Vintage Scandalli Super VI

[JerryPH]

Yup of course I've ordered the certificate . Mine was made in 1965 and delivered in new York.

Awesome! Seems New York was a popular destination, my FB36 was sent there originally too. I've purchased some frames for mine and hung them next to the shelves where the accordions sit.

 

[dak]

Maybe some day I will post a video using the Gola, but I feel no real inclination to do so now.

Well, part of a personal dream is that you don't care for others shrugging their shoulders. Our conductor got herself a Gola and partly plays it in the ensemble, and judging it in that role leads to different metrics than looking at it as an instrument you play on yourself. Because in an ensemble, it's just another brick in the wall of sound. And the overall role in the ensemble sound may make this a somewhat uncomfortable fit.

 

[debra]

Well, part of a personal dream is that you don't care for others shrugging their shoulders. Our conductor got herself a Gola and partly plays it in the ensemble, and judging it in that role leads to different metrics than looking at it as an instrument you play on yourself. Because in an ensemble, it's just another brick in the wall of sound. And the overall role in the ensemble sound may make this a somewhat uncomfortable fit.

While that is true in a large ensemble where multiple players play the same voice the sound of the individual instruments is still important in a small ensemble where everyone plays their own voice (solo).
As many of you know I make lots of arrangements for small ensembles, most for quintet, and I choose very carefully which accordion to use for which voice, to get the right sound in each voice. Because I have one photo for my "virtual" Professor P ensemble people think that the lead voice is always played on the AKKO (I'm holding, in the center of the picture). But that is not true at all, and in some recordings I even choose to use an Atlantic (good for oboe sound), and sometimes I have interesting accordions in for tuning that I can also use. In my latest two recordings for instance I used a Morino IV S for the lead voice because its MM register is tuned with just 4 cents tremolo. Other aspects of the choice include how loud or soft the H reeds play, and also, whether I can go high enough on the LM register... I also have a real quintet which often has difficulty playing some of my arrangements because the MM registers have too much tremolo on all accordions, and two players have small accordions (only 41 notes, F to A) and some players are better at playing runs than chords and vice versa, and one player has really small hands... And I have another "real" quintet in which one player has an accordion tuned to 442Hz and it is a real struggle to rearrange voices so that the combination of the 4 accordions at 440 and 1 at 442 doesn't sound too awful... So really which player+instrument plays which voice in an ensemble can be an intricate puzzle to get the best sound. Even in my virtual ensemble I sometimes get it wrong (like choosing an accordion with soft H reeds where in hindsight one with louder H reeds would have sounded better... but I tend to not bother to re-record everything to fix that problem. (I'd rather move on to the next arrangement.)

 

[craigd]

Based on the impression I've gotten of your sensitivity to tuning, I am very surprised that you tolerate that 442 hz accordion and player in your ensemble Paul. I have read that Charles Mingus would sometimes punch a player who displeased him in the gut. I'm wondering if you've had to suppress that impulse.

 

[debra]

Based on the impression I've gotten of your sensitivity to tuning, I am very surprised that you tolerate that 442 hz accordion and player in your ensemble Paul. I have read that Charles Mingus would sometimes punch a player who displeased him in the gut. I'm wondering if you've had to suppress that impulse.

The player is a good friend. We have been trying to get him to buy another accordion, tuned to 440, or to have the old and worn-out reeds in his old 442 accordion replaced by new reeds tuned to 440. So far no luck. Each time when a good opportunity appears there's some excuse for doing nothing. We cannot kick him out because he is a great player and there are few other such great players around... so we tolerate the 442 and try to work around the tuning issue as well as we can (by adapting the arrangements to give him the least offending notes)... But this situation cannot keep going on forever. We'll see what happens in the future, if anything.

 

[Alan Polivka]

I've only had the opportunity to play one Super VI. The special thing about it IMHO was its sound. It sounded different than any other accordion I've ever played. It had a beautiful sound, particularly when on "Master" - all 4 reeds sets engaged. What I don't know is, after you've owned one for a while, does that unique sound no longer seem so impressive once it's no longer new and novel to the player?

In any event, if there's anybody out there with a Super VI series M or N for sale, I'd be interested in buying it.

 

[cristib]

They are very rare and expensive, exactly thats why , but stil it s a matter of personal choice...for me a gola is not better then an excelsior art van damme...very similar.
Also...you have to look on every register how it sounds,as it might be amazing on the bassoon but not that great on the violin or clarinet.
There is no such thing as the best accordion, it s down to personal choice!
And when we talk about mechanics a new quality accordion will be by far superior...Gola for example has a keyboard with a single ax which is not that great and the bass mechanism you cant compare it with a new beltuna etc....

 

[dak]

I have played a few Scandalli Super VI and Settimio Soprani Artist VI. I thought I would be blown away, but I was not. Unless you are a collector, as @Walker said, I would suggest that you actually play the instrument before buying or bidding on it.
Good luck !

I have test-played a few high-class instruments where I felt I was obliged to be blown away, not having much in way of comparison. And this kind of felt obligation makes for a large portion of the market rate. Now I've been playing a rather unique instrument (most likely custom-built to convince a soloist into changing bass systems) for over a decade and got used to how it works for me and what I want from an accordion. And while I've test-played several high-class instruments since then fully prepared to be blown away, I wasn't. Because I was missing out on things I've been taking for granted, while still recognizing the traits making those instruments high-class. It sounds like I should rather get my instrument from a shadchan than a music store...

 

[Zevy]

It sounds like I should rather get my instrument from a shadchan than a music store...

I like that!
The main thing is to trust your own ears.

 

[Richard]

well i see this in a different way actually, and this
may sound harsh, but there is a huge gap
(think Noah parting the Red Sea)
between collectors and true players

for the former, give them what they want, take
their money, reassure them with endless discussions
and ad nauseum pseudo proofs of betterness and exclusivity

for the latter, you simply put the straps over your shoulders,
your hands on the keys, you start to play
AND YOU JUST KNOW

period

And when I purchased my Super VI ‘N’ on EBay in 2008, such a beautiful sound that I felt intruding by playing it, so I stored it for8 yrs. I then started to play it with encouragement. In playing for my accordion club, at the conclusion of the piece, a fellow player of many years called out from the audience, “I’ll buy it right now”. Yes, you’ll know it when you play it!!

 

[dak]

And when I purchased my Super VI ‘N’ on EBay in 2008, such a beautiful sound that I felt intruding by playing it, so I stored it for8 yrs.

That is an interesting reaction. I would recommend against following the same approach in romantic endeavors.

 

[JerryPH]

Some accordions just touch specific people... kind of like when I played my friend's Gola, how the hair on my arms stood up and I had tingles down my spine, at that point, I knew 100% that this was my most preferred accordion and one day would have one.

If that happens to you, no matter what that box is... get one and enjoy it, few things in life will give you more pleasure.