What is the nature of a "professional" accordion?

[Jaime_Dergut]

Hello dear accordion community,


Today, I wanted to come up with an interesting question.

What is the nature or features commonly found in a professional accordion?

Sometimes, I heard the term hand made reeds (which means high quality reeds/sound) and wood box and I think I understand that.

But I have also heard of features like low G/E bass, chin switches, glissando like keys and so forth.

I just would like to understand more about the features that are common for top of the line accordions, especially those used for classical music, since I am looking to find a truly professionally made instrument and I think is important for me to understand this.

That will be everything.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jaime, the accordionist.

 

[JerryPH]

You are going to get a TON of opinions, simply because there is no one clearly defined consensus as to what a professional accordion is.

This is just my opinion.

Speaking generally, accordion manufacturers that design accordions will denote "professional models" as being accordions that are near or at the top of the line, most expensive, most feature rich and whatever their highest quality models are.

Does that mean that someone that gets PAID to perform (otherwise known as a "PROFESSIONAL" because that is the definition of a professional), cannot do so on a $20 hunk of junk? Absolutely not, so I suppose in those cases the professional that is playing... is playing on a "professional" accordion... lol

"Sometimes, I heard the term hand made reeds (which means high quality reeds/sound) and wood box and I think I understand that."

What I am hearing:
"I want a truly good car, tell me what I need to know as to what makes a good car..."

Not quite true about your reeds or box material. Ask Paul to tell you about the "hand made reeds" in an Atlantic Deluxe. Ask Beltuna to tell you which is more expensive, their wooden accordions or their carbon fiber FLY series ones. Yes reeds can suggest quality, but not definitively... same for materials of construction.

Kidding aside, the term "professional" has more to do with marketing than any actual real definitions.

If you want a "professional" instrument, the solution is simple... open wide that wallet and empty the contents on the table of ANY accordion manufacturer when purchasing their top most models.

Better yet, rather than saying you want a "professional" instrument, DEFINE YOUR NEEDS and find a matching model that fits those exact needs. The more specific, the better chance you don't fall in to the trap/hype and experience buyer's remorse.
- what KIND of accordion
- define desired tuning
- define desired keyboard size and # of keys
- define desired weight
- define if straight stradellla only or free bass only or both
- define what style of free bass if that is something that you want
- define # of right hand registrations
- define what registrations you wish each button to have
- define your BUDGET. The more you spend, the higher the chances you get all your desired points.

 

[dak]

since I am looking to find a truly professionally made instrument

You'll be hard put to find accordions built by amateurs since they are reasonably complex contraptions. So you probably want to clarify what you really mean here.

 

[Thomas N]

I think as you gain more experience as a player over the years you understand what things you want in an accordion. Then you have one custom-made for you with top-of-the-line materials.

When I ordered my Excelsior 960 some twenty years ago I had a different front grill installed (cosmetic only), had Low-E bass for the left hand, had a Magnante super shallow lightning-fast keyboard, two bassoon reeds in tandem in the tone chamber, etc. All reeds were hand-made and I also changed the bass buttons to white on a black background and altered the standard tuning. I had to wait 6 months for them to customize this and it is what I would call my first Professional accordion.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

You'll be hard put to find accordions built by amateurs since they are reasonably complex contraptions. So you probably want to clarify what you really mean here.

It is what I am trying to find here. I understand that there are accordions for students and then you have the accordions with the top features that more skilled accordionists have.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

I think as you gain more experience as a player over the years you understand what things you want in an accordion. Then you have one custom-made for you with top-of-the-line materials.

When I ordered my Excelsior 960 some twenty years ago I had a different front grill installed (cosmetic only), had Low-E bass for the left hand, had a Magnante super shallow lightning-fast keyboard, two bassoon reeds in tandem in the tone chamber, etc. All reeds were hand-made and I also changed the bass buttons to white on a black background and altered the standard tuning. I had to wait 6 months for them to customize this and it is what I would call my first Professional accordion.

Thanks Thomas.

I think the top of the line accordion that you might get is the one that was custom crafted following your own specifications and needs.

If I were to pick an accordion, I will ask to have:

-Minimum 41 treble keys, coated with mother of pearl.
-Having 120 bass buttons (maybe 96 instead?) with transparent buttons.
-Converter to free bass
-LMMH reeds dry tuned 440hz(?)


I am not sure what would I want on my bass side. Maybe multiple reeds as well so I can add more voice to my playing.

I would like a powerful bass that sounds like an organ or a bayan.

That would be my custom made accordion. Probably, is not much and perhaps there is a model that already has everything I want.

 

[JerryPH]

A big indicator is again moving along the similarities of cars.

A younger driver that is mastering kart racing won't have an idea of where he wants to go 10-20 years down the line. A kart driver that has dominated his category year after year suddenly finds himself at the age of 18 and has a company that comes to him asking them to represent them... it may be Nascar, it may be Formula 1, it may be that you fall in to 3500hp dragsters with a legend.

YOU have to have a direction before you know what kind of car/accordion you want.

My story is already well known here... I was 12 when I decided my direction, that I wanted to go the way of the Free Bass and classical music, had the accordion pretty much picked out and ordered by 13, was playing "it" by early 14 (was supposed to be a Gola, turned in to a Morino VI N). That was a 3 month process several decades before the internet.

When I decided to go "electronic", I had all the papers, specs, studied them all (not many, at the time there were only 4 higher end models to chose from), knew them all intimately, then made a decision for ONE SPECIFIC one. Again, that all took about 1 month in a decades PRE-INTERNET era.

I was never one to wait. Waiting wasted precious time that I could have spent playing it at the time. I knew when I was ready, I had the commitment and (no secret) with the full support from my family, we made it happen.

Have a direction? Have the commitment? Things can move freaking fast if you push the right way. Let's take a fast look at my story to find the Gola:
- June 2, 2023 I decide to make my life-long dream true and make a post in the "accordions wanted" section here. That same week I email everyone that I know that is in the "business" that I am looking. I also start searching all of North America.
- June 16, 2023 our very own Jozz replies that he knows where one is for sale.
- We start negotiations with the owner and go back and forth 3 months, in that time I am also scouring THE WORLD trying to find an accordion that is both in good condition and rare as hen's teeth.
- Sept 21, 2023 I step on a plane in Montreal that is bound for Amsterdam to pick up my Gola.
- I arrive Sept 22, get to my room within 90 minutes of landing and a few hours after that I am back in that same room with a guest:

- Sept 23, I am on a plane back to Montreal with a guest:



KNOW what you want, COMMIT to what you want, FIND what you want, GET what you want.
We're on this big spinning ball just once... work hard, live hard, do what makes you and others happy.