Weird old Scandalli cba

[Glug]

Hiya,

I just found this on ebay.com and Im wondering what it is:



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Scanda...AAOSwSudcWZms:rk:1:pf:0&LH_ItemCondition=7000

Treble: 6 rows, 111 buttons total
Bass: 20x8, 160 total

Ive got no intention of buying it, its just a configuration Ive never heard of, and Id like to know what the extra rows do.

 

[maugein96]

Glug,


Its a Serbian 6 row B system Dugmetara accordion. Only the outside three treble rows give the actual playing notes and the inside 3 rows are repeats of rows 1,2, and 3. If you look closely youll see that the treble keyboard is flat and not stepped like a normal CBA. 

They usually have 7 rows of basses with the extra row on the inside which gives normal Stradella, but with an additional row of single bass notes, similar to the French 3/3 system. That one seems to give 3 rows of basses same as a bass converter accordion, but without the need for a switch on the bass keyboard side to convert the inside three rows to chromatic bass. The other 5 bass rows on that accordion are all stuck down, although it appears that they have been deliberately disabled to leave just three chromatic bass rows, like a Bayan. 

The tone of those instruments when new was phenomenal, and such accordions are still made in Italy for supply to Serbia, and one or two other Balkan countries.  

I wouldnt touch that one with a bulldozer, as they are very complex instruments to work on.  

This is what they sound like, before they get into the state that one on eBay is.

 

[Glug]

Thanks for that,

There's always something interesting to learn and this is the right place to ask.

That bass layout sounds quite sensible, and possibly cheaper to make than a converter.

 

[maugein96]

Thanks for that,

There's always something interesting to learn and this is the right place to ask.

That bass layout sounds quite sensible, and possibly cheaper to make than a converter.

Glug,

Not sure if that was the way it was made, as the three inner bass rows look a lot whiter than the others. It may have been a modification. 

Believe it or not you can get 6 row 140 bass Roland dugmetara boxes in Serbia. 

I believe the acoustic boxes are just LMH, or LLMH, but some of them are LMMH, with one set of M reeds tuned just slightly higher than the other "straight" bank. IMHO they are amongst the best sounding accordions in the world, and they are (justifiably) very expensive to buy. 

Some older accordions (both PA and CBA) featured three rows of permanent chromatic basses as well as the Stradella set up, but I don't believe they make them these days. They often weighed over 30lbs, and I'm sure one or two forum members still have them.

 

[Glug]

Cheers,

I almost want to get a CBA, but i think Ill play the PA badly for a bit longer first.

Suplemental question, is the 7 row bass on this a similar system ?



https://reverb.com/item/16137491-accordion-acordeon-120-bajos

(Im not buying that one either, I prefer the look of the slightly later models).

 

[debra]

Cheers,

I almost want to get a CBA, but i think Ill play the PA badly for a bit longer first.

Suplemental question, is the 7 row bass on this a similar system ?



https://reverb.com/item/16137491-accordion-acordeon-120-bajos

(Im not buying that one either, I prefer the look of the slightly later models).

That is indeed likely also a 3+4 bass. Having a row with minor third basses helps greatly when playing in a minor key. I played a 3+3 Crucianelli for many years and it took me some time to adjust afterwards when I got a 2+4 accordion. I would love to have a 3+4.