Elkavox 83 Owners' Manual

[roque55]

Hello,
My name is Roque, after more than 20 years without play an accordion I just bought an Elkavox 83 Accordion that include the Generator and a pedal. I got it in a Flee Market and I was so excited to find an accordion that was affordable to buy, unfortunately did not come with the manual and the seller did not know how to make the electronic part to work

At home I made the connections between the accordion and the generator, the pedal and the generator and the generator with my guitar amplifier. The red lights in the accordion started to blink or turned on. however in the generator the power light that is on the left top corner does not turn on. The one at the bottom (where the power wire goes) turned on. However I can't get any electronic or amplified sound.

The accordion sounds great but I don't know how to figure it out to make the electronic part to work

I would appreciate if someone here can help me to make the electronic part work or guide me where to find a manual or an accordion repair store in Orlando Florida


Thank you

Roque



Roque

 

[Glenn]

Welcome Roque,
Congratulations on your “new” accordion.
Hope you have many pleasant hours learning to play.

I can’t help you with your electronic problems but I can tell you that even if you had the electronic tone generator working the sounds that are made are not very impressive by today’s standards. I have a Hohner Vox CBA (a similar instrument from the same period as your Elkavox) and although the tone generator works I only tried it once for fun but could not see myself finding it useful. You say the accordion itself works well so with only that you have stumbled on a nice prize in the flea market.

 

[JerryPH]

Welcome!

I own an Elkavox 83 and can help answer some of your questions about how to use it, however, I can't help you with a users manual. Mine never came with one and I have been searching for decades without success.

Oddly enough, the schematics are easier to come by. Last year on ebay I found a woman from Italy that was selling the schematics and I picked up a set from her. You might want to search there for a start.
Now, the fact that you see the accordion lights flickering when you first turn it on is a good thing, it means that the accordion is getting power from the tone generator. Assuming you are plugging in things correctly, the fact that the tone generator's light is not coming on might be as minor an issue as a burnt out bulb... or as major an issue as a useless tone generator.

This is all analog, and parts are pretty much impossible to find today.

Had I not found my 8X, this is what I would be using today, and been very happy with it too.

 

[fjsys]

I think that I have one, but it probably will no be helpful in this situation.
If I get some time I will try to scan it.
But it has been at least a year since I used the tone generator and I am not sure how it plugs in at the moment.

Really I would just use the accordion and ignore the generator.
Ben

 

[JerryPH]

Well, from the bit that I read, the setup seemed properly plugged in, I might be able to make a small video easily enough, If needed. It's really not hard to setup.

Though I rarely use it now, if you do post the manual, let me know, I'd download a copy myself.

 

[fjsys]

Just getting back to this and I have misplaced the manual. (sorry)
Hopefully you got yours working b/c after this I tried mine and as long as I didn't need any sound on the chords it worked fine.
But it appears that my tone generator will not work on the Cmaj Cmin, Gmaj, and Gmin and probably many others.

The problem is not on the accordion side as I have a couple of other midi systems for this accordion and they both work fine, but it looks like my original tone generator is junk...

Honestly it really doesn't matter to me, I don't care for the midi sounds and just enjoy the accordion as a musette tuned accordion that is different from my main dry tuned victoria.

Sorry I cannot be any more help, if I find the manual again I will let you guys know.
Ben

 

[debra]

I believe Elka made Crucianelli (or the other way around or maybe just the same company at the time) and the Elkavox is likely a Crucianelli which explains that it is a fine accordion indeed (the accoustic part). Elka reportedly made instruments with other labels as well, including some early small Hohner student models (yet more accordions Hohner did not manufacture themselves...) so both the Elkavox and the Cordovox talked about in another thread are fine accordions. Just forget about the outdated electronics.

 

[Geronimo]

I believe Elka made Crucianelli (or the other way around or maybe just the same company at the time) and the Elkavox is likely a Crucianelli which explains that it is a fine accordion indeed (the accoustic part). Elka reportedly made instruments with other labels as well, including some early small Hohner student models (yet more accordions Hohner did not manufacture themselves...) so both the Elkavox and the Cordovox talked about in another thread are fine accordions. Just forget about the outdated electronics.

The electronics may be outdated but at least they tend to blend with the instrument sounds. Its similar to Hohners Electroniums which even used tube technology in their first generation: the electronics are simply pitiful by todays standards but were still musically useful.

 

[JerryPH]

Elkas were Iorio boxes, not Crucianelli. The Iorio name (as I found out at the New England Accordion Museum) was a very well respected name in the accordion business... if not very big.

 

[JIM D.]

As Jerry states the Elkas were not in fact Crucianelli's but clones of the Iorio Accorgan. All the later models were imported with the Elka Badge.

The Cordovox came in many accordion-organ models with some being made by Bell and some by Excelsior. The lower priced models were made by Excelsior with 18"or 19" keyboards and with 3 treble reed sets.
Higher priced Cordovox's were made by Bell (same electronics) with 4 sets of treble reeds and some came with Cassotto (Super IV). The last models were baged "Bell Duovox"

 

[JerryPH]

One would think that a user manual would be easy, right? I again spent a good 2 hours scouring the web... nothing, not one result. Thankfully though very flexible, they were much MUCH easier to use, in comparison to the V-Accordion.

 

[debra]

As Jerry states the Elkas were not in fact Crucianellis but clones of the Iorio Accorgan. All the later models were imported with the Elka Badge.

The Cordovox came in many accordion-organ models with some being made by Bell and some by Excelsior. The lower priced models were made by Excelsior with 18or 19 keyboards and with 3 treble reed sets.
Higher priced Cordovoxs were made by Bell (same electronics) with 4 sets of treble reeds and some came with Cassotto (Super IV). The last models were baged Bell Duovox

Always time to learn something new... especially about the lesser documented or undocumented parts of accordion history (and also about the parts that manufacturers try to hide from the public).

 

[Eddy Yates]

Here’s an Accorgan that Guenadiy has stripped of the electronics and is selling. Thoughts?
http://www.accordiongallery.com/iorio-magnatera

 

[JerryPH]

Here’s an Accorgan that Guenadiy has stripped of the electronics and is selling. Thoughts?

The accordion side of things are good, but not excellent.  Seeing this, it looks like a stripped down car that someone did not know how to fix, so they removed all the good stuff and plugged up all the holes... I am definitely not fond of this look, nor the results.  What you have here is 1/2 of an Elka, and in my opinion, the best parts were removed.

This is not an Elka 83 but the earlier S3 Accorgan, and the quality of the accordion parts are even a bit lower.  I have one of these too... but mine is still all original.  It will one day become something that I take apart and use for playing around with as a "repair box" and the bellows for a tuner.

I am still looking for the Elka 83 manual, but am near giving up, not that I really needed it, it just would have been nice.

 

[DonN5LZ]

I have also searched long and hard for an Elkavox 83 manual and came up empty … I think Ben (fjsys) is our best bet to help us find one … he once told me that he has one somewhere but just cannot find it  … we need to work on him and somehow get it scanned to pdf (Ben … are you reading?). He also told me, however, that I will be disappointed when I do see it since it is apparently rather superficial. I have enjoyed my Elka but it does have its drawbacks. Mine has no tone chamber but does have great LMMM musette tuning. It weighs in at about 28 pounds …. And that’s the absolute upper weight limit as far as I’m concerned. The tone generator is large and heavy (could probably be used as a boat anchor) …. And the effects pedal, which is also heavy and awkward, needs to be connected in order for all of the midi functions to operate …. I tried removing it and quickly found that I had lost several of the midi sounds by doing so. The internal sounds are 1980s vintage stuff … nothing like those that are available today. So most of the time I play the Elka as a stand alone acoustic box …. But I now spend much more time with my Roland FR-4X since picking it up several months ago. A free standing instrument that is not tied down with cables of ANY kind is the way to go as far as I’m concerned.

 

[Eddy Yates]

Here’s an Accorgan that Guenadiy has stripped of the electronics and is selling. Thoughts?

The accordion side of things are good, but not excellent.  Seeing this, it looks like a stripped down car that someone did not know how to fix, so they removed all the good stuff and plugged up all the holes... I am definitely not fond of this look, nor the results.  What you have here is 1/2 of an Elka, and in my opinion, the best parts were removed.

This is not an Elka 83 but the earlier S3 Accorgan, and the quality of the accordion parts are even a bit lower.  I have one of these too... but mine is still all original.  It will one day become something that I take apart and use for playing around with as a "repair box" and the bellows for a tuner.

I am still looking for the Elka 83 manual, but am near giving up, not that I really needed it, it just would have been nice.  

It’s actually a G series Concert Iorio. I just bought it, not for the looks (although I rather like the strangeness of it), but for the Magnatera reeds and the sound. In my opinion, the electronics for all these mashups sounded cheesy, but my first non-piano was a Vox Continental, followed by a Hohner Pianet, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet D6, Hammond C3, on and on....

 

[Glug]

Just spotted on Ebay: ELKA Elkavox 83 Service manual repair - Schematic diagrams - Circuit diagram
Heres the link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELKA-Elk...771248?hash=item340962d470:g:zC4AAOSw6fBcw2wH

Apparently for £13 they will email a PDF of the manual.

Ive got no connection with the seller, just remembered somebody was looking.

 

[JerryPH]

Just spotted on Ebay: ELKA Elkavox 83 Service manual repair - Schematic diagrams - Circuit diagram
Heres the link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELKA-Elk...771248?hash=item340962d470:g:zC4AAOSw6fBcw2wH

Apparently for £13 they will email a PDF of the manual.

Ive got no connection with the seller, just remembered somebody was looking.

Check out post #3, where I mention that it is available online to find easier than the owners manual.  The schematics are not hard to find, they come from a woman in Italy.  Its the owners manual that seems impossible to find. 

But of course, thanks for mentioning that you saw this and you did do the courtesy of posting the link, which I am sure is appreciated. 

 

[eugene.pryor@outlook.com]

Does anyone know where I can get the power cords for an Iorio Accorgan Classique (H) model? I recently purchased one on eBay and the shipping company lost the package with all the cables. I need all the cables, for the generator, the supernova 85 amplifier, and the Wilgamat III rhythm machine. Thanks!

 

[JerryPH]

The Iorio accordions were made in conjunction with SEM. Have you tried contacting them directly?

SEM s.r.l.
P.O. Box 77
60022 Castelfidardo (AN) • Italy
Tel. +39 071977681
Fax +39 0717506049

Or you can check and see if there is a more closer dealer. On the SEM website (http://www.semaccordions.com/), they have a list of their dealers.