Recommended accordion shops in Texas and Tennessee

[forró]

Will be visiting the USA next month and I will be in Texas (mostly), but a day or two in Tennessee.
May consider coming back with a piano accordion if I find something to my liking (and the price is right).

Can anyone recommend a shop or two? Even three. My brief search online for accordions in Texas seems to bring up CBAs mostly.
I do not mind venturing out to other states if it's like an accordion megastore.

 

[JeffJetton]

You might have some luck in Houston, TX. Gabbanelli's based out of there, and while they're arguably best known for their button accordions, they do make PAs too.

Here in "Music City" (Nashville, TN), there's pretty much nothing. Although if you're here on the first Thursday of the month, there's an accordion meet-up.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

If you can, go to Chicago and stop at Romagnoli accordions, they have a nice collections that you could be interested in:

Romagnoli Accordion Co. – Accordion Sales And Repair

romagnoliaccordions.com

 

[Xiane]

Will be visiting the USA next month and I will be in Texas (mostly), but a day or two in Tennessee.
May consider coming back with a piano accordion if I find something to my liking (and the price is right).

Can anyone recommend a shop or two? Even three. My brief search online for accordions in Texas seems to bring up CBAs mostly.
I do not mind venturing out to other states if it's like an accordion megastore.

I think the accordion megastores aren't really thick on the ground, and are pretty far from Texas. It's far from an exhaustive list, but I can think of Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia, Petosa in Seattle, Smythe's in Petaluma. There is Gabanelli in Houston, and I think something in San Antonio, those will be more focused on diatonics most likely. Others will know far more, though.

If you are in the Houston area, though, you might really consider a trip to SW Louisiana - Cajun country sort of extends to Houston in a way, too, or it's the boundary. You can usually find Cajun or Zydeco in or around Houston, as well as any amount of Norteno, TexMex, etc. If you do make Louisiana, you might ask a member here, Big Squeezy, who is a musician, restorer, repairer and seller of accordions in New Orleans. He might have a better idea of the PA world around there? Many of the PA people in Texas seem to have passed away, sadly.

But a day trip from Houston, or maybe in Houston, is a good chance to maybe pick up a handmade Cajun box.

 

[Xiane]

You might have some luck in Houston, TX. Gabbanelli's based out of there, and while they're arguably best known for their button accordions, they do make PAs too.

Here in "Music City" (Nashville, TN), there's pretty much nothing. Although if you're here on the first Thursday of the month, there's an accordion meet-up.

Music City as long as the music has a guitar somewhere?

 

[forró]

You might have some luck in Houston, TX. Gabbanelli's based out of there, and while they're arguably best known for their button accordions, they do make PAs too.

Here in "Music City" (Nashville, TN), there's pretty much nothing. Although if you're here on the first Thursday of the month, there's an accordion meet-up.

That's what I thought too when I was looking up shops in Tenneessee; there didn't seem to be a whole lot.

 

[JKJ]

…but a day or two in Tennessee. May consider coming back with a piano accordion if I find something to my liking (and the price is right).

I don’t know of any accordion shops here in TN. But the accordion repair gentleman I know near Knoxville had a number of accordions and I thought he said some were for sale. All were PAs. I remember him showing one in particular that he was trying to sell for one of his customers. He may know of others in the area that have instruments for sale. He’s out of the country at the moment but I could ask when he gets back. Also, I attended an accordion cub meeting in Atlanta (about 4 hours from Knoxville) - perhaps one of the many members there have one for sale. I understand there is also a club near Nashville TN - that may be another resource.

I’m an accordion beginner, but some of the people I’ve met so far seem to have way more accordions than they can play!

JKJ

 

[JKJ]

Will be visiting the USA next month and I will be in Texas (mostly),…

Did you see this:

Dallas Accordion Convention

The annual Dallas accordion convention run by their National Accordion Association is coming up at the end of March. I attended about thirteen years ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life. It’s three days and nights jam-packed with many workshops,orchestra playing opportunities...

www.accordionists.info

 

[OuijaBoard]

Can anyone confirm if Romagnoli is reputable? I see they advertise as purveying instruments made by Sonola, Settiamo Soprani, and Crucianelli -------names I assume are licensed by the MAXIM aka "Maxim's Group" consortium in Castelfi----Can one be confident the instruments are solid Italian product?


I'm thinking of the SEM concern that licensed Paolo Soprani and Moreschi for a while. That concern seems inactive or less active right now.
Some of the Paolo Soprani and Moreschi boxes were partially made in Asia, while others were solid Italian-made---you had to be alert to which Moreschis were made or partially made abroad versus which line in Castelfi--same with Paolo Soprani. The Professionale PS models are Castelfi, but there was a "Studio" or "Junior" line that was not all Italian. The SEM concern also puts out the E. Soprani line, and we already know that story.

So I'm wondering about Romagnoli and Sonola/Settiamo Soprani/Crucianelli from MAXIM, aka "Maxim's Group"--Does anyone know if one can be confident the instruments are solid Italian product?

 

[Pipemajor]

some of the people I’ve met so far seem to have way more accordions than they can play!

Wonder who that might be

 

[Tom]

Mo

Wonder who that might be

Most of us?

 

[Xiane]

Wonder who that might be

Well, I have a second one now. It's only little, but that counts, right?

 

[Xiane]

Can anyone confirm if Romagnoli is reputable? I see they advertise as purveying instruments made by Sonola, Settiamo Soprani, and Crucianelli -------names I assume are licensed by the MAXIM aka "Maxim's Group" consortium in Castelfi----Can one be confident the instruments are solid Italian product?


I'm thinking of the SEM concern that licensed Paolo Soprani and Moreschi for a while. That concern seems inactive or less active right now.
Some of the Paolo Soprani and Moreschi boxes were partially made in Asia, while others were solid Italian-made---you had to be alert to which Moreschis were made or partially made abroad versus which line in Castelfi--same with Paolo Soprani. The Professionale PS models are Castelfi, but there was a "Studio" or "Junior" line that was not all Italian. The SEM concern also puts out the E. Soprani line, and we already know that story.

So I'm wondering about Romagnoli and Sonola/Settiamo Soprani/Crucianelli from MAXIM, aka "Maxim's Group"--Does anyone know if one can be confident the instruments are solid Italian product?

World manufacturing is confusing. I know there are makers in Ireland that more or less import the boxes from China, and then take them apart and fix them up, to make sure they're up to scratch. I guess the economics work, and it's really difficult to get a decent student box for a price someone who has a kid might pay. You don't know if they'll stick with it, and a couple grand is a lot, and the adventure of buying used isn't appealing. It's not THEIR passion, and it might not be their kids' either...

 

[Pipemajor]

It's only little, but that counts, right?

It's not the size, it's what you can do with it

 

[Xiane]

It's not the size, it's what you can do with it

And there's TWO now so that's a curiosity at least.

 

[JerryPH]

Wonder who that might be

I plead insanity, that way they cannot lock me away... lol