"In this bedroom there will be no shouts of joy without my involvement."
Hohner Morino
- Thread starter CNN1961
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Shaun_of_the_red
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Let’s say I can find a Morino VI D and a Morino VI N (both b-griff, LMMH) for around the same price: from what you say above, it sounds like I should go with the D, because the better ‘cassotto-like’ sound from the L reeds in the déclassément (I don’t know what that means) is worth having older (and louder) mechanisms. Here’s the catch: the VI N is local whereas the VI D would be shipped from Europe (I’m in the US). I’ve play-tested the N and can confirm it’s in good working order. I’ve requested videos of the D being played, which I have now received. The photos show an accordion in excellent cosmetic condition and it even comes with a certificate of authenticity from a Hohner rep that includes the serial number and a date of production of 1960.
A couple more things of note: the N that I played doesn’t have any register sliders for the RH thumb but there are a couple ‘sound vents’ below the keyboard. The D appears to have a piccolo register in which the highest octave of buttons simply repeats the previous octave… my guess is that they don’t make reeds that go high enough to accommodate the top octave of buttons, but I really have no authority to say that’s the case. I haven’t been able to see into either of these instruments to get a look at reed block placement, etc. what is my best course of action?
Thanks for your help!! I’m relatively new to the accordion and very new to the forum, so please forgive my ignorance =0P
The Morino VI D is a CBA (button accordion). The D series was all CBA and the PA accordions from the same era were the M series.
The Morino (Artiste) VI D has a declassement indeed (L reeds "hidden" under the keyboard, creating a bit of a cassotto effect).
The Morino VI N is a PA made by Excelsior (with cassotto). The Morino VI M is a PA made by Hohner, also with cassotto. The Morino VI M has very nice sound but it is mechanically seriously outdated and many of these are no longer interesting to play today because of the failing mechanics. The Morino VI M came in two editions (not marketed as being different though): the earlier ones with Hohner Artiste reeds on the treble side (and Hohner T reeds on the bass side) and the later ones with Bugari tipo-a-mano reeds on the treble side (and Bugari machine reeds on the bass side). The later Morino VI N had Bugari tipo-a-mano reeds on both sides.
As for cassotto or not, The Morino Artiste IV and VI, in N and S series, made by Excelsior, had no cassotto or declassement, and overall just do not sound so nice. The Artiste IX, X and XI all came with cassotto.
There was a prototype Artiste VI S with cassotto, a very nice accordion, but sadly that never went into production. (A friend of mine owns it and you can only get it by prying it out of her dead hands...) What did go into production was the "Romandie" CBA, which is essentially a production version of that Artiste VI S with cassotto.
A sign of Hohner getting into financial trouble I guess.
I had Club Morino from the 50s, and it had very high quality artistes treble & bass. Bass fundamentals were custom-scale & oversized for the diatonic box. I also had the first generation 50s Atlantic for parts and it was packed with the highest quality Artiste Gold reeds that I've seen from Hohner. Bass end was all Artiste-scale reeds, probably second grade.
Fast forward a few years and they are putting T-plates into Morino bass end
. I have a reed set off a 60s (I think) Atlantic, and while it still has Artiste Golds in it, the quality is a lot worse than the early model, very inconsistent, and the tuning was done by a butcher with a dremel 
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Quite a typical feature.
Your main problem is that you can't compare the boxes side by side.
Excelsior is nice, but it's a Hohner-badged Excelsior. Arguably, there's nothing Hohner about it apart from the badge (and the original price when new
). Hohner have really gone down the drain by (I think) mid 60s - making plastic keyboard covers in Germany, stamping "Made in Germany" on the cover and proudly screwing it onto an otherwise all-Italian-made accordion
.If the Excelsior is with a-mano reeds, that's a good competitor against the all-German all-Artiste-reed Morino. I'd still pick the jerry but it's a tight call. Both are good in their own way.
If you're comparing TAM Excelsior to an all-German Morino, I'd go with Morino any time. But that's me.
Morino Artiste
Definitely. The Artiste VI N has a more mellow sound for one button row (which is insane) while the Artiste VI D has a more mellow sound for the L reed (which is useful).
They aren't all that important: some people remove them. They offer M, LM, MM, and LMMH. I find them useful, but it depends on what people do with their thumbs whether they consider them in the way.
Yes, that is how it is, and apart from just the H register (where you obviously hear the break), the sound quality is surprisingly consistent. You also have to be aware that the reason the Artiste VI N does not have that repeat octave in the H reeds is that it has quite fewer notes! The Artiste VI D gets higher with its M reeds than a standard piano accordion with its H reeds, so it's not really a case for worrying.
If those are your two choices, I'd go for the Artiste VI D. It just is the more consistent instrument. It also is lighter in weight.
Putting cheaper reeds in the bass side is just one of several ways in which Hohner tried to maximize profit by lowering production cost while keeping the sale price or even increasing it. I have an Atlantic "de Luxe" with Artiste reeds, not "Gold" but still better than the Hohner T reeds.A sign of Hohner getting into financial trouble I guess.
I had Club Morino from the 50s, and it had very high quality artistes treble & bass. Bass fundamentals were custom-scale & oversized for the diatonic box. I also had the first generation 50s Atlantic for parts and it was packed with the highest quality Artiste Gold reeds that I've seen from Hohner. Bass end was all Artiste-scale reeds, probably second grade.
Fast forward a few years and they are putting T-plates into Morino bass end
Hohner also lowered production cost by using reed blocks with the base plate of the blocks made out of cardboard instead of wood, and a thin layer of the yellow stuff they also used on reed valves (and which looks a bit like leather without being leather). That was not the end of their cost-cutting efforts. The Hohner Solist MB II has reed blocks with just a plastic base and no form of gasket on either the block or the soundboard. In fact when you remove the reed blocks in that one the register sliders are just laying loose (ready to move out of position), not covered by another sheet of metal. It also had a "pretend-2-voice" melody bass that used just an octave coupler instead of two complete reed banks. They were really ripping customers off in a style that Trump uses in his speeches...
Well, first things first: it is not a rip-off if it is an improvement. A lower dynamic range on the bass side is musically useful since it lets the treble stand out more at high volume. Of course that requires accordion builders and tuners who know what they are doing and will voice the bass (and particularly the chord) reeds to fit well with the response of the treble.
Those are changes affecting longevity and serviceability. Considering that bad is perfectly fine with me.
I think that does not make a suitable point of comparison even if it may result in the same blood pressure level.
Shaun_of_the_red
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Shaun_of_the_red
Newbie
Is there a difference between a model that says "Artiste VI D" on the right and one that just says "VI D" on the right? They both say "Morino" on the left and are both B-system CBAs... I'm not sure why the "Artiste" wouldn't be present on one of them, unless maybe it has a different class of reeds?
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