Unknown accordion model

[OuijaBoard]

I am convinced it is Chinese-made. Separate from the Italian-of-unknown-origin Arpeggios.

 

[ragtimeman]

I am convinced it is Chinese-made. Separate from the Italian-of-unknown-origin Arpeggios.

You might be correct, and I wonder why you think it is Chinese made. I suppose anything is possible.

The owner of Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia, where I bought this accordion said this - "we bought the inventory of a New Jersey accordion dealer that went out of business, and that's all we know about the Arpeggio. We think it might have been made by Scandalli." This was in April of 2020. Here's a copy of the transaction.

In any case, the accordion sounds good to me. I'm also happy with the mics in it. I can take it apart and see if there is anything that shows the actual place of manufacture, but I doubt if it will show.

At this time, I wonder if I paid more for it than I should have and if we and find the actual origin of it. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy it. If I have problems with it, I might look for another dealer in the future.

Liberty Bellows 614 s 2nd St. Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267) 815-4407 libertybellows.com
4/1/2020	6:54 PM
Associate:	Mike
Transaction:
Sold To:

Item/Desc.	Qty.	Price	Total
AOR4039 - 4039 - Like New Black Arpeggio Piano Accordion LMMM 41 120
	1	3,999.00	3,999.00

Subtotal	3,999.00
Ground	49.00
TOTAL	4,048.00
Items Sold: 1

Tender:
Credit/Debit	4,048.00
Total Tender	4,048.00

 

[Squeezebox Of Delights]

I am convinced it is Chinese-made. Separate from the Italian-of-unknown-origin Arpeggios.

I'd be incredibly surprised if Ragtimeman's box is Chinese. It doesn't look like any of the Chinese instruments I've seen, and I reckon it's much more likely to be a rebadged Italian one from the 70s or 80s. At the end of the day, if it plays nicely then it's a nice instrument, no matter who manufactured it! The red one at the start of this thread is definitely Chinese though.

 

[ragtimeman]

I'd be incredibly surprised if Ragtimeman's box is Chinese. It doesn't look like any of the Chinese instruments I've seen, and I reckon it's much more likely to be a rebadged Italian one from the 70s or 80s. At the end of the day, if it plays nicely then it's a nice instrument, no matter who manufactured it! The red one at the start of this thread is definitely Chinese though.

Thanks! What do you mean by "rebadged? Why do you think it's from the 70's or 80's? When I bought it there was something wrong with the mics, and so I sent it back, and Liberty Bellows put a new system in it, which works fine, but it cost me extra. I suppose that could be an indicator of a 40 or 50 year old box. They have some of the same "brand" for sale currently.

 

[OuijaBoard]

"Rebadged" would mean--Say Scandalli made it. But they didn't put their name on it. They "Rebadged" it as "Arpeggio." There are tons of rebadged accordions that are essentially Weltmeisters or Delicias. And there are tons of rebadged Chinese accordions--essentially same thing by the same factory, but different marques. There were/are re-badged Italian boxes too, as the other posters here are pointing out. Maybe yours is one of them.

Instruments are sometimes "rebadged" due to a promotion agreement with a certain distributor or dealer. It doesn't happen only with accordions. You see it with guitars too, for example.

To me, this accordion looks like an older SofiaMari, or an older version of the product now badged SofiaMari. You've only got the one photo there and I can't see it from all angles, but that's my bet and I'm standing pat.

SofiaMari SM-2648, 26 Piano 48 Bass Accordion Black Pearl | eBay

It may have light signs of use, as shown in the images. We are here to assist you. It looks and works great otherwise. See photos for more details.

www.ebay.com

 

[ragtimeman]

"Rebadged" would mean--Say Scandalli made it. But they didn't put their name on it. They "Rebadged" it as "Arpeggio." There are tons of rebadged accordions that are essentially Weltmeisters or Delicias. And there are tons of rebadged Chinese accordions--essentially same thing by the same factory, but different marques. There were/are re-badged Italian boxes too, as the other posters here are pointing out. Maybe yours is one of them.

Instruments are sometimes "rebadged" due to a promotion agreement with a certain distributor or dealer. It doesn't happen only with accordions. You see it with guitars too, for example.

To me, this accordion looks like an older SofiaMari, or an older version of the product now badged SofiaMari. You've only got the one photo there and I can't see it from all angles, but that's my bet and I'm holding pat.

SofiaMari SM-2648, 26 Piano 48 Bass Accordion Black Pearl | eBay

It may have light signs of use, as shown in the images. We are here to assist you. It looks and works great otherwise. See photos for more details.

www.ebay.com

 

[ragtimeman]

I want to make sure we are talking about the accordion that I have. Here are my pics

 

[ragtimeman]

When I google SofiaMari I get this -

Who makes Sofiamari accordions?


In order to avoid price wars with other Chinese distributors, Rodriguez said he is looking to deliver a higher-quality product at a higher price point. He's partnered with the Italian manufacturer, Polverini, to create Sofiamari models.Mar 12, 2014

 

[Ventura]

the Chinese accordion export industry, upon getting advise from Italians,
used the information largely to color and decorate their really really cheap
accordions so they could look more authentic and deceive more people
and sell more product

Sofi Marie accordions are absolutely horrible, and wholesale'd
for pennies and were all over the place for awhile at all kinds
of prices from next to nothing to the ridiculous

regarding the Italian companies that contracted to make look-alike famous
brand accordions in the 1960's.. this was not something they would have
broadcast.. while marginally illegal and majorly deceptive, it was one thing
to be a party to this, and another to risk being found out and risk being
blacklisted by their peers.. no-one involved was ever going to go on record
or brag about it

and again, obviously, if these accordions were "as good" as the factory brand,
they would have carried the factory brand, but they were built down to a
price point with the goal being to maximize profit.

finding one used and paying a reasonable price for it may still get you a
very decent and playable box, but when innuendo and name dropping are
used to inflate the price, the modern re-seller is just as guilty as the original culprits.

however, again, the pedigree is not meaningful even if you found someone still alive
today who actually has some true information to share, and you felt the info could be
taken on faith.

before Chinese era famous model forgeries, the famous model Italian forgeries were
quite a big business.. SANO suffered a season of knock-offs that
cost them a lot of market share and reputation, and there were
PanItalian Pancordion models that were absolutely not built by Crucianelli,
not sanctioned by Deffner, but looked good enough to fool people into
actually bringing them into the New York Shop and ask for repairs under
warranty. This was a level of deception above the Cintioli and Arpeggio,
obviously, and actually illegal, while a mere look alike under a
different name was difficult and expensive to fight in court, but marginally legal
if not at all ethical..

when Excaliburs were first marketed a word of mouth campaign was
also deliberately launched to suggest they were Excelsiors built in China
and sanctioned by Excelsior (absolutely not true.. but spread widely)

crooks and companies come and go

 

[OuijaBoard]

"Rebadged" would mean--Say Scandalli made it. But they didn't put their name on it. They "Rebadged" it as "Arpeggio." There are tons of rebadged accordions that are essentially Weltmeisters or Delicias. And there are tons of rebadged Chinese accordions--essentially same thing by the same factory, but different marques. There were/are re-badged Italian boxes too, as the other posters here are pointing out. Maybe yours is one of them.

Instruments are sometimes "rebadged" due to a promotion agreement with a certain distributor or dealer. It doesn't happen only with accordions. You see it with guitars too, for example.

I want to make sure we are talking about the accordion that I have. Here are my pics

Ah, no, I was referring to the instrument and the photos in the original post. That instrument is Chinese-made.

 

[ColoRodney]

Victoria is an extremely high-end manufacturer, so thinking that your accordion might have been made by Victoria is wishful thinking, whether you realize it or not. Wonderful if true. But unlikely.

All we know is that the original factory did not put their name on it. It's possible that someone very knowledgeable about accordions can take it apart, look at elements of the construction, and give you some more information about where and when it was likely built, and the amount of care spent on it and the quality of the materials, and that's likely how Liberty Bellows came up with a price for it. All that matters now is how does it play and how will it hold up.

So you should not be surprised or offended that nobody on this newsgroup knows who made your Arpeggio accordion. And, very likely, that's not the same factory as the little red one whose picture started this thread, which has caused some of the confusion here--it would have been better to start a new thread, since your accordion says "Made in Italy" on it and is not similar to that accordion other than the name, and some of the responses (calling it Chinese, or a beginner instrument) are in reference to that original post, not to your different accordion.

Local stores and schools in America would often order accordions from whatever factory had capacity, and put their own names on them. This is why so many used accordions in Colorado are labeled "Monarch" or "Bonvincini." These Denver stores sold instruments with their label on them, though all of them were actually built in Italy, probably at a variety of factories.

I found an old 1930s LMM 48-bass accordion with a "Camerano" label on it, and a principal element of the decoration was a round Roman temple. Later I spotted a Scandalli at Smythe Accordion Center with the same temple graphic on it. Kimric explained that Scandalli would give one music store in an area the exclusive right to sell Scandalli accordions, in exchange for some business guarantee or other. Then they'd label a bunch of accordions "Camerano" instead, for the other music stores in the area, to honor the letter (if not the intent) of the exclusivity arrangement. But the Temple of Venus decorative element appears on both.

 

[Ventura]

Monumento ai caduti (Ancona) - Wikipedia

it.wikipedia.org

the Monument overlooks the Adriatica from the top of the rise off the Port of Ancona,
and it loomed large for Scandalli as his world more revolved around Ancona
than the hill town down the coast a ways (Castlefidardo)

maybe the original was the temple of Venus, and many pavilions were
modeled after hers, but this is the one Scandalli had in mind..

it is a beautiful spot.. great view.. the scent of the Sea is fresh and
invigorating.. i took the walk down to the water and dropped an empty
bottle into the Adriatica, capped it and brought it back as a gift for a friend
who came from there, but had been "stuck" in Rural USA for many many long years..

 

[ragtimeman]

Victoria is an extremely high-end manufacturer, so thinking that your accordion might have been made by Victoria is wishful thinking, whether you realize it or not. Wonderful if true. But unlikely.

All we know is that the original factory did not put their name on it. It's possible that someone very knowledgeable about accordions can take it apart, look at elements of the construction, and give you some more information about where and when it was likely built, and the amount of care spent on it and the quality of the materials, and that's likely how Liberty Bellows came up with a price for it. All that matters now is how does it play and how will it hold up.

So you should not be surprised or offended that nobody on this newsgroup knows who made your Arpeggio accordion. And, very likely, that's not the same factory as the little red one whose picture started this thread, which has caused some of the confusion here--it would have been better to start a new thread, since your accordion says "Made in Italy" on it and is not similar to that accordion other than the name, and some of the responses (calling it Chinese, or a beginner instrument) are in reference to that original post, not to your different accordion.

Local stores and schools in America would often order accordions from whatever factory had capacity, and put their own names on them. This is why so many used accordions in Colorado are labeled "Monarch" or "Bonvincini." These Denver stores sold instruments with their label on them, though all of them were actually built in Italy, probably at a variety of factories.

I found an old 1930s LMM 48-bass accordion with a "Camerano" label on it, and a principal element of the decoration was a round Roman temple. Later I spotted a Scandalli at Smythe Accordion Center with the same temple graphic on it. Kimric explained that Scandalli would give one music store in an area the exclusive right to sell Scandalli accordions, in exchange for some business guarantee or other. Then they'd label a bunch of accordions "Camerano" instead, for the other music stores in the area, to honor the letter (if not the intent) of the exclusivity arrangement. But the Temple of Venus decorative element appears on both.

Thank you. I appreciate your insight and fine explanation. Cheers!