Delicia than the old one. (Think of how the names of Skoda and Dacia were slowly lifted to a higher standard.)

 

[JerryPH]

Skoda... *that* is one of the most poorly chosen names ever. In the USA, the Chevrolet Nova at least sounded good in it's native tongue, but in Spanish it literally translates to "no go".

Skoda, translated from it's native language literally means "a pity" or "a waste". They needed a name rebrand decades ago, but though they used to make cars that were a waste (well, they were garbage), at least now they are a bit better. Still, I can see why people did not wish to buy a car that was "a pity" to drive... lol

Back on topic. Public perception of brand quality should not be a major factor in considering a purchase. Rather actual current quality should be, unless you are interested in selling the accordion in the near future. That is why I suggested in getting a hands-on before investing.

 

[MIArmyBand]

I traveled to Czech Republic a few years ago and picked up my Delicia accordion at the factory in Horovice. The "Choral" model is a full size accordion. I ordered red pearl celluloid finish, white pearl keys, cassotto, and Cagnoni reeds and I have been very happy with this accordion. It has served me well on concert tours and is my favorite instrument to play at home (I own Titano, La Tosca, Universal, and two Borsini Modern, also). I only wish that I had midi installed in it. Delicia is a family run business and they were a pleasure to do business with. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another accordion there (accordions seem to accumulate in my house!).

 

[debra]

I traveled to Czech Republic a few years ago and picked up my Delicia accordion at the factory in Horovice. The Choral model is a full size accordion. I ordered red pearl celluloid finish, white pearl keys, cassotto, and Cagnoni reeds and I have been very happy with this accordion. It has served me well on concert tours and is my favorite instrument to play at home (I own Titano, La Tosca, Universal, and two Borsini Modern, also). I only wish that I had midi installed in it. Delicia is a family run business and they were a pleasure to do business with. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another accordion there (accordions seem to accumulate in my house!).

Sounds a lot better than its reputation from decades ago. So when you buy an accordion and use it for the next thirty years it can be a bargain for a really good instrument. But you never know when you will want to sell it. I have never bought an instrument with the intention to sell it later. But the reality is that in the past 10 years I have sold no less than 5 accordions... That actually went reasonably well because they were brands with very good reputation. With a Weltmeister or Delicia or worse, with a Chinese brand, it could have been more difficult.

 

[maugein96]

If there is a fault with forums, covering any subject at all, it is that they are full of well meaning people with loads of knowledge which they wish to pass on to others. Through years of experience we all form our own opinions as to what is the best, what is the worst, and what will suffice if nothing better is available.

I have never owned a Delicia accordion, and know absolutely nothing about them. However, what is apparent is that there are several people who own these instruments and are delighted with them regardless.

I caused a bit of a stir when I joined a Greek bouzouki forum, waxing eloquent that my instrument had been constructed by a master luthier on Crete. I had previously owned "rubbish" bouzoukis and this Cretan "treasure" appeared to be "the business", consistent with my desire to get personal satisfaction out of playing it. I made it clear that I had no desire to be star of the show in an Athens nightclub, or anywhere else.

Several very helpful and tactful members advised me that there were no credible bouzouki makers on Crete, so the instrument was of questionable quality, and I'd be better getting one made from one of the "big names" on the mainland, at 5 times the price I'd paid. I accepted their observations and almost swallowed the bait whole, until I took a reality check. The bouzouki that I have will probably do me until my ashes are scattered on whatever midden my wife chooses. I'll never play it in front of a discerning audience, but just like to play it now and again for my own enjoyment.

Therefore, my advice to anybody asking for an opinion on an accordion, or any other musical instrument, would be that if you're happy that it will serve your needs then it will do, regardless of what badge it has on the front.

Our family car is a Vauxhall/Opel Corsa. Consistent with our budget and the fact that we don't do a large amount of mileage, then it is adequate for our needs. It would be great to own a Merc or a BMW, but those makes are for people with the bank balances to match. A lot of people mortgage their souls in search of that "ideal" material possession. Twenty years ago I might have done the same, but retirement alters the thinking processes somewhat.

EDIT:- The point I am trying to make is, having asked for advice on a forum, rather than be encouraged to proceed at my own level on the instrument I had, I was immediately advised that I had wasted my money on an inferior instrument, and so my credibility on that forum was virtually nil. After a few months on the forum it became apparent that anybody who never had a top of the range instrument was being told likewise, and one by one we gave the forum a miss. Delicia may not be everybody's ideal instrument, but they have been making them for years, and as far as I know are still in business at a time when some very highly respected Italian makers have gone bust. If their instruments were no good they wouldn't be there. Most people who begin an instrument, especially if they are more mature types, do not necessarily have ambitions to reach dizzy heights. They just want to learn to play a few tunes to entertain family and friends, and if their choice of instrument is not a top make, then does it really matter?

 

[debra]

...

EDIT:- The point I am trying to make is, having asked for advice on a forum, rather than be encouraged to proceed at my own level on the instrument I had, I was immediately advised that I had wasted my money on an inferior instrument, and so my credibility on that forum was virtually nil. After a few months on the forum it became apparent that anybody who never had a top of the range instrument was being told likewise, and one by one we gave the forum a miss. Delicia may not be everybody's ideal instrument, but they have been making them for years, and as far as I know are still in business at a time when some very highly respected Italian makers have gone bust. If their instruments were no good they wouldn't be there. Most people who begin an instrument, especially if they are more mature types, do not necessarily have ambitions to reach dizzy heights. They just want to learn to play a few tunes to entertain family and friends, and if their choice of instrument is not a top make, then does it really matter?

A very good point indeed! Especially when you just want to enjoy playing an instrument that sounds right to your ears, plays well enough and you trust your knowledge about the makers, go for it, no matter what brand it is and what their reputation is. There is something right for every budget, and not everyone needs (or can afford) top of the line, and in fact besides price the size and weight may also be against the supposedly better instruments. And indeed, well-known Italian factories have gone bust, like Ballone Burini and Borsini, whereas companies like Weltmeister and Delicia are surviving in a difficult market because they found a price-quality balance that appeals to more customers than the high-enders. We do not all need a 30.000 euro Pigini Nova or a Hohner Gola to be happy with what we have and enjoy.
About 15 years ago one of my associates needed a violin for her daughter. So she bought a Chinese violin and then took it to a local instrument maker who only needed to make relatively small alterations to turn this in to a pretty nice instrument for studying the violin. Resale value may be rather low, but who cares as long as it is for personal use. But once you start paying "real money" you should also start considering resale value, if not for yourself then maybe for your heirs.

 

[colin fellows]

The company should be avoided, If you ever require a repair or replacement part they ignore e-mails in any language.. Stick to Hohner, they have a reputation that they maintain.
Colin Fellows

 

[debra]

The company should be avoided, If you ever require a repair or replacement part they ignore e-mails in any language.. Stick to Hohner, they have a reputation that they maintain.
Colin Fellows

They are certainly not the only ones that ignore e-mails, unless you have made personal contact by phone or in person first. We take e-mail for granted as a valuable communication medium, but that isnt universally true. This is certainly not something specific for the accordion world! I like e-mail communication but many of my friends and others I know prefer phone over e-mail and some will mostly ignore e-mail a lot, partly out of fear for spammers and scammers that are much more prevalent in e-mail than in phone contact.

 

[Corsaire]

I've had 2 Delicias (96 and 72 compact), both bought second-hand, but relatively recent models, and have had many happy hours with them. As Paul says, they are good quality for the price and as they are not very expensive, there's only a small loss on selling.

Paul - I liked your dit about the violin. Many years ago, I bought a Chinese-made Skylark for £5, advertised in a local newspaper. I put some new strings on it and asked a proper violinist to play it. She made it sound good enough to learn on and I had one hell of a lot of fun with it ... and I eventually sold it for more than I paid for it !!

I thought French companies were bad about replying to emails ... French companies and organisations frequently claim not to have received letters either so everything of importance goes recorded delivery, and requires a signature on receipt.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Colin,

Your advice regarding Delicia Vs Hohner appears not to take into account the experiences of satisfied owners, or the personal preferences of potential buyers.

I own a very old Hohner Arietta 120/41, and understand that many of these instruments were built outside Germany. One of the manufacturers who built the Arietta 120/41 was, in fact, Delicia. Work on building Arietta's was also contracted out to a Swiss company, though I am not sure which company that was.

I also own a nice little Galotta, which is a brand that has attracted some negative comments in the past. That negativity means absolutely nothing to me, as I am very satisfied with all three of my accordions.

Currently, as discussed elsewhere, the majority of Hohner instruments are built in China. In point of fact, Hohner is now wholly owned by a Taiwanese Investment Group, and has little if anything to do with Germany.

Other accordion companies have their instruments built in China, though some of them are not very clear about where they are made. I suppose they would rather you believe they were made in Italy, even though that is increasingly not the case.

As far as I am aware, Delicia still make their instruments "in house", so at least you can be sure they are made where you think they are made.

If someone feels inclined to drive to the factory, good luck to them.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[OuijaBoard]

Delicia is very analogous to Weltmeister. Both companies are part of the loose conglomeration of "Harmona"-related accordion factory concerns clustered around the blurry line between Czechoslovakia and the former East Germany around Klingenthal. Technically Delicia is Czech. But they're all kind of in each other's kitchen in the Klingenthal Kluster, as with the Castelfidardo cluster on Italy's Aegean coast. These instruments pop up under re-badged names licensed out to this or that music dealer---Weltmeisters can be found disguised as "Galotta" instruments, "Frohlich" instruements, and also under the former French name of "Paul Beuscher." Delicias have been re-badged in the states for the sadly defunct Main Squeeze accordion shop in lower Manhattan, where they gave a lot of joy to a lot of folks as "Main Squeeze" boxes. Delicias are still re-badged and sold by Castiglione Accordions of Detroit.

My view of the products out of the Harmona/Delicia cluster is that provided you go with their principal as opposed to bottom-tier budget instruments, you are getting very good value with NEW, RECENT, CONTEMPORARY examples. The East German/Czech stuff has improved over the decades, to the point where much of the RECENT stuff is just about par with the classic West German workhorses of Hohner's pre-Asian golden era. Better, in some ways, due to improvements in ergonomic engineering/design since Hohner's golden age. Worse in others, in the sense that the interior materials/construction can be flimsy and involve more plastic than prior eras.

If you check out Delicia, you will see that the factory offers grades of reeds you can special order, which is cool. The higher grades of NEW Delicias are good value, particularly if you play dance-derived world folk genres. The tone of good-quality German/East German/Czech stuff just has a sound of folk-dance joy to it in a way some of the more refined makes don't quite give you, ravishing though they are for other purposes.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi OuijaBoard,

The fact that (former) Eastern Bloc nations built sub-standard products can be attributed to the cold, dead hand of the USSR resting on their shoulders.

The Czechs are, and always were, superb engineers, with the Skoda Company producing some of the finest steam locomotives ever built.

Now that the Russians have relaxed their ferocious grip on former satellite states, I am quite sure that the new Czech Republic will regain its tradition of fine engineering. (if it hasn't already done so.)

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[jozz]

they have a nice video from last year where they document their proces to gain a little more insight and you can see they have put some more money into this promotion

2011:


2017:


at least that final tester guy is still the same person

the Arnaldo 07 could be a contender if I ever were in for a brand new allround stage instrument

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Jozz,

Two very interesting clips ....... thank you.

It seems quite obvious to me that Delicia production values are high, and the materials used are of good quality. The Artisans featured in those clips appear to know exactly what they are doing, and I am persuaded that Delicia instruments represent excellent value for money.

A full size Delicia with hand made reeds retails for around £1,600 in the UK, which is a fraction of the cost of instruments with similar specifications from elsewhere in Europe.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.