I am at a crossroads. What accordion would you buy in this situation?

[Mukzald]

Hello The Accordionist Forum. It's my first post here. Hope you're doing well. I need your assistance for choosing an accordion.

I always wanted an accordion, never owned one. I'm from a country where accordions are pretty rare, and due to that, they are very expensive, the cheapest one starts at $600. (40 bass piano accordion)

My birthday is near, and I always wanted to buy myself an accordion, but I don't have much money, so just a few days ago when I had given up, I found two accordion ads. One was selling an accordion for $100 and the other one for $300.

The first one for $100 is a Hohner Pokerwork 2915, diatonic, G/C key, 21 treble, 8 bass. Used and with some cracked bass buttons. I tried it for just 10 minutes, but the bass works and so do nearly all the buttons, like 18 or 19 out of 21. I'd say it's a decent state, but it works and can play songs.

It's the only one I could afford right away, but I've asked some repair shops and they only service piano accordions as button accordions are extremely rare here, and repairs could be end up costing a lot. Accordion only, no straps or box.

The second one for $300 is a Hohner Venezia, piano accordion, 25 treble, 12 bass. Used but in good state. I couldn't try it, but the owner sent a video and it works perfectly (at least for me). I did try some piano accordion simulator and it's way more intuitive for playing music instantly, that I did like a lot.

This one I can't afford right away, maybe with some great financial effort, and $300 is way more than $100 and that discourages me, more with current economic situation. Accordion includes back straps, no box.

Both are running for I don't know how much, so I'm also worried they get bought before I can get the money, but I think I could be safe until the end of February. A week at most, and clocking.

So, which one would you buy in this situation? Buy the $100 one? Buy the $300 one? The MOST important thing for me is making an investment that will last me a long time until I can buy a better accordion.

Thanks and take care.

PS. More pics of both accordions HERE.

 

[Ventura]

well neither of those would be that expensive in the USA

decent (and newer) 12 bass beginner accordions are frequently available from $50 - $100
and better sounding 12 bass boxes with 2 treble reeds occasionally pop up
for a few dollars more

do you have any family or friends here in the USA that could ship something to you ?

good luck

 

[TomBR]

Although the Pokerwork is more affordable now, you say "I've asked some repair shops and they only service piano accordions as button accordions are extremely rare here, and repairs could be end up costing a lot." It looks like the diatonic Pokerwork would take you down a road that leads nowhere.
I'd say wait and hopefully something better will come along before too long.

Most importantly, what music do you want to play? Have you played any other instruments?
Best of luck,
Tom

 

[Tom]

Welcome Mukzald! Unless you plan to play texmex, cajun, zydeco or old time, the piano accordion is a better long term investment. This you must first decide. There is nothing wrong with a "bisonoric" button box if you plan to play the music it fits with.

Where are you? I've got a couple extra 12 and 8 basses. How serious are you for playing?

 

[dunlustin]

Do not buy the Hohner Pokerwork unless you know why you would like a diatonic - and can get it repaired
I read that the Venezia brand is a actually a Hohner built around WWII. It looks well-cared for.
Can you be patient until you have saved the money you need? There will be other 'bargains'
Perhaps also buying from a country where accordions are plentiful and put some of your money to the cost of mailing?
Good luck - it will be worth the wait.

 

[Mukzald]

Hi, thanks everyone for replying so far.

well neither of those would be that expensive in the USA

decent (and newer) 12 bass beginner accordions are frequently available from $50 - $100
and better sounding 12 bass boxes with 2 treble reeds occasionally pop up
for a few dollars more

do you have any family or friends here in the USA that could ship something to you ?

good luck

None so far. I got a relative who will travel to the States in a few months, but I still don't know how much time he will be there.

Although the Pokerwork is more affordable now, you say "I've asked some repair shops and they only service piano accordions as button accordions are extremely rare here, and repairs could be end up costing a lot." It looks like the diatonic Pokerwork would take you down a road that leads nowhere.
I'd say wait and hopefully something better will come along before too long.

Most importantly, what music do you want to play? Have you played any other instruments?
Best of luck,
Tom

I'm willing to buy the Pokerwork because I want to start with something, I can afford it right now and it works. Therefore the question will be more, how much should I save for a decent accordion that will last me a long time and will let me play the music I want?

I play the piano and the guitar. How many basses are necessary for an accordion? I'd like to get something that is portable but also very musically capable. I've been recommended nothing less than 48 basses, and at least 72 basses.

I want to play musettes, French, Russian folk, waltzes, tango, videogames music. I'd like to try my hand at norteño and vallenato too.

Do not buy the Hohner Pokerwork unless you know why you would like a diatonic - and can get it repaired
I read that the Venezia brand is a actually a Hohner built around WWII. It looks well-cared for.
Can you be patient until you have saved the money you need? There will be other 'bargains'
Perhaps also buying from a country where accordions are plentiful and put some of your money to the cost of mailing?
Good luck - it will be worth the wait.

Welcome Mukzald! Unless you plan to play texmex, cajun, zydeco or old time, the piano accordion is a better long term investment. This you must first decide. There is nothing wrong with a "bisonoric" button box if you plan to play the music it fits with.

Where are you? I've got a couple extra 12 and 8 basses. How serious are you for playing?

I'm from Peru. As I said, I got s relative bound to the States in a few months, I could ask him to look around when he gets there.

 

[cat]

I play some Peruvian chicha on piano accordion, which can also be played on diatonic box if you are interested in cumbia and such

 

[SteveBox]

A piano accordion and a diatonic accordion are different in how you play them and the type of music that they are best suited for. Carefully consider the differences and which one appeals to you the most. For simple songs, either would work. A diatonic is like a harmonica with bellows, the direction of the bellows changes the note on each button.

A word of caution. You should have someone who is very knowledgeable about accordions evaluate your potential purchase. Old accordions that have not been maintained are often very leaky (bad reed valves, leaky pallet and/or bellows seals). This would mean you will have to do a lot of bellows pumping to play it. Maybe with a piano accordion (same note both directions of the bellows) you could still manage to play it, but a leaky diatonic might be very frustrating for a beginner. With a diatonic, you get some notes on the push of the bellows, and others on the pull. A leaky box will quicky reach the end of the bellows travel, but you may still have more notes to play that can only be played with that bellows direction.

Over 40 years ago, I had no experience with accordions and bought my first one for $50, a beautiful but very old piano accordion. I thought I really had something, but I eventually learned from an expert how extremely leaky it was. He was amazed I could even play it, but I didn't know they weren't supposed to be that way.

 

[tcabot]

Agree with everything said - definitely try to find a knowledgeable person if you can.

Chromatic and diatonic accordions are two very different beasts - you need to figure out which one you want and what music you'd like to play on it. Maybe watch some videos, listen to some music.

Also, don't just assume that sellers' prices are reasonable. Ebay and local ads are full of people trying to shift old $200 accordions for $2000-4000 (!!!), or trying to sell worthless wrecks for a couple hundred $$. Sometimes they are greedy and evil, but in most cases they are just absolutely clueless about what they are selling.
If a seller is unreasonable - walk away. They will never sell the accordion, but it might take them a year or two or three to realise that their broken $50 box is not worth $4000 regardless of how much they want to believe otherwise.
If there are hardly any sellers in your area, there's got to be even fewer buyers, so you should be able to get a reasonable price for a box.
Of course, you need a knowledgeable person to know what's reasonable and what's not.

Old boxes (40+ years) are full of problems. Even if it has never been played in its life, over 50 years the wax dries out, the valves dry out, reeds can rust, whole new civilisations of creepy crawlies can be born inside the pallet felts, etc.

Also, diatonic boxes should be a lot cheaper to repair than piano accordions (given they are in identical condition & age): fewer reeds, fewer moving parts. If a shop is trying to mark up the price for the box having buttons instead of keys, walk away.
Note: small diatonic boxes are not to be confused with CBAs (Chromatic button accordions) where there's usually more reeds, more complex mechanics and much tighter space to work in compared to a piano accordion. I wouldn't be surprised if CBAs are more expensive to work on. If a repairman doesn't know the difference between a big complex CBA and a pokerwork - walk away - you'll probably do a better repair yourself!

Good luck!

 

[SteveBox]

Mukzald, don't be discouraged by all of the cautionary tales. There are probably bargains out there for decent old instruments that are playable, but also a lot of "accordion shaped objects" that would be expensive to restore (unless you can do it yourself). Even honest sellers may not understand which one they have. If you are uncertain, find an accordion playing friend, if possible, to help you out.

As for fixing up an accordion yourself, that is something you could consider. There are free online resources for this. Often, it is mostly labor intensive and doesn't require expensive parts.

 

[Mukzald]

Thanks everyone for your advice again. I think I'll end up buying the diatonic anyway, I want something to start on with, and when I have it, I can send pics and videos to get more instructions to see what's right and what's wrong.

That being said, what would be your recommendations for a piano accordion? That way I can start planning out what my next buy can be. I'm looking for something capable and portable that will last me a good time. Is 48 or 72 basses a good fit?

 

[Ffingers]

Thanks everyone for your advice again. I think I'll end up buying the diatonic anyway, I want something to start on with, and when I have it, I can send pics and videos to get more instructions to see what's right and what's wrong.

That being said, what would be your recommendations for a piano accordion? That way I can start planning out what my next buy can be. I'm looking for something capable and portable that will last me a good time. Is 48 or 72 basses a good fit?

I went through this same process a year ago - no prior knowledge and no-one to turn to for advice - until I got onto this forum and learned so much that I can go on forgetting much of it and still ending up knowing more about some things than the guy who is teaching me music and who is himself a competent piano accordionist!
A bit of what I have learned is that it is the music, the sound of it and the pleasure that it creates which is paramount: All else is just a means to an end.
Your local market can be a seriously deciding factor in your choice of 'box' in conjunction with the availability of repairers, teachers and especially the music which appeals to you the most.
If you enjoy the learning process, which has very many facets, then you are well over half way there.
All the very best wishes for your success.

PS for what it is worth, I ended up with a beautiful CBA, B griff, but have nobody within over 2,000Km of me who knows how to play it
But I muddle on, the box is just for my own enjoyment, not for performancs.

 

[Chrisrayner]

I have both diatonic and chromatic accordions. The diatonic is easy to begin with, especially if you’ve played a diatonic harmonica, aka blues harp. Then you find yourself limited by the lack of sharps and flats. In the UK the D/G diatonic box is popular with folk dance and song folk, the standard tuning for this incorporates two buttons which play F/Eb and G#/Bb at the chin end of the keyboard. This is some help in playing some tunes which incorporate accidentals, e.g. The Beatles‘ All You Need is Love’. I have no idea what, if any, accidentals are on the G/C you’re considering, but whatever they are they’ll most likely be on the same two buttons, i.e. the two nearest your chin on each row.

I found the lack of accidentals and corresponding left hand chores so frustrating that I gave a C griff CBA a try. Despite all my forebodings I found it quite an easy instrument to learn. Since you already play piano I think your best bet would be a piano accordion. With your existing knowledge and skills I think you’ll probably get frustrated by the limitations of the diatonic box, and will yearn for a chromatic accordion within months of getting it. I suggest you contain your impatience until you’ve save up for a small piano accordion, preferably one with a full complement of stradella bass, 72 basses at least I would suggest. Such an instrument will be much more versatile and in the long run more satisfactory. Good luck in your quest for squeezy contentment.

 

[Ventura]

That being said, what would be your recommendations for a piano accordion?

simple

buy the best accordion you can possibly afford

your money is very limited, so your choices will be limited as well
and a luxury of choosing one type or configuration over another
comes with having more money to spend than you need, not less.

second, once your relatives itinerary in the USA is set, contact us and
hopefully one of us can be available in the area they visit to assist,
and maybe you will get lucky for a little budget with our help