Walker
🪗
Yup...
if you look closely you can see it in one of the Scandalli photo's.
Plus the spec sheet says "11 + S" (the separator)
SUPER VI EXTREME - Scandalli Accordions
scandalli.com
New Giulietti Classic 127 or new Scandalli Super VI Extreme?
- Thread starter Fredson96
- Start date
Yup...
if you look closely you can see it in one of the Scandalli photo's.
Plus the spec sheet says "11 + S" (the separator)
scandalli.com
The seller has the Explosion. I've heard great things about it before. But, without testing, I don't feel comfortable buying it. I only know that I don't like the Extreme's bass's switches because I was able to hear them in person. Trying to figure it out by watching a video of it's testing is just too much of a gamble :/
Indeed, the Extreme has 11 bass switches. Personally, I couldn't stand 8 of them (too high). There are 3 that are more palatable, but they just don't hit that sweet spot the the Classic does (not low enough). The decoupler couldn't save it for me. It's hard to explain, but it felt like this. Apparently, some bass switches have low and high notes together. The decoupler removes the higher notes from these switches, leaving the fundamentals very low (some switches become mute switches, others only have the chords while the fundamentals are muted). But it isn't the case for the chords: they keep the higher tones that weren't removed. Basically, the fundamentals resemble a tuba, while the chords are very high. This is why the decoupler isn't a selling point to me. It's a plus, but not one that gives me what I'm looking for ;-;
Yep, it has the decoupler. It's a little switch on the bass side. Removes all the higher tones from the fundamentals, leaving them very low (tuba like). But it doesn't do the same to the chords, so the switches become "insanelly low fundamentals with very high chords", which kinda disappointed me :/
The lowest two octaves never play in the chords on any accordion. So the effect of the decoupler is only that the base notes consist of only the lowest two octaves. The chords remain the same with or without decoupler. They do not become "very high chords".
I'm know. Hence why I used the verb "fell"
While using de decoupler, the discrepancy between the low fundamentals and the chords is such that the chords feel very high (although, in practice, we know that the decoupler doesn't cause this). While playing, I was thinking "this sounds so quirky, sounds almost like a toy". Personally, I don't believe I'd ever use the decoupler, hence why it's not selling point for me. The nicest feature of the Extreme, imho, is the powerful reeds. I'm almost sold on the Classic, however. It's bass just hits the right spots
I'd use the decoupler, especially on a piano accordion, because it allows the L, M and LM treble registers to be extended down by playing base notes. On a "normal" accordion you cannot do this because one of the higher reeds from the chords is always mixed in with the low base reeds.I'm know. Hence why I used the verb "fell"
While using de decoupler, the discrepancy between the low fundamentals and the chords is such that the chords feel very high (although, in practice, we know that the decoupler doesn't cause this). While playing, I was thinking "this sounds so quirky, sounds almost like a toy". Personally, I don't believe I'd ever use the decoupler, hence why it's not selling point for me. The nicest feature of the Extreme, imho, is the powerful reeds. I'm almost sold on the Classic, however. It's bass just hits the right spots
I see. Indeed, since this is the case, it's a nice use for it. Right now, it wouldn't be very usefull for my personal use, but I'll keep this info in the back of my mind. Maybe one day it'd be nice to have a box with such feature
In the end, I chose the Classic 127. There's a minor detail, though. I took my Excelsior to a professional and saw that it sounds high because it's tunned to 442Hz. Since I assumed that it was 440Hz (almost standard in Brazil outside the south) and didn't have a reference to compare it to side by side, I didn't consider this possibility while thinking "this thing is kinda high, innit?" Therefore, I decided to give it a last try: I intend to tune, polish, level both keyboard and bass, etc., to see if it gets where I want. If I do, perfect: I can always save more and get the Classic later. If not, I'll sell it and buy the Classic 127. Hopefully it will be what I want, though. This is a great, special Excelsior
I discovered that most of the Classic 127 that arrive in Brazil have "Artigiana tipo A" reeds (not sure that's the exact name, but it's something like that). The Excelsior (made in the 1990s) has "Cagnoni a mano" reeds. I've no idea if one is superior or not. I imagine Excelsior used good reeds, so I guess these Cagnoni are, at the very least, well made. They've synthetic valves, which I'll swap for others made of either pure leather or a combination of leather and plastic. The pure leather seems better, but I'll search more info on the topic )>'-')>
If anyone has info on the type of valve and on the a mano reeds from Cagnoni fabricated in the 1990s and could share it, I'll be very thankfull
Finally, I want to thank everyone who shared their opinion, knowledge and experience in this post. It was crucial for me to make my decision, and I'm sure it'll help other accordionists in the future that may need information on the Extreme and the Classic 127. This forum is out of the charts because of you all guys and your selfless will to help others. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all
P.S.: out of curiosity, does anyone know the type of the wood in the pictures? Is it some sort of maple?
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breezybellows
Well-known member
As someone who has briefly tried both, the one difference that stood out to me is the time of the bass. The Giulietti (just like other accordions made by zero sette) has a bass sound that is both deep and crispy. Personally I like this more. This gives you a lot of different options with respect to power using the bass registers. I find it handy for final balance between left and right side
The new scandalli super vi has a bass that is deep but it lacks the crispness of the Giulietti. Even with the bass decouplers, I find the bass time spectrum to be very limited.
Both are high quality instruments with excellent keyboards. I liked how similar the new scandalli keyboard is to the super vi models from the Golden age.
The new scandalli super vi has a bass that is deep but it lacks the crispness of the Giulietti. Even with the bass decouplers, I find the bass time spectrum to be very limited.
Both are high quality instruments with excellent keyboards. I liked how similar the new scandalli keyboard is to the super vi models from the Golden age.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
oh, with the Excelsior in the mix, i would, if comparable condition,
choose it over the other two every time
their reedblocks were made from several types of wood fit
together then milled, so that optimal benefits for the different
needs would be better met
notice the reedplates are quite varied in size (length) with many
changing slightly every reed position or every two or three, as
compared to some high end boutique accordions i have seen recently,
where the reeds seem to be the same size for 6 or 7 notes or even more..
to me this means those reed tongues are sacrificed to have the
different pitches, rather than making a reed-tongue a more optimized
and well engineered size for a particular pitch (meaning mass, dimension,
flexibility, leading to long term stability/lifespan)
in other words, to take the same exact size reeds and thin the tongues
out to make 7 different pitches
(mass/thickness being the only real variable available)
seems inferior to me as a manufacturing choice, unless you are
building dime a dozen student accordions..
but handmade reeds and the art of reedmaking is a vastly different
thing today than it was in the old days
yes, fix up that Excelsior !
choose it over the other two every time
their reedblocks were made from several types of wood fit
together then milled, so that optimal benefits for the different
needs would be better met
notice the reedplates are quite varied in size (length) with many
changing slightly every reed position or every two or three, as
compared to some high end boutique accordions i have seen recently,
where the reeds seem to be the same size for 6 or 7 notes or even more..
to me this means those reed tongues are sacrificed to have the
different pitches, rather than making a reed-tongue a more optimized
and well engineered size for a particular pitch (meaning mass, dimension,
flexibility, leading to long term stability/lifespan)
in other words, to take the same exact size reeds and thin the tongues
out to make 7 different pitches
(mass/thickness being the only real variable available)
seems inferior to me as a manufacturing choice, unless you are
building dime a dozen student accordions..
but handmade reeds and the art of reedmaking is a vastly different
thing today than it was in the old days
yes, fix up that Excelsior !
Indeed, the Classic 127 bass has a very deep, nice sound. Maybe that's why this model is, to this day, so appreciated here in Brazil. Some models that were beloved in the past kind of "fell off" here, like the Galanti Super Dominator and the Dallapé Super Maestro. However, the Super VI and the Classic 127 are as popular today as ever. As wild as it sounds, people here will take them any day, everyday over a Victoria Poeta or a Beltuna Leader IV. I also agree that it's great to see Scandalli getting somewhat close to the golden age models with the Extreme. Hopefully today's manufacturers will be able to reproduce more of made those accordions so special.
My goal with this post was to see if it'd be better to fix the Excelsior or to use the money and the Excelsior to get either the Classic 127 or the Extreme. Since the Mod. 2000 (sister of the Mod. 940) was made for the Brazilian market, I was a bit worried that Excelsior could've used inferior wood and/or components for this line (unfortunately, some brands do things like this here in order to reduce costs). Most of this accordion's valves are synthetic, which sounds somewhat cheap, so I'm a bit apprehensive about the quality of the reeds. They're Cagnoni a mano reeds, but the use synthetic valves worries me. I assume this would be out of character for the 1990s Excelsior, notorious for it's high quality standards. However, since I can't be sure about this, this doubt lingers in my mind. After all, Pigini ended up buying Excelsior, so maybe financial issues pressured Excelsior to make some compromises and sacrifices in its last independent days
But I'd be VERY happy if I'm just being a silly goober and none of these worries are justified. I'd be elated if my lack of knowledge and fear of bad market practices are making me doubt of an outstanding accordion made by a company that was excellent and true to its reputation throughout all the time it was independent. If that's the case, I'll 100% fix the Excelsior and keep it (I can always save more and get the Classic 127 a year from now, after all). @Ventura and @debra, you're some of the most knowledgeable people I ever met regarding accordion brands and their history. Am I being a silly goober?
In any case, I had no clue that Excelsior combined different woods for their reeds. No wonder I've no clue of which wood was used to make this accordion
If I end up fixing it, I'll:
1) change the bellow's "percalina" (Brazilian name for the leather strip between bellow's metal thingies, which we call "cantoneiras") for a new black one, because this silver one is tearing in some places;
2) remove the glue in the reed blocks and properly cover them with high quality mass or some other alternative that properly does the job;
3) tune everything to 440Hz and change the synthetic valves for either other made out off 100% or 80% leather;
4) polish everything;
5) level the bass and keyboard buttons;
7) apply wood vanish on the reeds.
With this, this accordion should be as good as new.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
i think by the 1990's the entire industry had moved to the Mylar
valves.. Hohner had transitioned to them a decade before that..
it isn't only that the purchasing power of the accordion industry
had more and more competition from other industries for a
finite supply of quality basic material, but also that accordion
specific leather is cleaned of tanning and other processing
residue, similar to the trenched quality cardboard used in Bellows,
so that trace impurities that are not important to, say, a shoemaker
or a furniture company, must be considered in an accordion's
enclosed environment, and those impurities possible affects
on metal, or even just flexibility plus strength in the life of
leather valves which will flex and return a million times..
some leather processors who once may have gone the extra step to
accommodate their old customers in the Accordion industry perhaps
decided it was no longer worth the extra expense for orders which
were becoming fewer and smaller. I feel our industry rather had
to find reasonably priced alternatives, and at our level of
fixing up an accordion now and then, we can "see" the cost of
real leather as affordable, while if we were making 1000 a year
we might opt for mylar or PE leather too !
and this is of course the crux of one of the problems with
the newer cheaper accordion looking objects from various
places.. do they even have a clue about the purity of
cardboard or types of leather or care at all when they are
trying to build the most profitable cheap version of
an instrument
this is my take on the valve issue.. i would also always
use leather as i do not like the slap of the mylar, though
as our friend has noted they are more efficient and reliable
in the higher octave reeds
and as an aside, i know that Faithe Deffner at some point
became frustrated with the lowering of basic raw material
quality, that she had taken to bidding in the open market
for certain bulk items to guarantee the people in Italy making
her accordions had the right stuff to make them with !
valves.. Hohner had transitioned to them a decade before that..
it isn't only that the purchasing power of the accordion industry
had more and more competition from other industries for a
finite supply of quality basic material, but also that accordion
specific leather is cleaned of tanning and other processing
residue, similar to the trenched quality cardboard used in Bellows,
so that trace impurities that are not important to, say, a shoemaker
or a furniture company, must be considered in an accordion's
enclosed environment, and those impurities possible affects
on metal, or even just flexibility plus strength in the life of
leather valves which will flex and return a million times..
some leather processors who once may have gone the extra step to
accommodate their old customers in the Accordion industry perhaps
decided it was no longer worth the extra expense for orders which
were becoming fewer and smaller. I feel our industry rather had
to find reasonably priced alternatives, and at our level of
fixing up an accordion now and then, we can "see" the cost of
real leather as affordable, while if we were making 1000 a year
we might opt for mylar or PE leather too !
and this is of course the crux of one of the problems with
the newer cheaper accordion looking objects from various
places.. do they even have a clue about the purity of
cardboard or types of leather or care at all when they are
trying to build the most profitable cheap version of
an instrument
this is my take on the valve issue.. i would also always
use leather as i do not like the slap of the mylar, though
as our friend has noted they are more efficient and reliable
in the higher octave reeds
and as an aside, i know that Faithe Deffner at some point
became frustrated with the lowering of basic raw material
quality, that she had taken to bidding in the open market
for certain bulk items to guarantee the people in Italy making
her accordions had the right stuff to make them with !
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pitzelberger
Member
I may not be as prolific as many others writing here, but I'd like to share my thoughts:
On Plastic Reeds: It seems that plastic reeds have become the standard, especially in the higher octaves. I believe even the Super VI Extreme uses them for most of its reeds. Personally, I even prefer plastic reeds: after replacing old leather valves with plastic ones in several of my accordions, I noticed they made the instruments more responsive again and resulted in a slightly brighter sound, which I actually like. Most importantly, the buzzing or gurgling noises caused by leather valves not sealing perfectly during soft playing have disappeared completely since the switch.
On Old Excelsiors vs. a New Scandalli: I own two high-end Excelsiors (AC and 911) from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as a 10-year-old Scandalli Air IV, which I believe is similar to the standard Super VI (one tier below the Extreme model). I love my Excelsiors for their unique sound, build quality and for all the history they have seen, and I actually play them more often than the Scandalli. However, in terms of reed responsiveness, keyboard touch, and overall feel (e.g. due to lighter weight), the Scandalli is in a different league, especially on the treble side. The Excelsiors’ reeds are unbranded, so I'm unsure of their maker, but despite re-valving and adjusting them, I haven't been particularly impressed. They are decent AM (in AC) and TAM (in 911) reeds, but I find the reeds in the Scandalli, and also in an old Sonola SS4 I own, to be much more responsive.
To support the statement made by Walker: a professional repairman once compared my Scandalli favorably to a classic Super IV he was servicing at the time. (I personally unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to play one of the legendary Scandallis)
My least favorite aspect of the Scandalli is the bass. The bass machine is very quiet and smooth. However, I don’t like most of the register’s choir combinations. They are too bright (even more emphasized through the many openings in the bass cover) and the choice of the octave jump (the note where you have the lowest and highest note at the same time) makes many of them sound quite awkward. Out of the 9 registers, I find myself only using two. Also given that there are 9 registers, why didn’t they add a register with just the lowest bass and lowest octave, as it exists in the Excelsiors and Sonola? Another thing is, the lowest note in the bass is G, but this comes at the expense of responsiveness. Personally, I prefer a higher lowest note (even C is acceptable) if it means improved bass responsiveness.
On Plastic Reeds: It seems that plastic reeds have become the standard, especially in the higher octaves. I believe even the Super VI Extreme uses them for most of its reeds. Personally, I even prefer plastic reeds: after replacing old leather valves with plastic ones in several of my accordions, I noticed they made the instruments more responsive again and resulted in a slightly brighter sound, which I actually like. Most importantly, the buzzing or gurgling noises caused by leather valves not sealing perfectly during soft playing have disappeared completely since the switch.
On Old Excelsiors vs. a New Scandalli: I own two high-end Excelsiors (AC and 911) from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as a 10-year-old Scandalli Air IV, which I believe is similar to the standard Super VI (one tier below the Extreme model). I love my Excelsiors for their unique sound, build quality and for all the history they have seen, and I actually play them more often than the Scandalli. However, in terms of reed responsiveness, keyboard touch, and overall feel (e.g. due to lighter weight), the Scandalli is in a different league, especially on the treble side. The Excelsiors’ reeds are unbranded, so I'm unsure of their maker, but despite re-valving and adjusting them, I haven't been particularly impressed. They are decent AM (in AC) and TAM (in 911) reeds, but I find the reeds in the Scandalli, and also in an old Sonola SS4 I own, to be much more responsive.
To support the statement made by Walker: a professional repairman once compared my Scandalli favorably to a classic Super IV he was servicing at the time. (I personally unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to play one of the legendary Scandallis)
My least favorite aspect of the Scandalli is the bass. The bass machine is very quiet and smooth. However, I don’t like most of the register’s choir combinations. They are too bright (even more emphasized through the many openings in the bass cover) and the choice of the octave jump (the note where you have the lowest and highest note at the same time) makes many of them sound quite awkward. Out of the 9 registers, I find myself only using two. Also given that there are 9 registers, why didn’t they add a register with just the lowest bass and lowest octave, as it exists in the Excelsiors and Sonola? Another thing is, the lowest note in the bass is G, but this comes at the expense of responsiveness. Personally, I prefer a higher lowest note (even C is acceptable) if it means improved bass responsiveness.
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Frank Barocco
Active member
Very interesting discussion and it's nice to read all the info shared by all here.
My 2 cents: I had a 2012 Giulietti Classic 127, and though it was good I did not feel it was AS good as my Excelsior. Left hand on Giulietti was a bit deeper because of the L shaped bass, but other than that I felt no advantages (note that the Giulietti Classic 127 in case in this thread does not have the L shaped bass apparently). My biggest frustration was that the right hand was not as potent in volume (compared to my Excelsior and compared to the Giulietti's own left hand reeds), so this left the two hands a bit unbalanced with regards to each other.
Also, with Brazilian sellers (I am in Brazil too), a lot of times they announce new models as having a mano reeds, but it's important to double check it yourself before buying. Giulietti Classic 127 usually does not have a mano reeds. We could go into the whole debate about whether a mano sounds better than tipo a mano and conclude that maybe it doesn't, but when time comes for you to sell the Giulietti Classic 127, selling price may be slightly affected if it has tipo a mano reeds.
In Brazil any Giulietti is considered the 8th Wonder of the World, just because of Dominguinhos, but it's not necessarily so mind blowing. It's pretty good, but I prefer Excelsior for its tone and balance.
My 2 cents: I had a 2012 Giulietti Classic 127, and though it was good I did not feel it was AS good as my Excelsior. Left hand on Giulietti was a bit deeper because of the L shaped bass, but other than that I felt no advantages (note that the Giulietti Classic 127 in case in this thread does not have the L shaped bass apparently). My biggest frustration was that the right hand was not as potent in volume (compared to my Excelsior and compared to the Giulietti's own left hand reeds), so this left the two hands a bit unbalanced with regards to each other.
Also, with Brazilian sellers (I am in Brazil too), a lot of times they announce new models as having a mano reeds, but it's important to double check it yourself before buying. Giulietti Classic 127 usually does not have a mano reeds. We could go into the whole debate about whether a mano sounds better than tipo a mano and conclude that maybe it doesn't, but when time comes for you to sell the Giulietti Classic 127, selling price may be slightly affected if it has tipo a mano reeds.
In Brazil any Giulietti is considered the 8th Wonder of the World, just because of Dominguinhos, but it's not necessarily so mind blowing. It's pretty good, but I prefer Excelsior for its tone and balance.
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Walker
🪗
Picture this: a face-off of accordion titans, like "New Giulietti Classic 127 vs. Scandalli Super VI Extreme" – it's got the ring of a title fight, right? But it could've been a tango between Beltuna Spirit and Bugari Gold Plus, or a waltz where Victoria Poeta and Brandoni Wood line take the floor.
Names? Pfft. A primo accordion is a primo accordion, whether it's the talk of the town or a hidden gem from a quaint little shop. I admit, Scandalli's got a piece of my heart, but in the grand scheme of squeezeboxes, if there were an ivory tower, it'd be more like a lively market with the Castelfidardo clan's treasures laid out. There are so many great accordions out there!
So, what makes me sing?
1. Is it a steal or just stealing my cash?
2. Does it dance to the tune of my needs?
If the answer isn't a resounding "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY," then it's a no-go.
I've got a soft spot for the one-of-a-kinds, the ones with tales to tell, made from enchanted woods, or with a quirk that tickles me pink. But no sweet story or charming trait will sway me unless the deal's a hit and ticks every box.
The perfect deal? It'll come thundering in, bold as a herd of Highland Cattle.
And me? I'm about to shake hands with an Italian retailer, providing a new Pigini Polaris. We're old aquaintances since my last-but-one accordion dealio. They're finding a new stage for my old Pigini quint converter and setting me up with an accordion so hot, it's got a fan club. And the deal? It's like a symphony to my wallet and fits my schedule like a custom-made suit.
Keep your eyes peeled... I'm going for a Polaris in pearloid red!
Names? Pfft. A primo accordion is a primo accordion, whether it's the talk of the town or a hidden gem from a quaint little shop. I admit, Scandalli's got a piece of my heart, but in the grand scheme of squeezeboxes, if there were an ivory tower, it'd be more like a lively market with the Castelfidardo clan's treasures laid out. There are so many great accordions out there!
So, what makes me sing?
1. Is it a steal or just stealing my cash?
2. Does it dance to the tune of my needs?
If the answer isn't a resounding "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY," then it's a no-go.
I've got a soft spot for the one-of-a-kinds, the ones with tales to tell, made from enchanted woods, or with a quirk that tickles me pink. But no sweet story or charming trait will sway me unless the deal's a hit and ticks every box.
The perfect deal? It'll come thundering in, bold as a herd of Highland Cattle.
And me? I'm about to shake hands with an Italian retailer, providing a new Pigini Polaris. We're old aquaintances since my last-but-one accordion dealio. They're finding a new stage for my old Pigini quint converter and setting me up with an accordion so hot, it's got a fan club. And the deal? It's like a symphony to my wallet and fits my schedule like a custom-made suit.
Keep your eyes peeled... I'm going for a Polaris in pearloid red!
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So the plastic valves became standard for some brands? That's nice to know. Here in Brazil, people only want leather valves, saying that the plastic ones are cheap and bad. Of course, people talk a lot of smack, but this is one of the things that brings down accordion prices here (although changing the valves is quite easy and not that expensive). Since I had little information on the topic, I ended up making the somewhat expected association that "leather >>> plastic" and taking their word for it. It's nice to know that there's more to it. Thank you very much
I've researched a bit more and, apparently, the optimal choice is to use plastic valves for the higher notes and leather valves with plastic stabilizers for the middle and lower reeds. Plastic valves change the timber of the reeds, but this change is not noticeable in the higher notes. Pure leather valves make tunning unstable, but this is prevented by the plastic stabilizers. This combination produces a noiseless, stable tunning and the accordion has overall great timber. Sounds somewhat legit, but I'll research the topic more.
Regarding the quality of the raw material and componentes, I'm 100% with you. This was one of the main reasons that I got this Excelsior in the first place: up until the beginning of the 2000's, Excelsior was one of the last accordion makers that produced the majority (maybe all) of its componentes and pieces and, therefore, had almost unparalleled quality control. No wonder this Mod. 2000 is so well preserved and needs so few adjustments, even after 30+ years.
Regarding the other points of concern I raised, is it safe to say that I'm being silly?
Thank you very much for sharing your opinion. It's trully a privilege to know the opinion of someone who has such experience with Scandalli and Excelsior. Thank you very much for sharing it
I can't say much about responsiveness because I don't have much experience, and I rarely get the chance to compare my Excelsior to another accordion side by side. For what it's worth, I can say that I never felt "abandoned" by it. It can play smooth (as I prefer), and can get loud (which my neighboors LOVE but, for their dismay, I seldom do). Maybe the Classic 127 or the Extreme are more responsive, but I didn't note any difference (maybe because I don't know how to test it or what to look for). However, I do agree that the Extreme's bass' registers are susprising unappealing. I'd only use 1 or 2, and not because I like them, but because they're the ones I find less bad. The Classic 127 is outstanding in this regard, but the Excelsior is not very far behind it.
Thankfully, the reeds in my Excelsior are marked, so there's no need for guessing work on this front. They're Cagnoni a mano from the 1990's. No idea if they're good or bad, but I assume that they're, at least, durable.
I also admire the Excelsior's quality and history a lot (one of the main reasons I got this on, actually). My only worry is that, since it's a model made for the Brazilian market, it's not impossible that Excelsior did as a lot of brands did/do and used lower quality materials in order to reduce costs for our market. I've no clue of the wood used for this accordion, for example. Hopefully I'm worrying for nothing, though. But it's really hard to say
A fellow Brazilian! Someone who understands my pain ;-;
I agree 100%: the Excelsior has a great balance between bass and keyboard. I can't say the same for the other two because I didn't pay too much attention to this detail when I tested them. My bad :/
Indeed, Dominguinhos is the main culprit for the high prices fetched by Giulietti accordions in Brazil. Personally, the Classic 127 got my attention because of its bass. I wished more accordions had its registers.
I'm aware that sellers here say a lot. I've seen accordions whose original reeds were removed and the seller insists that it has "Binci a mano unmarked reeds". It's God awfull to get information here, there are loads of sellers that will say anything to make a sell. Regarding the a mano reeds, I guess this is an worldwide fenomenon. A mano reeds are more valued in general, although we know that there are great (better, even) tipo a mano reeds out there. However, the "a mano factor" weights a lot on the final price
First and foremost, congrats on the new Pigini! Even a silly goober like me knows that it's an outstanding instrumentPicture this: a face-off of accordion titans, like "New Giulietti Classic 127 vs. Scandalli Super VI Extreme" – it's got the ring of a title fight, right? But it could've been a tango between Beltuna Spirit and Bugari Gold Plus, or a waltz where Victoria Poeta and Brandoni Wood line take the floor.
Names? Pfft. A primo accordion is a primo accordion, whether it's the talk of the town or a hidden gem from a quaint little shop. I admit, Scandalli's got a piece of my heart, but in the grand scheme of squeezeboxes, if there were an ivory tower, it'd be more like a lively market with the Castelfidardo clan's treasures laid out. There are so many great accordions out there!
So, what makes me sing?
1. Is it a steal or just stealing my cash?
2. Does it dance to the tune of my needs?
If the answer isn't a resounding "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY," then it's a no-go.
I've got a soft spot for the one-of-a-kinds, the ones with tales to tell, made from enchanted woods, or with a quirk that tickles me pink. But no sweet story or charming trait will sway me unless the deal's a hit and ticks every box.
The perfect deal? It'll come thundering in, bold as a herd of Highland Cattle.
And me? I'm about to shake hands with an Italian retailer, providing a new Pigini Polaris. We're old aquaintances since my last-but-one accordion dealio. They're finding a new stage for my old Pigini quint converter and setting me up with an accordion so hot, it's got a fan club. And the deal? It's like a symphony to my wallet and fits my schedule like a custom-made suit.
Keep your eyes peeled... I'm going for a Polaris in pearloid red!
I totally agree with the points you raised as crucial for a deal. The Classic 127 somewhat satisfies the "Does it dance to the tune of my needs?" question. The other one, however, is not as straightforward. I now that I'm not being overcharged by the seller. Nonetheless, it's an expensive accordion, and he isn't offering what I initially antecipated for my Excelsior. I'd need to sell the Excelsior by myself and then get the Classic 127.
There's also the Excelsior itself. After talking to a professional, I saw that it was tuned to 442Hz and needed tunning. Then the question came: "maybe if I tune it to 440Hz it'll have the deeper, lower and velvety sound that I'm looking for?". It's a bet, however: maybe it'll be what I'm looking for, maybe not. It's a fraction of the cost of the Classic 127, but money is money. On top of that, there are the questions I raised in a previous post, regarding the quality of this particular Excelsior model. I hope that I'm worrying too much, that this Excelsior is an outstanding accordion, but these doubts make me wonder "is it a good deal to invest on this accordion? Or should I just use the money to get a new one?"
Walker
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Appreciated! But the journey's just beginning... the Polaris is going to be a year-long process from blueprint to doorstep.
