Excelsior NY Left Handed Accordian

[rosie1453]

Hi,

I’ve had my uncle's accordian for a very long time. I fear it’s just going to get totally destroyed. He was left handed & it was made as a left handed accordian. I’m going to attach some pics & maybe somebody could let me know where to start for a sale. Also, any suggestions on how to best clean the keys? Thanks so much for any input.

 

[Dingo40]

I’ve had my uncle's accordian for a very long time. ..He was left handed & it was made as a left handed accordian.

Hi Rosie, welcome!
We have several Excelsior afficiandos here who should be able to give you appropriate advice.

Factory made left-handed accordions are extremely rare. Most left-handers simply play a standard accordion wearing it upside down and adapting to the situation.
Of course, any right-hander could play this accordion upside down and adapt to conditions!
As far as cleaning goes, I would simply use a dampened, soft, lint-free cloth, followed by a similar, dry cloth.

 

[dak]

The material that the straps are made from look like something that I would not want to trust at their age. Better make double sure never to carry the instrument by the straps and not to play it while standing. Until you get new straps.

There is probably not much "left-handed" here apart from the writing on the couplers (per-reed instead of combination) and the strap mounts (which you can change, possibly needing to close the old holes).

I like the "big bellows corner" design of the case. Protects the celluloid when setting the instrument down in playing position.

 

[debra]

As already mentioned this accordion was not made to be played left-handed at all. (The only left-handed accordion I know of was that of Rudolf Würthner.) The strap lugs may have been positioned for the instrument to be played upside down but that's a relatively easy fix (if they even have to be moved at all).
To see what needs to be done you should take pictures of the back side of the accordion.

 

[Ventura]

are we going to say one New York handmade pro accordion
could not have had reedplates and reeds done in the opposite direction ?

are we saying there is no chance they reversed the bass ?

i am not ready to say that those guys, the freakiing best in the business
at the time, could not or would not have done that if they felt like a customer
they liked should have a real left handed accordion

certainly, they had the chops and the tooling to pull it off

someone needs to get their hands on this box and check it out
for Rosie before we reach any rigid conclusion.. it might !

and no matter what it ends up being, this one looks well preserved
and would be a fine one to have.. sure it will need some fixing up
but well worth it.. it may be playable as it sits (with new straps)

 

[dak]

As already mentioned this accordion was not made to be played left-handed at all. (The only left-handed accordion I know of was that of Rudolf Würthner.)

In what respect should that accordion have differed (apart from the grille logo that worked upside down as well as right side up)? He had his high treble notes at the top of the instrument, just where they would end up when using a normal accordion upside down.

I see where you might have got this wrong information: the obituary from accordeonworld at https://accordeonworld.weebly.com/wuumlrthner.html talks a lot of nonsense. They have given their sources, however, and your German should be good enough to understand how they messed up: here is the interview they have misinterpreted: https://web.archive.org/web/2021102....de/artikel/infos/Musik-Akkordeon-2006-03.htm . I also have it on good authority (his widow and long-time orchestra member Lore Würthner) that the orientation of his instrument was a standard B system. He prouded himself of being "the only player in the orchestra playing the accordion with the right side up", namely the high notes. Physics lend some justification to that claim: it is the high frequencies that require direct line of sight to project well, so it would make sense to have them high in the instrument.

I have taken a look at the obituary photographs again, and the accordion displayed at the bottom photograph apparently has combination register switch levers behind the treble buttonboard. While my information about the keyboard layout given to me by Lore Würthner has been exhaustive and definitive, I will not rule out that Hohner might have taken the pains on this later instrument to change the register switch levers to work better upside down, with regard to position and active direction.

Most current-day register switches should work upside down just as well as right-side up, but this particular kind might have favored a downward motion.

This kind of change is much less invasive than changing the keyboard direction. Accordion technicians who are able to install chin switches after the fact should also have the necessary skills to change the direction of register switch levers from upwards to downwards.

 

[Tom]

Welcome Rosie! Basically what they are saying is this is not a run of the mill accordion. It’s something special. Not a million dollar Stradivarius special, but don’t take $50. Someone on the east coast will help you with local actual value there (I hope).

 

[rosie1453]

Thank you al for your input. All very interesting.

The material that the straps are made from look like something that I would not want to trust at their age. Better make double sure never to carry the instrument by the straps and not to play it while standing. Until you get new straps.

There is probably not much "left-handed" here apart from the writing on the couplers (per-reed instead of combination) and the strap mounts (which you can change, possibly needing to close the old holes).

I like the "big bellows corner" design of the case. Protects the celluloid when setting the instrument down in playing position.

Thank you for mentioning not carrying it around. Just picking it up from the case is a challenge bc it's so heavy.

 

[rosie1453]

are we going to say one New York handmade pro accordion
could not have had reedplates and reeds done in the opposite direction ?

are we saying there is no chance they reversed the bass ?

i am not ready to say that those guys, the freakiing best in the business
at the time, could not or would not have done that if they felt like a customer
they liked should have a real left handed accordion

certainly, they had the chops and the tooling to pull it off

someone needs to get their hands on this box and check it out
for Rosie before we reach any rigid conclusion.. it might !

and no matter what it ends up being, this one looks well preserved
and would be a fine one to have.. sure it will need some fixing up
but well worth it.. it may be playable as it sits (with new straps)

I don't know for sure, but I could have sworn that it was mentioned a few times it was a left handed accordion. You're probably right though. Even though my grandparents would have spared no expense for their son to have what he needed. They thought he was Dean Martin!!!

 

[rosie1453]

Amazingly it plays really well. I've been fooling with it since a little girl (now 70) & take it out every now & then. I may even try one of those online lessons. Well shall see!!

 

[rosie1453]

Hi Rosie, welcome!
We have several Excelsior afficiandos here who should be able to give you appropriate advice.

Factory made left-handed accordions are extremely rare. Most left-handers simply play a standard accordion wearing it upside down and adapting to the situation.
Of course, any right-hander could play this accordion upside down and adapt to conditions!
As far as cleaning goes, I would simply use a dampened, soft, lint-free cloth, followed by a similar, dry cloth.

My uncle moved to Australia from Italy. I believe it's Victoria

 

[Wheezer]

I must be missing something about this instrument. It just looks like an accordion that is upside down in the photo. What makes it left handed?

 

[dak]

I must be missing something about this instrument. It just looks like an accordion that is upside down in the photo. What makes it left handed?

There is probably not much "left-handed" here apart from the writing on the couplers (per-reed instead of combination) and the strap mounts (which you can change, possibly needing to close the old holes).

 

[Ventura]

mirror image

 

[Ventura]

I don't know for sure, but I could have sworn that it was mentioned a few times it was a left handed accordion. You're probably right though. Even though my grandparents would have spared no expense for their son to have what he needed. They thought he was Dean Martin!!!

hey Rosie,

if you have the time, please make a nice copy of that photo,
and put it in a strong page protector with a 1-2 page write up about your
Gramps, where and when he played, music he played, band names etc.
and include it in the case with the Excelsior

Provenance is so important to "hand down" with these nicer old accordions,
as it encourages future owners to be "caretakers" of the heritage
the particular instrument has

thanks

 

[dak]

mirror image

Except that it isn't. Take a look at the keyboard (standard F to A range) and at the slant direction of the bass diagonals. This really is essentially just an upside down accordion except for the strap mounts and register couplers.

 

[debra]

In what respect should that accordion have differed (apart from the grille logo that worked upside down as well as right side up)? He had his high treble notes at the top of the instrument, just where they would end up when using a normal accordion upside down.
...

I have not read the obituary but have the info passed down from people who used to know Rudolf Würthner.
To play left-handed you can have the keyboard either "upside down" or "mirrored", but to play the bass wide with the normal fingering we are used to the diagonals need to run the opposite way on a left-handed accordion than on a normal one that is held upside down.

 

[dak]

I have not read the obituary but have the info passed down from people who used to know Rudolf Würthner.
To play left-handed you can have the keyboard either "upside down" or "mirrored", but to play the bass wide with the normal fingering we are used to the diagonals need to run the opposite way on a left-handed accordion than on a normal one that is held upside down.

I can try these days whether the phone number of Lore Würthner is still active. Still, if you look at the following image:

you'll see that he has the middle finger of his right hand (the damaged hand with missing index finger) closest to the middle of the bellows which implies that the diagonals run down to the outside (which happens with an upside-down instrument, not a mirrored one).

He would not have been able to use "normal" fingering anyway with his damaged right hand.

It is somewhat annoying how little photographic material of him one is able to find on the Internet.

 

[Tom]

Amazingly it plays really well. I've been fooling with it since a little girl (now 70) & take it out every now & then. I may even try one of those online lessons. Well shall see!!

That’s the most wonderful news I’ve heard yet. I hope you really enjoy it. There are even a lot of free lessons on YouTube to get you going. Although I feel you won’t need much to play a few of your favorite tunes.

PS. We’re having a forum zoom on Sunday, Feb 4. You are welcome to come on and ask any questions you have.

 

[debra]

I can try these days whether the phone number of Lore Würthner is still active. Still, if you look at the following image:

you'll see that he has the middle finger of his right hand (the damaged hand with missing index finger) closest to the middle of the bellows which implies that the diagonals run down to the outside (which happens with an upside-down instrument, not a mirrored one).

He would not have been able to use "normal" fingering anyway with his damaged right hand.

It is somewhat annoying how little photographic material of him one is able to find on the Internet.

Let's suppose this is an upside-down instrument. Then the "top" is actually the bottom in the normal orientation. In what I can see in the picture (on the left) the top diagonal runs down from the outside of the instrument towards the bellows. When I place one of my accordions upside down the then top diagonal runs down from the bellows side down towards the outside. It isn't all that clear but that's what I think I am seeing.