Squeezebox Of Delights
Active member
I have several accordions which I use in different circumstances, all of which are leaky, out of tune, or limited in the register department. My main squeeze is a 1980s LMM Galotta 72 bass PA, which, while not perfect, gets the job done. It has a nice wide musette, and a wonderfully rumbly bass, but the action is loud and clunky, and it has various faults including rattly and out of tune reeds which I could fix pretty easily, and a rather nasty leak at the back where the cabinet has warped away from the bellows frames - which will be significantly harder. I am in the process of transitioning from someone who plays at home for their own enjoyment, to someone who plays in a band, busks, and also performs at events, so I would really like to upgrade to something a little more professional. At my local accordion club last evening, a member brought along a SEM 96 bass - double octave tuned with 11 couplers on the treble and 2 on the bass - with the intention of selling it. I had a quick play around, and was pretty pleased with the sound and feel of the instrument. He was taking offers, and said he was looking at a price somewhere in the hundreds. It's not a particularly glamourous model; there are small dents here and there and it's not very decorative (it's just plain accordion black, although it does have pearloid keys and buttons), but it was enough to peak my interest. When I was younger I just wanted an accordion with as much musette as possible, but over the years I've gotten more into jazz and swing, so I've been thinking of getting a LMH or LMMH accordion for a while. I did a bit of research on SEM, but couldn't find very much about them or their instruments. In short, does anyone have any experience with them, and if so, would this one be worth a shot? I'm not in desperate need of a new accordion, but I'm going to have to get one at some point in the near future, and I was wondering if this was a good deal. Thanks!
