Which are The Great Acoustic Piano Accordions?

[Hugh]

I did a bit of poking around about the VII N last year and concluded that it was the next best thing to a Gola and offered 180 bass buttons (Freebass + Stradella), 5 voices and from the one I saw the pics of the inside of, Gola-level build quality (My Club Morino N has that too, even the bass machine uses Chromed parts and brass screws) .. I guess all Morinos are classics but they do seem to vary in build

I tried a newish Excelsior Symphony Gold yesterday. I liked it, there was loads of good things about it: decent sounding, straight tuning to my taste, great keyboard and bellows. I suppose it didnt leap out as being a great sound so I didnt go for it.

Ive been to most of the shops now, and Im wondering if Im being too picky. The problem might be that I love the sound of my first accordion, a Hohner Verdi VN - 1950/60s (picture link below). I even love the musette sound, probably because its close tuned. I realise that this probably isnt a classic but it does seem to sparkle in a way the instruments now dont seem to match. The only accordions that have come close are Giulliettis and a Bugari Artist.

Are the reeds in my Hohner better than most modern reeds? Do I have to go more upmarket to get a great sound or keep searching for a 50s/60s classic?

 

[debra]

I have some (limited) personal experience with the Hohner Morino VI N (note there is no VII N, it is VI N) and the Gola. It is no surprise that Hohner Morinos sometimes appear in the same message as top end Excelsior accordions. The Morino N and S series were built for Hohner by Excelsior, in Italy. (They do have a nice stamp saying "Made in Germany" but we all know such an annotation is meaningless.)
The Morino VI N (with Bugari reeds) is really not comparable to the Gola. When we are listing the "the Great Acoustic Piano Accordions" maybe we need two levels?
The only thing that makes the Hohner Morino VI awkward (and different from the Gola) is the keyboard. It has narrower black keys than most other accordion keyboards in existence. It really takes some getting used to.
Regarding the Hohner Verdi (I still own a V) they are very good but in a different league. The older Verdi accordions are among the most trouble-free accordions in existence which makes them popular for professional gigs because you cannot always carry a spare instrument so your instrument needs to be reliable. The reeds in such "lower end" instruments have a bit more tolerance, meaning a bit more room in the reed place for the reed to move so it does not stop working due to a dust particle quite as easily. But these reeds use a bit more air.
The term "great sound" is very personal. The fact that you really like the Verdi V is testimony to that. Several brands nowadays do not offer "best quality" instruments without cassotto so if you are after great non-cassotto sound it's harder to find an "upmarket" instrument without cassotto.
Another illustration of how subtle selecting an instrument can be is that on a Hohner Morino (N or S, any model) the M reed has a nicer mellow sound than the L reed (played one octave higher). On a Bugari Artist Cassotto it is the other way around.

 

[Hugh]

Thanks for all the great information. I was aware that my Verdi isn't a classic, but I've tried out a few other Hohners, and they haven't been as good as my one.
Having listened to the few Hohner Golas on line I now see what you mean. they seem to stand head and shoulders above any other accordion I've heard online.

You wrote earlier that you've never owned a Gola. The liberty bellows ones I have seen online have certainly been pricey as well. Are the classic ones now extremely rare and difficult to get hold of?

 

[debra]

Sadly the classic Hohner Gola accordions do come on the market. It is sad because they are being sold when their (mainly professional) owner dies.
I have worked on (repaired and tuned) a classic Gola and its owner has since died (but the family is still holding on to the instrument as far as I know).
From what we can hear on-line the (not so plentiful) Gola videos do show the sound quality to some extent. Buying a CD from a Gola player is a better way to really appreciate the sound. I have a Hohner Morino and while it is a very nice instrument it really cannot compete with the Gola. The difference is clearly larger (better response and sound) on the bass side than on the keyboard side, not counting the use of the jalousie the Gola has and the Morino doesn't.
But in terms of overall sound quality I currently feel that the nicest sounding accordions that are being produced today are AKKO. Searching for them is a bit harder because the name is the beginning of a modern way to spell akkordeon... so that may fool the likes of YouTube and Google.

 

[donn]

At least the name looks the same in Cyrillic or Roman. Compared to Юпитер etc. If you search for Акко (i.e., Cyrillic), of course quite different results. It's the Russian name for Acre, in Israel, so still not a big win.

 

[Hugh]

Sadly the classic Hohner Gola accordions do come on the market. It is sad because they are being sold when their (mainly professional) owner dies.
I have worked on (repaired and tuned) a classic Gola and its owner has since died (but the family is still holding on to the instrument as far as I know).
From what we can hear on-line the (not so plentiful) Gola videos do show the sound quality to some extent. Buying a CD from a Gola player is a better way to really appreciate the sound. I have a Hohner Morino and while it is a very nice instrument it really cannot compete with the Gola. The difference is clearly larger (better response and sound) on the bass side than on the keyboard side, not counting the use of the jalousie the Gola has and the Morino doesnt.
But in terms of overall sound quality I currently feel that the nicest sounding accordions that are being produced today are AKKO. Searching for them is a bit harder because the name is the beginning of a modern way to spell akkordeon... so that may fool the likes of YouTube and Google.

Can you recommend any Gola players that I could buy a CD from?

 

[debra]

Mie Miki is one I actually do have a CD of. It's with renaissance or early baroque music. Very nicely played.

 

[Soulsaver]

Hohner Morino VII is in the list, page 1.

 

[Morne]

Guess I need to practice my reading too.

 

[Soulsaver]

Guess I need to practice my reading too.

That looks like you are offended; I was just answering the is this real or were the letters swapped question.

 

[Morne]

Guess I need to practice my reading too.

That looks like you are offended; I was just answering the is this real or were the letters swapped question.[/quote]

Not at all. I just literally did not read the first page when I posted that question.

 

[debra]

The list of Hohner models I have does not list a Morino VII so I just assumed Morino VI.
Maybe Adam-T can show a Morino VII? I have no idea what instrument that could be.

 

[Morne]

I could also not find any more information regarding the Morino VII - not on Hohners list nor on the German music forum that typically posts a lot more about Morinos. The only reference here seems to be Adam-Ts message (maybe a typing error?). The only other reference is the photos in the two links I posted in my last message on the previous page, but both those links are related to a Polish person called Tadeusz Łanda. It looks exactly like the VI N, even on the inside (for example). It is just that letter on the body that looks wrong.

 

[Hugh]

I have finally bought a 2nd hand Vignoni Bach HI LMMH double cassotto from Mr Allodi. He gave me a very fair deal in part exing my Fantini 96 bass single cassotto, which has a broken c# key (not a quick job!).

Although I would love something from the list at the top of this forum, I'm constantly gigging and I was just playing my Hohner Verdi, so I needed to do something fairly quickly. I've no idea whether the Vignoni will get near to being a classic in the future, but it's virtually new and sounds great. It's very close tuned.

Incidentally, and to stay on topic, Mr Allodi told me he had sold his 60s Hohner Gola 9 months previously. It had been sitting on a shelf for quite a few years, not for sale. A professional player had worn him down and he sold it for £9000. He also had it completely reconditioned and paid for the buyer to go to the factory to get what he wanted. I would have snapped it up given half the chance!

I would thoroughly recommend Allodis to anyone in the U.K. looking for an accordion. He's got a big and varied selection and will spend time with someone trying out instruments, despite being constantly busy.

 

[truthinbeer]

I have finally bought a 2nd hand Vignoni Bach HI LMMH double cassotto from Mr Allodi. He gave me a very fair deal in part exing my Fantini 96 bass single cassotto, which has a broken c# key (not a quick job!).
...
Incidentally, and to stay on topic, Mr Allodi told me he had sold his 60s Hohner Gola 9 months previously. It had been sitting on a shelf for quite a few years, not for sale. A professional player had worn him down and he sold it for £9000. He also had it completely reconditioned and paid for the buyer to go to the factory to get what he wanted. I would have snapped it up given half the chance!

I would thoroughly recommend Allodis to anyone in the U.K. looking for an accordion. Hes got a big and varied selection and will spend time with someone trying out instruments, despite being constantly busy.

Seriously, you would have eagerly paid £9000 for that old accordion? :shock: Not questioning your judgement, still learning about accordions.

 

[Morne]

Seriously, you would have eagerly paid £9000 for that old accordion? :shock: Not questioning your judgement, still learning about accordions.

The Golas are considered to be some of the best accordions made. I think if youre the type of person who wants, or even needs that, then that is the price youd be willing to pay. Have a look on YouTube for Liberty Bellows as theyve had a couple of Golas that ranged between 9000USD to 15000USD: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=liberty+bellows+hohner+gola

Also, I posted a thread recently with some Gola players. You can listen to those and the Liberty Bellows videos to give you an idea of what the Gola is capable of.

 

[JerryPH]

Ok, someone is going to call me a snob ( :lol: ), but I have heard a lot of Golas over the years and played on 4 differently owned ones. Glen Sawich (my instructor at the Royal Coservatory of Music owned/played one, as did several of the students there at the time), and to *my* ears, the Gola sounded plainer (definitely a touch quieter) and closer to other (good quality) accordions. Maybe it's because I got used to the sound of that extra set of reeds that the Morino VI N had, and just had a natural preference to it.

The Gola was much the same weight (perhaps a touch heavier) too, but in that sense, still easier to handle, but after a couple of years with the Morino, weight was never a big issue for me (nor likely anyone that owned a Morino or Gola), as I did not walk around with it (much). There had to be something very special about a Gola, though... the price DEFINITELY shows that. Reed quality? Only the best of the best parts? Assembled by only the best craftsmen? There I am clueless.

 

[JerryPH]

The list of Hohner models I have does not list a Morino VII so I just assumed Morino VI.
Maybe Adam-T can show a Morino VII? I have no idea what instrument that could be.

I think I can help there. It was just a coincidence, but I was looking over old paperwork and saw a reference to the Hohner Morino VII N. Think visually identical to a VI N and remove a set of reeds from the treble site and add 7 bass registers instead of 3 (a la Gola).

CLICK HERE to see the page of the brochure that I scanned for you.

 

[Soulsaver]

The list of Hohner models I have does not list a Morino VII so I just assumed Morino VI.
Maybe Adam-T can show a Morino VII? I have no idea what instrument that could be.

I think I can help there. It was just a coincidence, but I was looking over old paperwork and saw a reference to the Hohner Morino VII N. Think visually identical to a VI N and remove a set of reeds from the treble site and add 7 bass registers instead of 3 (a la Gola).

CLICK HERE to see the page of the brochure that I scanned for you. [/quote]
If the list of Hohner models referred to is the common PDF list, I dont believe it to be a Hohner Germany missive, it is useful as a guide but way short of comprehensive.

 

[JerryPH]

I am starting to learn that they had versions that they discussed in their brochures that they did not even have pictures of, and had partial specs at best. Plus I am sure the list changes from year to year as new models with similar names came and went, and even when things cosmetically did not change, the internals did.

This business is one huge, complex puzzle, how is one able to keep up with the history if a lot of it was internal and not even documented publically?