celebris
Newbie
I have been trying to purchase new set of accordion reeds.. Cagnoni does wholesale only. Binci will not even answer request for quote
Where to buy set of piano accordion reeds
- Thread starter celebris
- Start date
SteveBox
Well-known member
This was discussed in another thread several months ago. Just a hunch, but have you tried contacting Petosa for help with this?
Carini (www.carinidena.it) is my one-stop place for accordion parts. They sell complete reed sets in different qualities.
KiwiSqueezer
Active member
Whilst not what you're looking for, La malle aux Accordeons have sets of diatonic accordion reeds currently listed on their anglophone-friendly site. I've been impressed by how helpful they have been to email enquiries: they may be able to tell you where to look, being rather nearer to the source of the things... (No connection to the company, but a satisfied customer).
[edit] Ha! debra's post beat mine... He's right, of course, but I can't make much sense of Carini's web site.
[edit] Ha! debra's post beat mine... He's right, of course, but I can't make much sense of Carini's web site.
The first thing non-italian-speaking people should do on that website is hover over the small Italian flag icon. A drop-down menu appears that shows an Italian and British flag. Click on the British flag and the site will change to their best effort at an English translation...
KiwiSqueezer
Active member
Well, of course, but I still find it chaotic. I'm full of admiration for folk who can speak more than one language, and grateful to web designers who try to translate their sites' content, but in this case, there is only partial translation, the organisation seems haphazard, product details (dimensions, for instance) are skimpy, and there's simply too much choice and not enough information to allow informed choice. Perhaps it's OK if you go there, knowing in advance exactly what you're after - and want to buy 100...
Or perhaps it's just me... (My wife would agree with that.)
The site can be confusing as there is a lot of choice and only about half of the items come with a picture.
But the amount of choice is not really their fault. There simply are many many choices in items that go into existing accordions, and accordion repairers need access to all variations of all items. I'm grateful for the plethora of choices on the site. I do still have problems in finding the items I need because things could belong to different categories (but are only present in one of these categories).
Regarding going to the physical shop, it is actually helpful when you do not know in advance exactly what you're after because the staff will assist you in finding what you need (and they even have someone who knows quite a few words in English) and it is also helpful when you do *not* want to buy 100. When you order through the website many items come in packages of 50 or 100 (or more), but in the store they will have open packages (or open them for you) so you can buy just a few pieces without the need to buy a whole pack. Doesn't work for everything (like reed valves are only sold in whole packages, and bellows tape in whole rolls and bellow gasket tape only in heaps of 50 meters... When you do accordion repair you in fact always need many pieces, albeit not all at once.
Don't forget that Carini started out as the main parts supplier for all (smaller) accordion factories and had a store that was very hard to go through (may narrow isles and poor organization) but by now it is more like a large supermarket, with wide isles and everything clearly on display. I regret it's a 1.500km drive for me to get there, but for many repairers it's worse.
When the site confuses you the staff is also willing to guide you by email. In fact, some repairers just order everything by email and forego the shopping basket on the site. You might get more help in Italian, but English will in fact work too. They themselves are much better in translating between Italian and English (or vice versa) than Google Translate can even begin to touch.
KiwiSqueezer
Active member
Well, that's encouraging, thanks. I should probably be braver and try Carini. Winter's coming to this hemisphere, so hopefully I can get back to a bit of restoration work. I suppose you can't blame an outfit primarily serving the industry for not bending over backwards for hordes* of question-asking individuals, all spending only peanuts. I didn't know Carini had a physical shop. Now I feel even further from civilization...
* realistically, perhaps only handfulls...
* realistically, perhaps only handfulls...
Siegmund
Well-known member
Yes, Carini has just about everything. And in-person the staff are very helpful.
But that English flag on the Carini website leaves a lot to be desired.
And in both languages, they refuse to post any prices on their site. To be fair, they also refuse to post any prices at the physical store: you have to ask about everything! (And no matter how much you think it is, the answer will make your jaw drop.) For specialty parts, or to get exact matches, there is no alternative.
But I have seen virtually identical files for scraping reeds... for $5 at Harbor Freight, for $10 at Amazon, for $20 at an Italian hardware store, for $30 at a Swiss hardware store, and for $50 at Carini. So for things like tools, leather and felt sheets, wax, etc, I do always look elsewhere first.
But that English flag on the Carini website leaves a lot to be desired.
And in both languages, they refuse to post any prices on their site. To be fair, they also refuse to post any prices at the physical store: you have to ask about everything! (And no matter how much you think it is, the answer will make your jaw drop.) For specialty parts, or to get exact matches, there is no alternative.
But I have seen virtually identical files for scraping reeds... for $5 at Harbor Freight, for $10 at Amazon, for $20 at an Italian hardware store, for $30 at a Swiss hardware store, and for $50 at Carini. So for things like tools, leather and felt sheets, wax, etc, I do always look elsewhere first.
boxplayer4000
Prolific poster
celebris: You don't say why you need a full set of accordion reeds.
Do you need high-end hand made ones or a lesser quality?
I ask those questions because a full set (4-voice)? hand-made would cost a mint.
If your requirements are less than this then recovering reeds from a scrap instrument may be more attractive (financially).
Do you need high-end hand made ones or a lesser quality?
I ask those questions because a full set (4-voice)? hand-made would cost a mint.
If your requirements are less than this then recovering reeds from a scrap instrument may be more attractive (financially).
colinm
Well-known member
Charlie Marshall was brilliant, I don,t know if he bought from Carini.
It would be good if one of the UK repairers would sell spares.
It would be good if one of the UK repairers would sell spares.
When you create an account and log in the Carini site does show prices for everything. (the prices are not including the 22% vat)
I bought some small very fine filed from Carini but for tuning all but the smallest reeds some small cheap files from the hardware store will do just fine.
boxplayer4000
Prolific poster
Beware Siegmund all leather, felt and wax are not suitable for accordion repairs.
SteveBox
Well-known member
Ernest Deffner/Busso Music in Alexandria, VA say they maintain a full supply of replacement reeds.
ernestdeffner.com
Reeds for Replacement
We maintain a full supply of replacement reeds for accordion. When ordering reeds, please send us your original one to help ensure the closest possible match.<p> Due to the custom requirements of this item, it cannot be purchased online. Please <u><a h
ernestdeffner.com
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