Non-standard shoulder strap bracket

[Morne]

I assume this is a shoulder strap bracket. I know there were complaints about the curtain rod bracket, so maybe this was added to avoid it. However, that is quite far away from the usual position and moves the anchor point behind the keyboard. I guess your right shoulder strap will now be shorter and more straight, whereas the left strap will now be longer and more angled.

Has anyone seen this before? Would there be any advantages to having that? Or is there a specific reason for doing this?

 

[debra]

I have seen several different attempts to improve on the curtain-rod (gardinenstange) bracket that is standard on the older Morinos. The depicted bracket allows a stronger connection of the keyboard to the right shoulder, which might improve the stability of the keyboard position. I have had a Bugari 289/ARS/C5 and it has 2 regular brackets on the top of the instrument and an extra bracket behind the keyboard, pretty much where it is in this picture. So what was an add-on on this Morino is standard on some other instruments. I have never used the extra bracket on the Bugari, but a friend (also with a Bugari 289/ARS/C5) always used that extra bracket.

 

[JerryPH]

My Morino also has the same design. I tend to prefer it over the round or "V" ones in that they do seem to offer a wider and more flexible point of contact. They had to be stronger, those accordions in general are heavier than whales... lol

Because the balance point on these accordions is further to the left than standard accordions, this dictated the location and yes, strap size is going to change slightly when optimized in this format. That said, my right strap still is longer than the left strap, but not by a great amount.

If you use that "V", you will find the accordion unbalanced and way too far to the left. I don't know who did that, but it was not Hohner, but likely the last owner who was not sure how things were supposed to be. This is going to make the entire accordion harder to handle and unbalanced. The only place where I can see this being of benefit is if you are a very small person or a woman, but I think you and I are about the same size, and it is far from optimal for us.

Feel free to try it and see, and of course use what works best for you.

 

[Morne]

Thanks Paul and Jerry.

Im still a little confused about how to use that offset bracket. Is the idea that you reposition the accordion so that the alternative bracket ends up where the usual one would be - i.e. leading to the instrument being more to the left like Jerry said? Or is the idea that the accordion should remain in the normal position, but you use a longer left strap and a shorter right strap - i.e. moving the usual attachment point more to the right?

Feel free to try it and see, and of course use what works best for you.

That was just a photo I found online. My Morino VI M only has the curtain rod, but it was remounted on top:


Its not the prettiest job, but I couldnt find any signs of damage indicating that the original setup broke, so I assume this was done intentionally.

My older Morino IV M has this:

 

[JerryPH]

Easy way to answer that by doing a little test yourself... first make sure the shoulder straps are on a bit loose, then place the accordion with the bellows centered on the left thigh, feel the balance. Now, shift the entire accordion 2-3 inches to the left so the right part of where the bellows begin is in the middle of your thigh and the keyboard can basically be in line with your crotch. Note balance of the accordion. Some people find the balance of the accordion is good when the bellows are centered on the thigh.

People of smaller stature or shorter hands/arms need to move the entire accordion over to their left more. This unbalances the entire instrument, but lets them access the keyboard better. Problem with that is that when pushing the bellows closed, it becomes harder because you are pushing the entire weight of the left side of the accordion instead of a portion of it.

On small light accordions, there is little difference. On a big elephant with Free Bass, it makes a big difference. I know this from personal experience because I started playing my Morino at the age of 13 and was quite small for it. Nice thing about young people is that they adapt so fast. However, when I turned 14, I had a nice growth spurt and had to readjust my straps. In the process, I moved the accordion 2-3 inches to the right... I was amazed at the difference and how much lighter the accordion felt and how much easier it was to control.

I have no idea why on yours it was mounted on top. I doubt that would make any difference. Possibly they stripped the threads on the original location and by relocating to the top, they were able to save it, or maybe it was a very strong person that loved to stroll a lot. Over years of time the curtain rod came loose and they found a better way to mount it? Hard to say.

 

[debra]

The curtain rod moved to the top makes sense: The standard position is rather low meaning that while pulling the accordion towards your body you are also pulling it up. Good for playing while standing, not so good when sitting down (and who wants to play while standing with an 18kg accordion... and break their back).
The bracket at the top gets in the way of the "master chin switch" which was always an odd addition on the Morino VI. My Artiste XS actually does not have that master chin switch but has master on one of the sliders behind the keyboard. (Or actually it had it there before I removed the sliders and created 4 chin switches coupled to the slider mechanism that sits behind the keyboard.)

 

[debra]

...
If you use that V, you will find the accordion unbalanced and way too far to the left...

I fully agree. My friend who used that extra bracket on his Bugari 289/ARS/C5 (where it is standard) always seemed to have the accordion unbalanced while I had it well balanced using the normal (center) brackets on my own 289/ARS/C5.