Chinese Manufactured Accordion Model List

[JIM D.]

Another fortune cookie for the list Rizatti -----
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rizatti-Bro...F-/111840472174?hash=item1a0a362c6e:g:BVkAAOS

 

[landro]

It`s almost a shame that the Chinese accordions aren`t made just a bit better . I`ve had a couple and worked on a few other ones myself. I think they are good enough to get started with but that`s really where it ends unless you are capable of repairing them yourself. The wooden reed blocks especially are subject to warping and reeds go out of tune early in their life. They need maintenance often and are not always as easy to repair as Italian made accordions due to the cheap materials and construction and lack of proprietary parts available. None of the interior metal (base rods , etc) are coated against corrosion or rust. Keyboards typically have a problem with warping. I don`t think they always use the correct woods for the correct application or do they allow it to age properly.
If the materials were a grade better and the workmanship improved they could make significant gains in that market.
Of course their price would increase accordingly but being that a full sized new Chinese Bonetti 4/5 reed 41/120 with 13/4 voice registers presently sells for $850 (US)they could easily triple or even quadruple their price if only they would improve their quality of material and labor.

Regardless this player here has no problem getting the most from his Parrot accordion:

 

[dunlustin]

I do wonder if the main reason Chinese accordions are of poor quality is because many dealers in the West will only buy rubbish from China.
Do the Chinese keep the best for themselves?
Have they recognised the simplest way around the problem is to buy up companies in the west?
After all, Hohner still make Golas and some other instruments are seen as good value in their price range.
Question:
Would Charles Nunzio have become a consultant to Parrot ( http://www.accordionusa.com/fe_06_03.htm ) if they were that bad?
Yes, I know its controversial but how can a country have a Space Programme etc and still not manage to replicate 190 (or even 90) year old technology?

 

[landro]

Good question from dunlustin !
From what I gather in China there are at least 300,000 students enrolled in accordion instruction classes . As a result there has to be a great many accomplished accordionists in China. The question is, do they all play the same export quality boxes such as the Bonnetti`s and Parrots we see here on Ebay or do they make better ones not for export? Or do the well heeled players in China import their top line instruments?
I assume at some point in time they copied typical Italian/European designed instruments and they simply have to be fully capable of making top end accordions but I`ve never seen one.
I took this interesting snippet of info off the net:
http://www.accordions.com/index/squ/squ_96_11_15.shtml#china

 

[donn]

I suppose it's easier to think about it in terms of what makes economic sense, and why. Of course China could make a great accordion - as could Saudi Arabia etc., but that doesn't mean it would make any sense to do it. It seems to me though that the made-in-China business model is to serve the buyer who wants above all to get the lowest possible price. That accounts for almost everyone, and the few who will pay significantly more for a new accordion are easily served by what's left of 1st world production. China's intrinsic advantages - low standard of living, compliant workforce - are dwindling anyway, and what keeps them in business is the established industrial infrastructure that has moved there from the 1st world. To the extent that's relevant to accordion manufacture, they could capture a larger segment of the market than would make sense strictly from a labor cost perspective - but I'm guessing it isn't really relevant, that accordion manufacture remains pretty low tech. Do the higher end makes still use Italian reeds, even when not made in Italy? I think so.

 

[Soulsaver]

Another fortune cookie for the list Rizatti -----
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rizatti-Bro...F-/111840472174?hash=item1a0a362c6e:g:BVkAAOS

Added, thanks Jim.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

Though my Hohner Bravo 120 was made in China, if it needs service, Hohner has a major service center in the U.S. I suspect Chinese-brand accordion companies do not maintain service operations here. Fortunately, other than initial tuning adjustments, I haven't had any quality issues with Hohner, though Honica I understand is made in China by a Chinese company, not Hohner itself.

 

[landro]

I suppose its easier to think about it in terms of what makes economic sense, and why. Of course China could make a great accordion - as could Saudi Arabia etc., but that doesnt mean it would make any sense to do it. It seems to me though that the made-in-China business model is to serve the buyer who wants above all to get the lowest possible price. That accounts for almost everyone, and the few who will pay significantly more for a new accordion are easily served by whats left of 1st world production. Chinas intrinsic advantages - low standard of living, compliant workforce - are dwindling anyway, and what keeps them in business is the established industrial infrastructure that has moved there from the 1st world. To the extent thats relevant to accordion manufacture, they could capture a larger segment of the market than would make sense strictly from a labor cost perspective - but Im guessing it isnt really relevant, that accordion manufacture remains pretty low tech. Do the higher end makes still use Italian reeds, even when not made in Italy? I think so.

I have seen more than one Chinese maker offer Italian reeds in their line for little or no extra cost. No doubt they would be of a typical export grade .
I would have to think it simply foolish to spend for hand made reeds in a Chinese accordion. Then again the tuning might well be more crucial to good sound than the reed quality .

 

[Soulsaver]

Found some accordions on eBay Australia M. Gararda - these look typical, if expensive, Chinese manufacture?
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...ccordion.TRS0&_nkw=Gerarda+accordion&_sacat=0
Anyone confirm?

 

[JIM D.]

Yep; More fortune cookie's. :tup:

 

[Soulsaver]

Sila pic:

 

[flatstanley]

Soulsaver, many thanks for providing this list - excellent for trying to navigate around Italian sounding Chinese makes. One slight amendment is that Firotti was the brand of Fritz Rockstroh from Georgenthal, East Germany, so not Chinese.

 

[Soulsaver]

Soulsaver, many thanks for providing this list - excellent for trying to navigate around Italian sounding Chinese makes. One slight amendment is that Firotti was the brand of Fritz Rockstroh from Georgenthal, East Germany, so not Chinese.

Many thanks Flatstanley. I cant find where the info came from that included it in the list, but I do agree its erroneous and Ive edited it accordioningly.

 

[JIM D.]

Yes the brand Firotti was from a German firm that made accordions very similar to Hohner and Weltmeister in the past. If you find an older Firotti for sale that looks like on of these, its German --
https://www.google.com/search?q=firotti+accordion&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=IF

Dealers that sell Chinese boxes will in most cases use a brand name of a product that is no longer produced. New accordions advertised with the Firotti brand name are indeed just another China Box.

 

[Soulsaver]

Yes the brand Firotti was from a German firm that made accordions very similar to Hohner and Weltmeister in the past. If you find an older Firotti for sale that looks like on of these, its German --
https://www.google.com/search?q=firotti+accordion&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=IF

Dealers that sell Chinese boxes will in most cases use a brand name of a product that is no longer produced. New accordions advertised with the Firotti brand name are indeed just another China Box.

Thanks Jim. I think we saw a Chinese example of it when we included it, but I couldnt be sure. Ive edited the list to reflect the current understanding.

 

[Deleted member 48]

Dilemma... a Jmeister Chinese acco box or use the money for a real bottle of Jägermeister ?

El Can - Can en acordeón de 12 bajos (Tutorial)

 

[donn]

I have seen more than one Chinese maker offer Italian reeds in their line for little or no extra cost. No doubt they would be of a typical export grade .

Just to subtract slightly from our knowledge -- this ebay ad came to my attention because of the colorful language, for an Eastern EM2001. Lots of different musical instruments under this Eastern label.

So the ad says, in large font Reeds are imported from Italy.

And then below, in text apparently generated by some kind of automated translation from Chinese, The processing technic from Italy is adopted to manufacture the gongs of 120 Bass Echo Accordion, which makes the gong pronouncing smoothly and high-sensitively with the strong breakout force, the tuny, clear and bright timbre. It has better acoustics quality and plummy musical sense.

Which as best as I can make out, suggests that the reeds were not imported from Italy. Who knows, just occurred to me to wonder how much of our knowledge about Chinese accordions is invalid due to translation errors.

 

[JeffJetton]

The Canarino is as Chinese as a fortune cookie.

At the risk of being that guy... Fortune cookies are actually not very Chinese at all: http://www.snopes.com/food/origins/fortune.asp

 

[JIM D.]

And neither is American Chop Suey Chinese. Now have you ever received a fortune cookie at a restaurant that wasn't Chinese ?? :lol:

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Hello Soulsaver,

I would like to post your list on another site. I am asking for your permission to do this. I am also going to ask the forum leaders for permission to do the same and quote the source as this forum.

Please respond by private email. 'Thanks.

Alan Sharkis