French accordions

[jbr]

Maybe someone can answer this for me. French accordions, to my ear, have a very special uniquely French sound.
I do hear that what I think must be two sets of reeds tuned slightly apart. But there’s something more. Sound is
very hard to describe, but the words bright and hollow come to mind.

I have an accordion with MM and another with MMM. Neither one of them has that real French sound.
What do the French makers (surely they’re not all made in Castelfidardo) do to give them that sound?
Many of them must be right-hand button accordions, but that wouldn’t create a difference in sound, would it?

Thanks for any help.

 

[losthobos]

Perhaps it is because the reed plates are nailed onto a leather strips atop the reed blocks as opposed to the italian preference of mounting the reeds to the blocks with wax.
You're right though the sound is distinctive enough and i prefer and play 2 "french" accordions
There is probably better knowledge out there than mine..

 

[Dingo40]

jbr,
Agree with you about the sound: you have described it perfectly ?.

 

[wirralaccordion]

Who are the French manufacturers of accordions?

 

[debra]

There are many factors that determine the sound of an accordion. French accordions (CBA) tend to be smaller and thicker than Italian models. They have registers behind the keyboard, thus leaving more space on the grille to let the sound (from the cassotto) to come out. They have "pinned" reeds. They have 3 reed blocks in cassotto and 3 reeds outside. And they have less tremolo than Italian ones, I would guess 5 or 6 cents. All of this contributes to give that typical sound. The geographical location of the accordion manufacturer does not influence the sound.

 

[losthobos]

Interested to know more re reed blocks in cassotto please Paul...
An LMM 3 blocks in cassotto 3 outside??
Thanks for sharing wisdom... Saves me poking round with a screwdriver and peeking... ?

 

[debra]

Interested to know more re reed blocks in cassotto please Paul...
An LMM 3 blocks in cassotto 3 outside??
Thanks for sharing wisdom... Saves me poking round with a screwdriver and peeking... ?

The 3 blocks in and 3 outside is for a 4 voice instrument.
A 3 voice only needs 1 1/2 reed blocks (so 1 double sided and 1 single sided) either in or out cassotto depending on which voices are in cassotto and which are not.
The groups of 3 blocks correspond to 3 rows of buttons (if you have more rows they are repeats). Not only French accordions have this: most button accordions offering 50 notes or more will also have this setup (of each block corresponding to one row of buttons). The Hohner (Morino) Artiste IX/X/XI series are an exception. They (Excelsior who made them) crammed 28 narrow reed plates onto (each side of) each reed block so these accordions with 56 notes have only 2 blocks in cassotto. (They have 3 blocks outside because they are 5 voice instruments.)

 

[oldbayan]

Who are the French manufacturers of accordions?

The last factory in France is Maugein.
www.accordeons-maugein.fr

 

[debra]

The last factory in France is Maugein.
www.accordeons-maugein.fr

Supposedly after Fisart closed down (in Castelfidardo) the production moved to France (Rennes). They do something (a friend of mine got a new Fisart logo for his accordion after he lost a letter from the old one) but I don't know how much. They are not specialized in the French style Accordions though.
Cavagnolo is also in France (near Lyon) and does make French style accordions.

 

[oldbayan]

Supposedly after Fisart closed down (in Castelfidardo) the production moved to France (Rennes). They do something (a friend of mine got a new Fisart logo for his accordion after he lost a letter from the old one) but I don't know how much. They are not specialized in the French style Accordions though.
Cavagnolo is also in France (near Lyon) and does make French style accordions.

I should have said: the last French factory in France then!

 

[Scuromondo]

Maybe someone can answer this for me. French accordions, to my ear, have a very special uniquely French sound.
I do hear that what I think must be two sets of reeds tuned slightly apart. But there’s something more. Sound is
very hard to describe, but the words bright and hollow come to mind.

I have an accordion with MM and another with MMM. Neither one of them has that real French sound.
What do the French makers (surely they’re not all made in Castelfidardo) do to give them that sound?
Many of them must be right-hand button accordions, but that wouldn’t create a difference in sound, would it?

Thanks for any help.

It’s not clear to me whether you are asking about specific accordion models manufactured by French builders, or if you are asking more generally about accordions with “French” or French musette tuning.

 

[dunlustin]

Given that Cavagnolo has been in France for almost 100 years, I guess they count as French.
I always thought of them as having a sound of their own - I believe they use pinned reeds and thought that explained their sound (see Losth.. above). Perhaps listen to a good 'Cava' and see if that matches what you feel is typically French?
I don't associate that sound so much with Fr Crosio or Pier Maria or Cruciannelli - Italian I guess but very much mainstream in France up to the 1980s.
I don't know why Maugein is always cited as THE French maker. I know they are thought to be the only company building from start to finish. They used to be around less than the 4 above. Maugein were late to get back to the Diatonic market : trying to regain some market share? - still struggling.
Worth mentioning there are quite a few smaller makers in France - some CBA, some diatonic, some innovative.
Examples:
Tania Rutkowski:


Bernard Loffet 'atelier'
Stephanie Simon 'Gadji Accordéons'

 

[Ventura]

just as with Hand Made Reeds, you can just "know" that French Sound
when you hear it

this discussion brings me back to the point i have tried to impress
over the years, that the SCALE DESIGN of an accordion (a Piano, any instrument)
is the sum of many many things

special selections of woods, slight differences in angles of corners and surrounds
metal usage and shielding types of varnish angle of the grain type of bellows liner
mechanism interaction

the reeds are only one part of this whole

and the great manufacturers, builders, and empirics of our industry had
(once upon a time) literally thousands of tiny personal differences
of design and philosophy incorporated into their products...

the "Scale Design" in toto thus imparted distinction

it is wonderful that the French have managed to continue this distinctiveness, and while
Maugein (who nearly went out of business and was literally saved by
the French Govt. at one point) and Cavognolo (in acoustic AND digital) are
the best known in France, i do believe the Accordiola brand is still active
in a minor way, and of course PierMaria, though subject to the trials
and tribulations of Italian infighting and factory changes, has remained
a French family owned AND MANAGED company, with very French sounding products.

just as it is sad that, while Excelsior still exists in a decent form, it no longer
shouts "i am an Excelsior" as soon as you hear one or play one

ciao

Ventura