Advice on purchasing a quality new or gently used piano 60 or 72 bass accordion under $1000.

[dak]

Elsewhere!
The best thing I've found is to get someone in real life - a new accordion friend or a teacher - to lend you a few of their instruments to give you a better idea. I'm hopeful Yorkshire isn't uniquely fraternal in that regard.
Otherwise you end up down online rabbit holes and it all gets a bit intense as the oxygen depletes!

Well, I am not the most successful of social animals so I essentially ended up ordering cheap used instruments and ending up more or less lucky. I chose pretty early to play CBA and that did limit my tryout possibilities with random acquaintances quite a lot. Also Germany is sort of the borderline between C system and B system, so that reduces your chances by another 50% once you are hooked on one system.

A recent gathering of accordionists I was at had an unusual amount of CBA: 2 of them C system, 2 of them B system.

 

[Scuromondo]

Well, the OP wanted light and 60 or 72 bass. That's the rub--there are 41/120s around for sure. But everybody--well, not everybody, but plenty of people--currently want the 60 or 72 bass size, and due to that, vintage examples in good condition are not falling out of the trees as they once did.

Even vintage West German Hohner Concerto III 34/72s are going for approaching $2K with some dealers if they are later models in near-mint condition. I have vintage Titano 30/50 LMs I acquired for $350 and $600 respectively, but that was 7 and 10 years ago. In the rare instances one turns up in good condition, they are now going for around $1200 with dealers.

Yes, you caught me there. I sort of took liberties with the request when I saw that Hohner. By my measure, anything less than 20 pounds is “lightweight,” and so when I saw a 3/5, 41/120 button Hohner Concerto weighing only 18 pounds for under $1k, I thought it would be a terrific deal that exceeded the requirements while still coming in well within budget—as always though, depending on the actual condition and playability of the instrument. An instrument like this could easily satisfy many players, certainly beyond the “beginner” level.

 

[saundersbp]

A recent gathering of accordionists I was at had an unusual amount of CBA: 2 of them C system, 2 of them B system.

That sounds like quite good going!

 

[dak]

That sounds like quite good going!

I'd guess about 20 all in all. And the other C system player came from Switzerland (incidentally, like my accordion).

 

[OuijaBoard]

Yes, you caught me there. I sort of took liberties with the request when I saw that Hohner. By my measure, anything less than 20 pounds is “lightweight,” and so when I saw a 3/5, 41/120 button Hohner Concerto weighing only 18 pounds for under $1k, I thought it would be a terrific deal that exceeded the requirements while still coming in well within budget—as always though, depending on the actual condition and playability of the instrument. An instrument like this could easily satisfy many players, certainly beyond the “beginner” level.

Certainly there are plenty of 72-bass 3-voice LMMs weighing 18 pounds, so I see your reasoning there.

 

[Scuromondo]

Certainly there are plenty of 72-bass 3-voice LMMs weighing 18 pounds, so I see your reasoning there.

Of course, whenever a seller quotes a weight, I always file that as a datapoint only and do not take it at face value—e.g. it matters whether the accordion was weighed with all straps attached (which I think is the fairest way to do it) and also whether it was weighed with accurate instrumentation or simply on a bathroom scale. …Still, if this Hohner with straps actually weighs even 20 pounds, I would consider it a good one. And the fact that the seller provided as much detail and as many photos as they did, certainly reduces risk.

 

[jensenvideo]

Jensenvideo,
I have a feeling that finding something to meet your stated requirements will be like the search for the Holy Grail: not easily attainable.
Although theoretically possible, it may take quite a long time as well as the luck of being in the right place at the right time.
Were you able to double or treble your budget, you would improve your chances of success, and reduce the effort required, enormously.
With accordions, there's a trade off involved: you can pay more and reduce the restoration costs/search time and effort OR keep looking, and pay less, but probably spend more time/ money/ effort on restoration/ repairs. Your call!
Occasionally, you can be lucky by being in the right place at the right time
I imagine some of the listings here could be the kind of thing you may be interested in, but look at the prices!!!
If course, everyone here would also like to beat the odds .
See here:

Like New or Certified Pre-Owned

www.libertybellows.com

Thanks Dingo, I'll take a look

 

[jensenvideo]

Unlike others here, I'm not going to endorse or defend the tone or phrasing of the response that made you unhappy, or make you into an "escalator" who "isn't helpful" for objecting to it.

But on the other hand, after stating the parameters of what you were looking for and then being given a ton of input from people who took the time to provide a) An inkling of illumination as to why your hours of pre-research here had turned up no answer to how one acquires a "new/slightly used 60 or 72-bass quality accordion for less than $1,000"; and b) Strong counsel to seek out someone within reach of your location who knows what they're doing to sell you or help you find and vet a suitable used instrument it would be safe to buy . . . . . . . . you ignored that counsel and proceeded to post a photo of a plainly dilapidated and damaged item you saw on craigslist or somewhere, and tried to make people in an online forum serve as the vetter as to whether you should buy it. Yes, you got a tart response, but the same response did close with apologies for being a tad blunt.

We can't assess a used accordion for you here online. You already have an accordion that cost less than $1,000. It's called a Golden Cup. You're not going to find a "quality" item you "can grow into" in that price range in your size parameters. Well, a vintage West German Hohner 72-bass might be had not too far over that price range. There are also some vintage Italian student models such as Titano, Giulietti, Contello MM or LM instruments in the 72-bass size that are increasingly rare and turn up once in a blue moon, but you need an expert vetter to steer you to one that's in good nick, and that is not people in an online forum. You have every right to ignore that wise advice and go it on your own, but it is not the role of people in an online forum to do the vetting and assessment in place of someone close at hand who can check out the instrument.

All we can do is give information and opinions about accordions, and counsel--strongly counsel--that you seek out someone with expertise so you don't throw your money away. We can also cheer you on as you journey through that experience. That is a strong point for the gang around here.

Counsel given was not to purchase a newer/cheaper Chinese model, but the older models were much better. So I found a older Belicia 72 bass with the idea of having it refurbished by a trusted local dealer near SF, which another poster also kindly offered in the thread. Really, I did not expect members on this forum to vet anything. Some said that would not be worth it...so here i am. Perhaps I'm better off learning a flute

 

[dak]

Perhaps I'm better off learning a flute

What I tell myself every time I put my accordion on my back and bike to the rehearsal.

 

[jensenvideo]

It is quite normal to spend this much time, and more, on research prior to making a buying decision.
In 1999 I wanted to get a better quality piano accordion. My wife and I drove 350km (each way) to Frankfurt, Germany, to visit the Frankfurter Musik Messe (which later did not survive the Covid lockdowns) and spent hours going from booth to booth trying similar accordion models from each available brand in order to decide which accordion we liked best. We ended up deciding on the Bugari Artist Cassotto.
After our switch to CBA my wife and I drove even further into Germany to try (and buy) a Hohner Morino Artiste X S, (a model that had been discontinued for over 15 years but a vendor had a new one, or "previously unused", which I ended up buying. This was after a lot of experience with friends playing a Morino, so we knew the sound very well.
When I later made up my mind to buy a new Russian bayan (mainly because at that time the exchange rates were such that it would cost about half of the price of an Italian "equivalent" bayan) I started by watching tons of videos on YT in order to get a good idea which sound I preferred. Then, my wife and I traveled about 200km (each way) to a concert by two solo bayan players, one playing half the concert on a Jupiter bayan, the other one playing on an AKKO bayan. We both reached the same conclusion and bought the AKKO.
You see, the buying decision on accordions is not something to take lightly. It's not like going to the supermarket and just buying something. You are very right to spend a lot of time *before* buying because this saves you a lot of time and money "after" buying when the accordion turns out to not be what you were expecting.

Maybe I need to spend more time improving my questionable accordion skills on my flawed Golden Cup than looking for a new one

 

[jensenvideo]

San Francisco Accordion Club

San Francisco Accordion Club

www.sfaccordionclub.com

Thank you! A bit of a drive from Sacramento, but I think I'll try attending a meeting.

 

[96Bass]

Counsel given was not to purchase a newer/cheaper Chinese model, but the older models were much better. So I found a older Belicia 72 bass with the idea of having it refurbished by a trusted local dealer near SF, which another poster also kindly offered in the thread. Really, I did not expect members on this forum to vet anything. Some said that would not be worth it...so here i am. Perhaps I'm better off learning a flute

Belicia? Was that a typo? Did you mean Delicia?
Refurbishing may more than double the cost of the accordion. Much better to purchase an instrument that needs no repairs.
What sound are you looking for, musette, dry, or both? What style music is your primary goal for playing on accordion?
I am in Sebastopol, not too far from Smythe accordions.
I have a compact Iorio 96 bass that is a good quality accordion in perfect playing condition that I’d sell, but about double what you are hoping to spend.
You could check out my accordion and visit Smythe on the same road trip.

 

[debra]

Maybe I need to spend more time improving my questionable accordion skills on my flawed Golden Cup than looking for a new one

The fact that you bought a Golden Cup is a very clear indication that you did not look into what you were getting well enough. Golden Cup is about the worst of the worst accordion maker in the world. There are very many articles and also some videos to warn people about Golden Cup.
I'm sure that for your next purchase you will be doing more in-depth research before wasting money on a lemon.

 

[jensenvideo]

Belicia? Was that a typo? Did you mean Delicia?
Refurbishing may more than double the cost of the accordion. Much better to purchase an instrument that needs no repairs.
What sound are you looking for, musette, dry, or both? What style music is your primary goal for playing on accordion?
I am in Sebastopol, not too far from Smythe accordions.
I have a compact Iorio 96 bass that is a good quality accordion in perfect playing condition that I’d sell, but about double what you are hoping to spend.
You could check out my accordion and visit Smythe on the same road trip.

Yes, Delicia

 

[dak]

The fact that you bought a Golden Cup is a very clear indication that you did not look into what you were getting well enough. Golden Cup is about the worst of the worst accordion maker in the world. There are very many articles and also some videos to warn people about Golden Cup.
I'm sure that for your next purchase you will be doing more in-depth research before wasting money on a lemon.

A bad accordion lets you practice more than no accordion at all. And it was enough to wet his appetite, wasn't it?

 

[jensenvideo]

The fact that you bought a Golden Cup is a very clear indication that you did not look into what you were getting well enough. Golden Cup is about the worst of the worst accordion maker in the world. There are very many articles and also some videos to warn people about Golden Cup.
I'm sure that for your next purchase you will be doing more in-depth research before wasting money on a lemon.

Got my Golden Cup many, many years a go for a song just to learn and see if I even liked playing- despite it's many flaws it has served me well to learn the basics. I'm in my third go-round restarting playing and now am ready for a real accordion

 

[jensenvideo]

A bad accordion lets you practice more than no accordion at all. And it was enough to wet his appetite, wasn't it?

Absolutely!

 

[Ffingers]

A bad accordion lets you practice more than no accordion at all. And it was enough to wet his appetite, wasn't it?

For those of us with sensative ears and a strong sense of musicality, a poor sounding/playing instrument can become the death of any trace of enthusiasm.

 

[LibraryJoe]

Perhaps a member of the Sacramento club has a used instrument he'd be willing to sell. Or maybe he might be willing to accompany you to examine and try out a used box seen on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. It's going to be tough finding a sub $1000 accordion, but with patience, one will probably show up.
Good luck on your search. Forum members are opinionated, and don't always provide answers that are pleasant to hear. But collectively, you'll won't find folks more knowledgeable or helpful.

 

[jensenvideo]

Perhaps a member of the Sacramento club has a used instrument he'd be willing to sell. Or maybe he might be willing to accompany you to examine and try out a used box seen on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. It's going to be tough finding a sub $1000 accordion, but with patience, one will probably show up.
Good luck on your search. Forum members are opinionated, and don't always provide answers that are pleasant to hear. But collectively, you'll won't find folks more knowledgeable or helpful.

Thanks Joe!