accordion brand rankings

[debra]

Tom, I think it can be difficult to even find true like-for-like comparisons sometimes. I was in the Bugari factory once playing their absolute top stradella model, called the G1. But in my mind, I was comparing it to the vintage Super VI, and I ended up being disappointed. Not because it wasn't good, but because it didn't compare to the old accordion. I remember thinking that the Bugari should not even be mentioned in the same breath as the old Scandalli. I guess though it's unfair to compare things that are so different. If I just enjoyed the accordion on its own merits I would have left feeling happier about the experience. As I say, its about perceptions.​

You are right that new accordions cannot be compared to vintage ones. Everything I wrote in this thread was about accordions that can be bought new today. I'd love to play a G1 (button version), but I'd also love to play a Scandalli Cromo Superior (which is what I believe the button "equivalent" of a Super VI was called). Ranking doesn't make sense when it only comes to perception. (That's why existing competitions like music and movie awards are pretty meaningless too.) Ranking can be meaningful when it comes to build quality, materials, reliability... all kinds of things most people do not think of when buying an accordion...

 

[Walker]

I'd love to play a G1 (button version), but I'd also love to play a Scandalli Cromo Superior (which is what I believe the button "equivalent" of a Super VI was called)

Absolutely, it can be a great experience. From all your times at Musikmesse you will know that occasionally a gem comes along that really strikes a chord with you. These moments can be very satisfying.

 

[Ventura]

The old guy who taught me the first steps of accordion repair bought a few of the last Giulietti bodies when production had stopped ...

oh he had 3 gems in his hands and finished them well !
the people who ended up owning and playing them were fortunate indeed

one of the technicians who learned his craft with Giulietti bought 6 bare
bones units as the USA factory closed and finished them himself
over the next few years to include him hand making the full
complement of reeds in his workshop

but, you know, i think this is a point that is missed by many people
when comparing to new

those last few Giulietti bodies/shells unique dimensions and wood combinations
were the result of the original engineering and technical design as reflected in the
FORMS the factory used when building them from raw materials

as the various factory closures happened through the decades, many original
forms and construction machines were lost or scrapped (as well as the Provino's)
or lost in one of the many horrific Fires that plagued our industry

to my mind, this is why you cannot really recreate these accordions today except
in a "look-alike" manner.. those small differences and unique combinations
cannot really be reverse engineered

the Zero shift to Bugari did not include the body forms, which is why the AM1100
(petosa) disappeared for awhile and a new top line model took it's place

so we can today again order a Settimo or a Scandalli or a Giulietti or a Sonola
or a Baton or even (again) an AM1100, but it is significantly different from the original
as well as NOT being much different from it's contemporary competitor brands
sourced from the few manufacturers that are left building bodies in house

meaning it is really a Pigini or a Bugari with a classic grille and different name

by contrast, Piermaria was always owned by it's French Family who controlled
all property rights including the forms and special tooling, so when SEM imploded
Piermaria was able to make new arrangements yet retain their uniqueness

i first noticed this and became aware when a Famous model that could
always be ordered with LLMM suddenly had a buzzing problem with a few notes...
the original shells had an accommodation in design that allowed for full
flexing of the second set of L reeds which by necessity faced outward

and the new shells from the new source did not

ciao

Ventura

 

[Ventura]

Absolutely, it can be a great experience. From all your times at Musikmesse you will know that occasionally a gem comes along that really strikes a chord with you. These moments can be very satisfying.

the gems

in Piano manufacturing, this is often referred to as "Scale design"
which is the salesman's reference to all the million little things that
get engineered in the original setup from the Plate mold to the
angle of the notches and pins on the Bridges to the soundboard
to the actions and felts

everything = the scale design and is why your 6'3 baby grands from
Baldwin / Young Chang / Yamaha / Bechstein /Pearl river all sound
and play quite nicely but ONE OF THEM is simply a gem

because that specific scale design came together in a way that
shares luck, perfection, experience, skill, and perhaps a bit of Stardust
so when your fingers first press the keys, it is a revelation

well accordion models have a scale design too.. a sum of it's parts that
can sometimes equal MORE than it does on paper

ciao

Ventura

 

[EMan]

For what it's worth, I just purchased a new Bugari 288 with the interchangeable reed blocks ( to give it Musette tuning when desired). I absolutely love the accordion. Are there others that play differently, sound differently, are made differently....sure, but you can go on "infinitum". For me finding models to "try" before buying was most challenging. How many accordions "stores" are there any more ? Not many ! It's a tough choice making a decision to write a check this big, but as some have said here: Take your best shot and enjoy "playing the accordion". After all that's what we're all after !

 

[Ventura]

reed blocks, on quality accordions, are individually fitted so ordering those
muesette change-outs new is the best option, because if you retrofit
(as i did on my Cordovox CG-V waaaaaay back) you must then
match the extra set to the internal level and plane of the block chocks
and plate etc. without compromising the fit of the original block

so when that kind of extra tonal flexibility is a buying factor,
then new is the better choice

 

[Ventura]

i notice you are in St. Augustine

i remember Anders Bakke from your area...
a fine accordionist, technician, and importer, and sequencer
from back in the day

ciao

Ventura

 

[Walker]

I just purchased a new Bugari 288

That's a very good accordion. Not so long ago Bugari was a very popular brand in Scotland for traditional musicians like myself, playing Scottish dance music (despite my recent experimentations with free bass). There was a well known shop called Wilkies Music House in Perth. I remember going to that shop whenever I could, just to try out their accordions. It was quite far away - about 100 miles from where I lived. When I think now, it was actually over twenty years ago. I remember the man in the shop would always say to me, you should get a Bugari Gold (that was before the Gold Plus). He always said, that's the nearest you can get to a Gola. In Scotland, the Gola was often seen as the benchmark and anything that was nearly as good was a great compliment. Anyway, when Wilkie's Music House closed down the Bugari phase sort of drifted away a bit. Bugari and Borsini were both really popular for those that didn't play a Morino or Gola. I think Manfrini is one of the big brands now, but Beltuna, Brandoni, Scandalli and a few others have a presence. Like you say, you have to make a decision and go make music.

I have played several Gold Plus accordions and always really liked the keyboard action, though I preferred the more understated grill of the Bugari Gold - it was very similar but without the Gold coloured strips. Still, such matters are a mere trifle. ​

 

[EMan]

i notice you are in St. Augustine

i remember Anders Bakke from your area...
a fine accordionist, technician, and importer, and sequencer
from back in the day

ciao

Ventura

I heard his name a number of times, but never met the man. I was told he had had a stroke quite a few years ago. Not sure if he is still alive. Appears he had a good reputation.

 

[EMan]

That's a very good accordion. Not so long ago Bugari was a very popular brand in Scotland for traditional musicians like myself, playing Scottish dance music (despite my recent experimentations with free bass). There was a well known shop called Wilkies Music House in Perth. I remember going to that shop whenever I could, just to try out their accordions. It was quite far away - about 100 miles from where I lived. When I think now, it was actually over twenty years ago. I remember the man in the shop would always say to me, you should get a Bugari Gold (that was before the Gold Plus). He always said, that's the nearest you can get to a Gola. In Scotland, the Gola was often seen as the benchmark and anything that was nearly as good was a great compliment. Anyway, when Wilkie's Music House closed down the Bugari phase sort of drifted away a bit. Bugari and Borsini were both really popular for those that didn't play a Morino or Gola. I think Manfrini is one of the big brands now, but Beltuna, Brandoni, Scandalli and a few others have a presence. Like you say, you have to make a decision and go make music.

I have played several Gold Plus accordions and always really liked the keyboard action, though I preferred the more understated grill of the Bugari Gold - it was very similar but without the Gold coloured strips. Still, such matters are a mere trifle. ​

I recently sold my Borsini on Reverb. Absolutely lovely accordion that played very well. Unfortunately, I'm not a big guy and that was a 5/4 and just too big for me. Ironically, it wasn't the weight, but the size of the accordion that was a problem. So I bought the Bugari and I'm really happy with it. The keyboard action is exquisite. I haven't yet tried it with the interchangeable reed blocks, but will get to that soon.

 

[Walker]

The Borsini Superstar had a beautiful tone. If it were possible to create less bulky 5 voice instruments, without loosing too much tone quality, that would be ideal. There's nothing quite like playing in the organtone couplers and then just at the press of a switch going to a nice bright musette. I had a Dallape Supermaestro V I bought new. I probably got more enjoyment from that 5 voice box than I did from most other instruments I played. Having said that, I found the Borsini K9 5, to be exceptionally compact for a 5 voice, and sounded pretty good too. Maybe they are a little more delicate than the normal more weighty accordions.

When it comes to changing reed blocks I also once had a 1963 Hohner Gola 414 with interchangeable reed blocks, but after a while I found it too much of a hastle pulling pins out etc. to switch the reed blocks every time I wanted a different sound. Most of the time the extra reed blocks just sat in their case. But the pins are less hastle to remove than bellows screws.

However, if I had the choice, on a new regular 4 or 5 voice accordion, I would always ask for an instrument with bellows screws. By that I mean screws with a corresponding threaded and countersunk brass insert built into the accordion bellows frame/case. It's a greater effort for the accordion maker but gives a nicer finish and less chance of air leakage over the long term than pins. But it's these little details that made the vintage Scandalli Super VI M and N series, arguably a superior accordion to the Hohner Gola - not to mention the cassotto tone quality. But it's not a simple choice, nothing ever is when evaluating good accordions, the Gola had the edge in other ways...​

 

[John M]

. . . There's nothing quite like playing in the organtone couplers and then just at the press of a switch going to a nice bright musette. . . .​

This may seem a little "off topic" in reference to the discussion on this thread, but I had to chime in on the capability of the Roland 8X. If you like a large variety of Accordion, Organ and Orchestral tones, that are available "at the press of a switch", then the 8X wins hands down. For variety, when I play Moonglow, I switch tones on each repeat of the song. Some of my tone switches are: Bassoon, Hammond Organ (dry then vibrato/tremolo), Piano, Vibraphone, etc. The large selection of tones gives me a lot of choices to be creative. I rarely play a song the same way twice.

John M.

P.S. The Stradella bass can also be changed to "Quint" free bass at the press of a switch. There are also four other frees bass configurations available at the press of a switch.

 

[Walker]

Orchestral sounds & quint
Amazing John M
I need to investigate this Roland sorcery

 

[zqd9853572002]

This may seem a little "off topic" in reference to the discussion on this thread, but I had to chime in on the capability of the Roland 8X. If you like a large variety of Accordion, Organ and Orchestral tones, that are available "at the press of a switch", then the 8X wins hands down. For variety, when I play Moonglow, I switch tones on each repeat of the song. Some of my tone switches are: Bassoon, Hammond Organ (dry then vibrato/tremolo), Piano, Vibraphone, etc. The large selection of tones gives me a lot of choices to be creative. I rarely play a song the same way twice.

John M.

P.S. The Stradella bass can also be changed to "Quint" free bass at the press of a switch. There are also four other frees bass configurations available at the press of a switch.

yes, that is how we use registers, lol, the electronic accordion bring us more choices when playing, lol

 

[debra]

yes, that is how we use registers, lol, the electronic accordion bring us more choices when playing, lol

The CD player brings even more choices...
An accordion is a "free reed" instrument with bellows. Electronic (non-acoustic) accordions are something else. They may look and sometimes feel and on occasion also sound like an accordion, but they are not accordions. At home I also have a Yamaha digital piano which to some extent looks like a piano, it feels like a piano and it sounds like a piano (like a Yamaha grand piano actually). But in all fairness... it is not a piano, although it can be used like one.

 

[Ffingers]

The CD player brings even more choices...
An accordion is a "free reed" instrument with bellows. Electronic (non-acoustic) accordions are something else. They may look and sometimes feel and on occasion also sound like an accordion, but they are not accordions. At home I also have a Yamaha digital piano which to some extent looks like a piano, it feels like a piano and it sounds like a piano (like a Yamaha grand piano actually). But in all fairness... it is not a piano, although it can be used like one.

I defer to your more acute and accurate aural abilities so you may authoritatively correct me, Paul, but I have yet to hear any digitised instrument which is not distinguishable from its purely accoustic original when experienced in situ.

 

[hais1273]

Interesting stuff, the in depth knowledge of various members continues to surprise me. My personal opinion is; The player/performer is far more important, as I mentioned previously there was a lady at Halsway Manor last year with a Weltmeister Rubin, I think it was, her music was "better" ( what ever you choose that to mean) than another person with a very good Italian instrument. Her energy, sense of fun and musicality made up for any defficiency in the sound or strength of the Weltmeister.

 

[cristib]

It would be nice to see how different brands rank as compared to each other, like a university ranking. Of course this would be very rough and depend on makes/models/time of production/quality versus value and so on. It would still be nice to get a rule of thumb from those of you who've had a lot of experience with different models. I am in the market for a full-size CBA no cassotto Italian made LMMH, and the ones I see are often of the following list (not just Italian):

Victoria
Hohner
Paolo Soprani
Weltmeister
Bugari
Scandalli
Pigini
Borsini
Beltuna
Petosa
Excelsior
Titano

These are the brands that come up repeatedly as opposed to one-offs. I'd put Borsini, Scandalli, Victoria, and Beltuna into the A category; Bugari, Petosa, Excelsior into the B category; and the rest in the C category (still very good accordions!), but I am basing this on the list prices I see on the used accordion market, not on personal experience. I have a Hohner, a Weltmeister, a Paolo Soprani, and an Excelsior, all of which I dearly love (for different reasons). If I should just put a poll out there please let me know; or tell me what you think of my categories; or tell me that the whole enterprise is futile because over-simplifying; or tell me which brand I should definitely add to the list as something that comes up often; or let me know if this kind of ranking is already available somewhere.

The best accordion ever made is dallape supermaestro 70's

 

[JerryPH]

The best accordion ever made is dallape supermaestro 70's

That is open to opinion.

 

[tcabot]

What, no Accordiola, anyone?.. Was good 'nuff for Johnny Meijer...

Hands down, his Chormo V had the best grille design to ever be put onto a squeezebox.