Who says Chinese accordions are c**p?🤔🙂

[Dingo40]

Here's a Parrot

 

[Vladimir M.]

Who says Chinese accordions are c**p?​

...this is said primarily by all their Western competitors, who are gradually losing their dominance in this "industry" branch as well...

Best regards, Vladimir

 

[debra]

I'm sure the Chinese make very good accordions. But when we refer to chinese accordions we tend to restrict ourselves to the chinese accordions that are available on the western markets, and that try to disguise themselves as western products by using mostly English or Italian-sounding names.

 

[Snoopz]

In addition to @debra 's comment, I believe we also mean "mass production with questionable quality control" when we say "chinese".

 

[dak]

Here's a Parrot

Well, you can show off "here's a Hohner" with a Gola not built in the same facilities or by the same people or using similar materials as other instruments of the Hohner brand. And indeed Hohner has an almost century-old tradition of providing renowned soloists with instruments specially-built by selected teams (though at one point of time, those teams were working in Trossingen).

I doubt that they are the only players in the market who understand how to do promotion when not limited by the rules of stock car races.

 

[dunlustin]

Never mind, Dingo - There's none so deaf .....
Now, let's hear it for the importers/dealers who are behind this c**p.
As we all know, Johnny Foreigner of course is totally to blame.

 

[Ffingers]

I'm sure the Chinese make very good accordions. But when we refer to chinese accordions we tend to restrict ourselves to the chinese accordions that are available on the western markets, and that try to disguise themselves as western products by using mostly English or Italian-sounding names.

I lay the blame at the feet of the importes and merchandisers, but they are merely accommodating the exploitative habits of the general public.
In my ( long ) time I have bought some absolute rubbish by being excessively "Penny wise and Pound Foolish"; from almost every manufacturing country in the world.
Likewise I have bought some really good and durable stuff relatively cheaply from manufacturers attempting to, often successfully, break into an already saturated market.
For example, no Ford or GMC product has ever provided the service and satisfaction that the Japanese manufactured 'tinny rubbish' Toyotas of the late 1960s did, nor the Japanese manufactured heavy trucks, earthmoving equipment and trades tools.
It takes quite incredible talent to force such companies to make their goods in your country and then complain about the poor manufacturing quality: Britain, France, Italy the USA et al have displayed some remarkable capabilities in this field of endeavour.
But above all, taking substandard mass manufactured items, tarting them up and passing them off as 'quality' goods is a marketing miracle which some importers and retailers have perfected.
At the other end of the scale, I have experienced top end, very expensive goods which would have been of value only at 10% of the prices offered.
Caveat Emptor would be a fine idea if only there was a touch of honesty in the "free trade" concept.

 

[dak]

I'm sure the Chinese make very good accordions. But when we refer to chinese accordions we tend to restrict ourselves to the chinese accordions that are available on the western markets, and that try to disguise themselves as western products by using mostly English or Italian-sounding names.

"Made in China" competes on the price of unskilled labor. Once we are talking about the market value of established craftsmen, the price advantage and availability and language barrier does not make it all that attractive to load off work to China. Chinese masters can easily undercut European masters by half due to different cost of living and other considerations. But we aren't talking about a factor of 10 or more then, and then all the inherent disadvantages of "Made in China" (including customer expectations) are making export less attractive than with instruments where the cost of unskilled labor is the dominating factor.

 

[boxplayer4000]

Twice a year the media (in the UK) get a lot of mileage out of the clock/time change in spring/autumn. There's lots of 'expert' input into the advantages/disadvantages of keeping the time the same etc. After a few days it all fades away (and no change is made) and we're all left in peace.
Likewise with Chinese Accordions the subject arises on a regular basis.
I believe, what's already been explained on this forum, that the Chinese are perfectly capable of building high quality but, generally, make a quality which suits the market.
A point missed by some is that Western money floods out of our 'western' markets and into China resulting in much reduced opportunities for 'western' workers everywhere. Don't blame the chinese for the market's faults.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I'm sure the Chinese make very good accordions. But when we refer to chinese accordions we tend to restrict ourselves to the chinese accordions that are available on the western markets, and that try to disguise themselves as western products by using mostly English or Italian-sounding

It seems to me that the Chinese products in general, not just accordions, went through a period where higher-quality models were restricted to local markets and lesser-quality products were exported. But isn’t that the case with products of many other nations?

 

[Ffingers]

It seems to me that the Chinese products in general, not just accordions, went through a period where higher-quality models were restricted to local markets and lesser-quality products were exported. But isn’t that the case with products of many other nations?

I'm rather out of touch now, but "Export Quality" once was a major selling point for many things; even now the best horticultural produce from Western Australia can most easily be bought in Singapore and China !

 

[JerryPH]

There are accordions in China that are good and there are ones that are of... lower quality.

The gent shown in the video is a politically aligned and government sponsored musician. His accordion has likely has more work done on it using the highest quality materials and most talented people available in his country. You KNOW his accordion will sound good. He probably has more money in that Parrot than I do in my Gola.

Is that accordion available for purchase by the general public? Not likely.

 

[isorry123]

I bought a Chinese Hohner off of liberty bellows and within 6 months one of the piston broke off the bass rod. They use aluminum solder and it was basically cheaper to buy a replacement imo. Bought a vintage excelsior and haven’t looked back

 

[xingfan1227]

Somehow I ended in this post.. I wrote a post not long ago about the Parrot accordions before the late 1990s
Here

But I mainly wanted to add one more thing.. this guy was one of the best players in China for decades and this accordion he played was either custom built for him, or at the minimum hand picked from a hundred best accordions Parrot made!

 

[OuijaBoard]

This accordion looks and plays like a high-end build under that marque. Like what Weltmeister does.

BTW, a Weltmeister 26/48 MM with a plastic bass mechanism and plastic reed blocks is now pricing new at $1800 US. It's mind-boggling.

 

[oldbayan]

There is propaganda and there is reality Open any Chinese accordion and check the quality of the materials and the assembly. In several Chinese Hohners I saw reedblocks made from wood that we use here to make fruit crates, metal parts and wood parts glued together with a glue gun for the register sliders, reed tongues with rust spots, etc. There might be good instruments made there, but there is also lots of garbage!

 

[Ffingers]

There is propaganda and there is reality Open any Chinese accordion and check the quality of the materials and the assembly. In several Chinese Hohners I saw reedblocks made from wood that we use here to make fruit crates, metal parts and wood parts glued together with a glue gun for the register sliders, reed tongues with rust spots, etc. There might be good instruments made there, but there is also lots of garbage!

I'm pulling apart a one-row, four bass 'made in Germany' Hohner diatonic squeeze box which looks like the Chinese versions might be a better buy.
Obviously manufactured as a single use item, never to be repaired.

 

[Dingo40]

I'm pulling apart a one-row, four bass 'made in Germany' Hohner diatonic squeeze box

I'm aware there are numerous Hohner fans.
But , other than a few top models (generally made in Italy anyway), I myself often find it difficult to see why.
Still, life is full of mysteries!

 

[dak]

I'm aware there are numerous Hohner fans.
But , other than a few top models (generally made in Italy anyway), I myself often find it difficult to see why.

I am also a fan of Picasso even though he hasn't produced a lot but worms more recently.

 

[RTW]

Greetings on this topic:

I have no personal interest in accordions made in China. However, it would benefit to have an opinion from a qualified person who has visited an accordion manufacturer in China from the west or down under ( non-salesman etc.)

Regards,
RTW