French interpretation please

[Waldo]

Could a French speaker please obtain some information for me.
http://www.accordeon-thierryb.fr/nouveau-clavier-de-31-touches/
Ive sussed out the treble side, but cant figure out the button options available for the bass side. I think I see stradella, C system, and ??? Also, any info on the reeds used?
Theyre pricy little instruments but they sound pretty good & could make a good light weight and compact travel box.
Opinions welcome.

Press on...
Waldo

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

Well WaldoW,

there are a lot of different models.... it does say TAM reeds are extra on some models

Looks like both keyboards can be specified or found within their ,somewhat confusing model range , I'm sure they'll make whatever you want, but for one of them they say you can have the left side with Chomatic or Stradella basses.

 

[jozz]

pricey indeed, but fun looking!

was wondering when anyone would make a see-through body for once

bit too pricey tho, to just throw in the back of your car for travel

 

[Anyanka]

Your link takes me to a picture of a new 31-button box design which can be integrated with all the 'Snooopi' boxes. There is a drop-down menu with 10 different models on it, all tiny! They are meant for children.

Quick summary translation of those: The Mouse is designed for use by music schools; the Cat only has 5 bass notes plus 5 major chords on the left; the Bird is diatonic; the Fish has a chromatic bass side (no chords at all) and is designed for use at music academies, esp classical music; the Dog is the most typical accordion.

I couldn't see any information about the type of reeds.

 

[maugein96]

Your link takes me to a picture of a new 31-button box design which can be integrated with all the Snooopi boxes. There is a drop-down menu with 10 different models on it, all tiny! They are meant for children.

Quick summary translation of those: The Mouse is designed for use by music schools; the Cat only has 5 bass notes plus 5 major chords on the left; the Bird is diatonic; the Fish has a chromatic bass side (no chords at all) and is designed for use at music academies, esp classical music; the Dog is the most typical accordion.

I couldnt see any information about the type of reeds.

The fact that the accordions are meant for kids gets me thinking that the reeds might actually be bulrushes. An old teacher of mine told me about some kid called Moses that involved reeds, but the story was in a big thick black book, and I never read it all, as it would have taken too long. However the word bulrushes stuck in my mind.

Actually these little instruments seem to be achieving a degree of popularity in France, especially with young kids, and you can actually get them with hand made bulrushes in them, incredible as that may seem.

The abbreviation TAM is French accordion terminology for Tipo a Mano, or hand made, which like most other things on French accordions is an extra, in this case adding 150 Euros to the retail price. Standard models have machine finished reeds.

 

[Waldo]

Thanks you'll,
Price aside, I thought they (The Snooopi) have the best sound of any of the "kids" accordions I have run across on the i-net. Probably because they use "real" reeds. I suspect the "clear plastic" was employed as a curiosity, "see the action", factor to attract the kids. This plastic also looks like either polycarbonate or Lexan (a polycarb), a MUCH more durable material than the standard injection moulded PVC or ABS plastics used in the others. They are, by far, the highest quality (without handling one) kids box I"ve come across. An extra $150 euros for TAM reeds seems cheap, to me. I'd also wager the demo models on the site are so equipped.

Tx
Waldo

 

[maugein96]

Waldo,

There is a lot of fun to be had out of instruments like these and these ones certainly sound a bit better than Maugein's Marionito, to the point where I would say the demo models do have Tip a Mano reeds in them.

I'll surf the French net and see if I can find any used ones, which may gave you a better idea of whether to invest.

EDIT:- Not enough of them around for any used prices, but they are definitely being marketed in France as being for children, same as the Marionito. That's not to say adults cannot get fun out of playing them, but each to their own.

Could be an expensive fad, but time will tell.