sorry, but i disagree
there is nothing i can recall about Dallape ever building accordions
for private labels in the USA.. Dallape was marketed directly into
the USA under it's own family brand name and competed in the
professional strata of the market, not in the bargain segment at all
however, we all know that Vercelli - italy was also a hub of accordion
activity, Co-operativa Fisharmonica, Ranco, Royal, and others.. several
of whom grew out of the Dallape training program in terms of trained
personnel who moved to the Vercelli area to work or set up accordion shops.
In particular, Royal built those look-alike wide shift aluminum grill accordions
under private brands like Imperial for a long time
Guerrini also, for a very short time, built a Dallape look-alike with the wide shifts
there are also a lot of wannabe Excelsior look-alikes out there that have no connection
whatsoever to the famous brand.. Copying the look of iconic, expensive
brands was quite common, so assuming an origin for any off-brand accordion
just because it LOOKS like something else can be speculated upon, but should NEVER
be stated as fact
Philharmonic was a nice accordion brand that never achieved top tier status.
Generally well built and good quality, but priced for the mid-market..
this specific accordion is quite old.. it has one lifted key, most likely
from a leather valve falling off it's cotton backing. More are likely
as dry and in need of service. Do not be alarmed if more fall off as the
accordion is played. i suggest you pop the grill off and find the loose
one before it gets jammed into something way down under the keys
be glad it is still in the family and has a nice history
