My 3 accordions and why I love them!

[Zvon]

I only began to play accordion this January and here are the ones I have.
On the left, an Excelsior Digisyzer from the early 80’s. It’s a wonderful accordion with a deep and rich sound, LMMH with rocker switches. I was very lucky to find it used and in good condition. When I tried it and heard the incredible bass coming out of it, I knew I would buy it! I don’t have its original tone generator. Its main drawback is being heavy (29 pounds)!

So after shopping a while for a lighter accordion, I bought the brand new Albini on the right of the photo, LMM and 60 bass. I am very happy with this nice sounding student instrument. At 17 pounds, it’s easier to handle than the Excelsior, sound is not as rich (or full) but its different character complements it well.
It’s the brand of Albini Gallant, an accordion player and teacher here in Quebec. He has a shop in Quebec City and he assembles himself his brand. He also sells new ones like Excelsior, Hohner and PierMaria instruments.

And in the middle, my Chinese toy accordion that is in fact the first one I bought 15 years ago for $5 in a flea market. I bought it to have a different sound source to sample but I kind of forgot about it and it sat in a box all this time. I only got it out this January and I got hooked on the sound of accordion! Which made get the 2 other ones and…who knows, maybe a 4th one?

 

[dak]

Your Excelsior explains mine: I have an Excelsior that just contains an unobtrusive internal MIDI, and has a grille with somewhat weird mesh patches, and the identical rocker switch placement (as well as one silent bass register). The rocker switch placement makes rather little sense for that instrument, but if it once looked in its history like yours, ripping all the electronics and dials out and patching up the holes in the grille with suitable mesh would end up similar to my instrument's looks:


By the way, that instrument is way more than the 29lb you complain about, probably about 34lb or so. Excelsior is not exactly renowned for lightweight instruments.

 

[Rosie C]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[debra]

I hate to break it to you but that Albini accordion is definitely a Chinese accordion. They come with all kinds of names but are all the same.
There is nothing for Albini Gallant to assemble. These accordions come completely finished from China. All he can still do is do some quality control to make sure the instrument is playable.

 

[Zvon]

I hate to break it to you but that Albini accordion is definitely a Chinese accordion. They come with all kinds of names but are all the same.
There is nothing for Albini Gallant to assemble. These accordions come completely finished from China. All he can still do is do some quality control to make sure the instrument is playable.

Thanks for your reply. Maybe you’re right but I don’t think so. I had a few video calls with him and I saw in his workshop many new empty accordion bodies, reed blocks and other parts.

When I asked, he told me that he buys parts from a distributor and that they are from various countries (China being one of them). He used to buy parts from Frank Romano.

In any case, I thought that even if all parts where Chinese, I preferred to buy it with a local quality control and service, shipped from a store that is only 300 km away. It costs about the same as a Hohner 1305.

 

[Ventura]

there are/were a few people who actually legit finished and
quality improved Chinese built stuff.. Anders Bakke early on
imported Baile, discussed with them and got them to improve
certain things for him, then would finish them by lining
the belows inside, set-up, etc. then he branded them under
"Augustine"

so if the underlying mechanicals are sound, i mean it is
possible to get something decent (depending on the reeds of course)
but i also want it to be up-front with no deception like the
infamous E. as to origin

and it is a big difference a small music shop run by the owner and focused
on accordions from the likes of online paper lions who just turn them over

 

[Squeezeplay]

Yup That is a Chinese made box…BUT…I have an Excelsior Symphony built in 1959, and the little Scarlatti 72 bass, as well as a Victoria. Although not as nicely balanced, as these, it sounds fairly decent, and plays well. Just because it’s “ made in China” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s junk. They can be a really decent budget box. Mine gets used often….Raymond Chuchuck has one almost exactly identical, same brand….he uses it on stage regularly. Says he loves it

 

[Zvon]

and it is a big difference a small music shop run by the owner and focused
on accordions from the likes of online paper lions who just turn them over

It is a small accordion only music shop and the owner seems very passionate and dedicated.
When I first spoke to him about his brand, he wondered why I wanted to buy one as I already had an Excelsior. He was afraid that I might be disappointed with it compared to the Excelsior. He told me that these older Excelsiors are the best (he was the Quebec Excelsior rep for some years). I explained to him that I wanted a lighter accordion and that I understood this.

Of course, as I stated above, the Excelsior is more versatile and has a richer sound but I am very happy with the Albini sound too.

A non-accordion comparison I can make is melodicas (I own 7). I have a $30 CAD Cahaya chinese one that sounds a bit fragile but still lovely. And I have a top of the line ($800 CAD) Hammond PRO-44HPv2 made in Japan (a plus for melodicas) that sounds fantastic. But sometimes, or for some moods, I prefer to play the cheapest one. But of course I can get sounds on the Hammond that are impossible for the Cahaya.

 

[dak]

My 3 accordions and why I love them!​

That's a bit like "my 3 orchids and why I love them". Or "my 3 model train cars and why I love them". But then you just started in January…

 

[Zvon]

Your Excelsior explains mine: I have an Excelsior that just contains an unobtrusive internal MIDI, and has a grille with somewhat weird mesh patches, and the identical rocker switch placement (as well as one silent bass register). The rocker switch placement makes rather little sense for that instrument, but if it once looked in its history like yours, ripping all the electronics and dials out and patching up the holes in the grille with suitable mesh would end up similar to my instrument's looks:

Interesting observation, here's a photo that gives a better view of the grille and electronic panel on mine.
It also has a silent bass register.