Busilacchio Eldorado Accordion

[boxplayer4000]

Busilacchio Eldorado
This is a model I have not seen before.
From an initial glance I can see it is 4 voice treble, double octave tuning, double cassotto and the bass end appears to have 6 voices.
It looks and plays like a high quality instrument and some early gossip suggests it was aimed at the American market.

Has anybody out there encountered this model? 

 

[nagant27]

Kinda looks like a La Tosca Eldorado. Ive seen ads with Magnante playing one, when he wasn't playing excelsiors I guess. Ive never played one.

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here is one with Biviano.

I couldn't find a picture with Magnante at the moment

 

[boxplayer4000]

nagent27

Thanks for your observations. The ‘gossip’ about the American connection might well be right. There are some photos around with Charles Magnante with an instrument that looks very like the one in question. There are also quite a few links to Eldorado instruments in Brazil. 
The maker mostly mentioned is La Tosca.  Busilacchio seem to have shared the production of the Eldorado model but which came first is a mystery. Features which strongly link the The La Tosca model and the Busilacchio one are the Eldorado badge on the grille and the couplers. 

 

[maugein96]

nagent27

Thanks for your observations. The ‘gossip’ about the American connection might well be right. There are some photos around with Charles Magnante with an instrument that looks very like the one in question. There are also quite a few links to Eldorado instruments in Brazil. 
The maker mostly mentioned is La Tosca.  Busilacchio seem to have shared the production of the Eldorado model but which came first is a mystery. Features which strongly link the The La Tosca model and the Busilacchio one are the Eldorado badge on the grille and the couplers. 

Hi Boxplayer,

A lot of Ildo Busilacchio accordions with the same sort of couplers and grille are still kicking around Brazil, as per this link:-

https://www.permutalivre.com.br/650196/acordeon-scandalli-i-busilacchio-7x-120-oitavada-fabrica.html 

They are believed to have had a connection with Scandalli, and Ive seen Brazilian players using accordions with the Scandalli brand name using the same sort of Busilacchio lettering as the one in your photo.  

As an aside, Bruno Allodi, who started off the London shop, brought with him the Italian style of CBA with the 7 row version of Belgian bass from the Parma area. I read in an article (link below) that he worked for Ildo Busilacchio for a time, and learned how to repair accordions. As far as Im aware Ildo Busilacchios workshop was somewhere in Ancona, Italy. 

https://www.accordions.co.uk/History.htm 

The Parma style of CBA accordion obviously never caught on in London, and Bruno concentrated on repairing the usual bog standard type of PAs normally found in the UK.

This one is being listed as La Tosca, but it is clearly badged as a Busilacchio. There is a sticker on the rear indicating that it was imported by a UK dealer in Plymouth at one stage!

http://tomateacordeons.com.br/produto/79/acordeon-la-tosca

For what its worth, La Tosca had connections with the American Gretsch guitar company for a time. Those accordions are branded as La Tosca, and have a different grille. However, some of them use the same treble couplers as the one in your photo.

Its all rather difficult and I think Id rather study ancient Greek, as it is more logical to try and work out. I have to be careful not to refer to my sister as the ancient Greek as shes younger than I am, and doesnt like it!

 

[boxplayer4000]

maugein96
Adding 'Scandalli' to the list of makers deepens the mystery. 
Was 'Eldorado' such a desirable model that various makers got in on the act? (Like the Scandalli SuperV1 design series which was shared with Settimeo Soprani.)
The cassottoed LMMH tuning is certainly attractive and I recently heard a whole evening of, mostly Scottish, music on such an instrument.
Re. Mr. Allodi in London.  I emailed his surviving son a few days ago with a request for information and I hope he can find time in a busy schedule to reply.
I am impressed with the understated quality of the Busilacchio Eldorado, which is a feature of most 'top of the range' instruments.

 

[maugein96]

maugein96
Adding Scandalli to the list of makers deepens the mystery. 
Was Eldorado such a desirable model that various makers got in on the act? (Like the Scandalli SuperV1 design series which was shared with Settimeo Soprani.)
The cassottoed LMMH tuning is certainly attractive and I recently heard a whole evening of, mostly Scottish, music on such an instrument.
Re. Mr. Allodi in London.  I emailed his surviving son a few days ago with a request for information and I hope he can find time in a busy schedule to reply.
I am impressed with the understated quality of the Busilacchio Eldorado, which is a feature of most top of the range instruments.

Bruno Allodi had a brother, whose name now escapes me, who stayed on in Italy and was a pro CBA player on the Modena/Belgian bass system. 

Unfortunately Ive never been big on the history of Italian makers, although Im sure Ive seen a few Busillachio accordions offered for sale online in Brazil described as Scandalli. I dont know what the connection is/was, but Brazilian sellers are usually well up on their knowledge of old boxes. I read somewhere that Scandalli had a retail outlet in Brazil for a while, but again my memory is not what it once was. 

Just to confuse you, here is a La Tosca Eldorado double cassotto box for sale in Brazil in 2014. Footnote says it is by Busillachio

 

[boxplayer4000]

Maugein,
I think I saw that Brazilian site. The instrument looks very similar to the one here except the Brazilian one does not have 'Busilacchio' label on the front.
The demonstration is good and gives a good representation of the sounds. He seems to be in a room with a lot of reverberation.
It's a sales pitch obviously but my knowledge does not allow me to see the asking price.

 

[maugein96]

Maugein,
I think I saw that Brazilian site. The instrument looks very similar to the one here except the Brazilian one does not have Busilacchio label on the front.
The demonstration is good and gives a good representation of the sounds. He seems to be in a room with a lot of reverberation.
Its a sales pitch obviously but my knowledge does not allow me to see the asking price.

Hi,

He appears to sell accordions as a sideline only, and I believe the only way hell reveal the price is by email. He wont put the prices on You Tube, and that seems to be par for the course in Brazil. Somebody has asked him but he hasnt replied to the You Tube post. 

The red one here is for sale at just under £1100 GBP (5600 Brazilian Reals) 

http://tomateacordeons.com.br/produto/79/acordeon-la-tosca

John W

 

[boxplayer4000]

maugein,
Again, thanks for your interest.
I suspect the red one is 3 voice only so quite limited. Nevertheless it's instructive.

 

[boxplayer4000]

Busilacchio Eldorado Update.
I now have the accordion available for closer inspection.
From a good source I am informed the accordion was made in Osimo. near Castelfidardo, probably in the 1970s.
The reed blocks are all marked with a hand written label:    HIR 1262.  I don’t know if this is a person’s initials and a date.
The bass is not a converter design but has an incredible 7 voices. C2 to B5. 
The reeds appear to be a-mano grade. (see picture).
This is a link to video demonstrating an accordion very similar if not the same.

 

[boxplayer4000]

Busilacchio Eldorado.

The 'silence' around this accordion is surprising. I did expect some opinions, at least on the reeds.  They are unmarked, as far as I can see, and they look like they have been stamped from a strip of steel the same width as the reed base. My understanding is that this places the reeds in a higher quality range but informed opinion is welcome.
The accordion is back with the owner who I expect will put it up for sale soon.

 

[debra]

Busilacchio Eldorado.

The 'silence' around this accordion is surprising. I did expect some opinions, at least on the reeds.  They are unmarked, as far as I can see, and they look like they have been stamped from a strip of steel the same width as the reed base. My understanding is that this places the reeds in a higher quality range but informed opinion is welcome.
The accordion is back with the owner who I expect will put it up for sale soon.

Let me break the silence here...
These reeds are definitely a mano reeds because they are made out of a narrow band of steel (the width of the reed base) and then finished by hand as well.
Italian a mano reeds all look pretty much the same so without a stamp indicating the reed maker it is impossible to tell who made these reeds. Decades ago there were many small reed makers and hence as many names as well. A very slight issue with that is that when a reed breaks it is now impossible to find an exact match that will sound perfectly identical to the original. But that is true for many older accordions and should not hold anyone back from buying an older accordion.
I watched the video that does not illustrate very well what the accordion sounds like (*slow* playing is essential to enjoy the sound). Hopefully the one you have inspected is better in tune than the one in the video (especially the bass side).

 

[boxplayer4000]

Paul,
Thanks for your thoughts on the reeds.
All the reeds, bass and treble, have at some time in the accordion’s probable life of about 45 years been re-valved and re-waxed. The bellows have been re-taped as well. All of which suggests the accordion may have had a busy life at one time. The body cosmetics are very good without any significant marks or scratches. All the reeds were sounded on the bench and apart from one damaged treble reed valve and a couple of reeds which had slipped a bit I found the tuning largely intact. The bass is particularly sonorous.
I share your thoughts on demonstration videos of accordions. ie. the reel tuning is hard to discern if the player plays fast pieces. Also the example I posted appeared to made in a room where no carpets, curtains or other sound deadening features were evident.