I went from a 12 button to a 24 button piano accordion and finally decided to take lessons

[Jeanninerose]

Greetings from hot and humid Virginia! I am an organist/pianist who was roped into playing the accordion for my husband's family "Czech Singers" for a festival. I started with a 12 button piano accordion but was obviously lacking the minor keys. Went with a used Excalibur 24 button piano accordion (I'm sure some of you are cringing and I get it!) which worked but is extremely limited. I decided to get serious about this instrument and have begun lessons with a wonderful teacher (who is in the process of breaking all of my bad self taught habits). Only because I already read music, I blew through the Palmer book 1 in a week and am halfway through book 2. I'm at the point where they introduce 7ths...which I don't have. I'm currently borrowing a beautiful instrument- a 120 base La Tosca. However, it does weigh about 26 lbs and I'm wondering if it is too much of an instrument to move up to at this point? I play a lot of Balkan, folk...and the accordion has found its way into church to play some gospel. I was thinking of a lighter weight 60 or 72 button instrument - or even a 48 button? Would appreciate the thoughts of others on this forum.

Thanks!

 

[Ventura]

La Tosca, which were distributed by Gretch musical
instruments as their own brand, typically were better
quality than the average student line of accordions..
if you become accustomed to the feel and sound of this
one, you may find it quite difficult to be happy with the
typical smaller old/used accordions available around here

i am assuming at 26 pounds that it is a typical 4/5 reed LMMH
which was the most common configuration back then

new smaller accordions are being built for a more
discriminating market and can give you something to
grow with and into, but can be expensive

if you get up this way sometime, there are several
mid-weight 3 reed treble accordions around for you to
try for size/feel/heft/balance and if you make it to a club meeting
next fall can find a few there usually to try too..

as a musician, if you prefer to not be limited by any genre
the La Tosca will be better.. if you wish to mostly support
the Balkan or Gospe then a small accordion targeted to the
appropriate sound is better

there are a few people here who own specifically Balkan
type accordions, which are quite unique

 

[Jeanninerose]

Ah... when you mean "up this way", where are you located and are you an accordion store? I am definitely looking for a mid weight accordion as I am doing quite a bit more lugging my instrument to family gatherings and festivals. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Ventura]

i am halfway between you and the Maryland Accordion Club
i had mentioned in your earlier post month or so past i think.. ?
which meets on the west side of Baltimore (Catonsville)
(first saturday of the month.. except july as the meeeting is
essentially held on a float in the 4th of July parade,
and then they are off until September

you are welcome to visit my Studio on your way past
or if you go shopping at IKEA some weekend.. LoL
north side of the DC Beltway
i am not a retailer or repair shop, but i can show you a bunch
of stuff and help you along your way

there is a Music-go-round type of retailer near me who occasionally
has a used accordion or 2 (Atomic Music in beltsville)

once you have more clues and a budget, you could
also visit Busso Music on your way north through Virginia
(Shirley Highway, just north of Springfield) (appointment needed)
for new Titano, PanAccordion and Pigini

there is a clean looking white excelsior accordianna in Charlottsville
on Craigslist, but (him her) wants twice what it is worth, though it would
be a very nice improvement over the excalibur.. it is only a 2 reed so
you would grow out of it in a year

ciao

 

[Jeanninerose]

Ah- I just joined the forum but I'm probably very similar to other newbies! Appreciate the info. I'm finding the 26 pounds too heavy as I like to take the instrument with me to family gatherings and on vacation- to Vrbos, cabins or other like accommodations that will not disturb the neighbors. Looking at the weight of some of the 48 button instruments and given that I spend the majority of my time on the instruments that provide my livelihood (organ and piano), what are your thoughts on a 48 base button piano accordion versus a 60 or 72 button instrument. I understand the sound quality on reeds (same with organs with pipes and reeds versus digital), but I'm thinking I'd have to live to be 100 to gain the proficiency on the accordion that I have on the piano and organ...and I want to have fun while sounding reasonably musical. Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[Ventura]

yes, a couple of Virginia people joined this spring and
i always mention the club to people in the area..

there are brand new quality accordions now available
with 40 bass or so, unfortunately most of the 40/48 bass
ones you will see online are Chinese and rather horrible
(as you have noted with the Excalibur)

for those of us who play in all keys the 40 bass and
even the 72 bass are extremely annoying, especially
if you change keys a few times in some song.. but if you
intend to stay in C F and G mostly it won't much matter

in old used italian accordions from the 60's and 70's
the weight difference in 120 bass to less bass is negligible,
as the underlying mechanism really does not shrink, and most
back then were made with 120.. the difference in weight is because
the 3 reed student boxes are usually slimmer, and therefore lighter,
and can be found in 3 sizes.. roughly full 19" keyboard, then
"ladies size" 17.5" keyboard, and the smallest a 15" keyboard

Some people have problems with the smaller (narrow keys and spacing)
and it might depend on how much muscle memory you have
from Piano, if a smaller sized keyboard accordion throws your fingers off..
you would have to play the different sizes to see, and try a few
to feel the weight difference as well as differences in balance

smaller accordions also have much less air to breath with..
small bellows and cheap reeds do not use air efficiently

some of the mid-sized old accordions are actually very nice to play,
some sported higher build features, some were built as cheaply as
possible (at the time, which is still tons better than new cheap accordions)

and finally there is a category we call "stroller" which were built for
professionals doing mostly dinner/bistro gigs.. these were also
designed lighter weight, with limited features but very high
build quality.. they still command good prices when re-furbished
as the reeds themselves are easily worth a $1000 or more,,
found in both full size and ladies size.. these often had deeper folds
and extra folds in the bellows so coupled with the better reeds,
they squeeze very easy and use air most efficiently

hopefully you will get chances to play a bunch of different
types and sizes this year so by the fall or winter you can
have a good handle on what will be best for you

 

[John M]

Ah- I just joined the forum but I'm probably very similar to other newbies! Appreciate the info. I'm finding the 26 pounds too heavy as I like to take the instrument with me to family gatherings and on vacation- to Vrbos, cabins or other like accommodations that will not disturb the neighbors. Looking at the weight of some of the 48 button instruments and given that I spend the majority of my time on the instruments that provide my livelihood (organ and piano), what are your thoughts on a 48 base button piano accordion versus a 60 or 72 button instrument. I understand the sound quality on reeds (same with organs with pipes and reeds versus digital), but I'm thinking I'd have to live to be 100 to gain the proficiency on the accordion that I have on the piano and organ...and I want to have fun while sounding reasonably musical. Thanks again for all of your help!

A quick note. I understand you are looking for an acoustic. If you are interested, in organ & piano, I would suggest a Roland digital. It will have the piano & organ sound that you "have in your head". I think it has a reasonable approximation to the accordion sound. However, It will not duplicate the specific tone you expect from an acoustic accordion. But, it's pretty good for the average person. Believe me.

I just had my Excelsior 960 retuned by Capital accordion in Columbus. Their tuning is fantastic -- beautiful M+, M- tremolo. This is not easy since a few cents off as you go up a scale is easily detectable . I have the best of both worlds -- acoustic & digital.I am thankful. For me, the digital is not quite there yet, for exact duplication of the acoustic..

 

[Accordionna]

Ah- I just joined the forum but I'm probably very similar to other newbies! Appreciate the info. I'm finding the 26 pounds too heavy as I like to take the instrument with me to family gatherings and on vacation- to Vrbos, cabins or other like accommodations that will not disturb the neighbors. Looking at the weight of some of the 48 button instruments and given that I spend the majority of my time on the instruments that provide my livelihood (organ and piano), what are your thoughts on a 48 base button piano accordion versus a 60 or 72 button instrument. I understand the sound quality on reeds (same with organs with pipes and reeds versus digital), but I'm thinking I'd have to live to be 100 to gain the proficiency on the accordion that I have on the piano and organ...and I want to have fun while sounding reasonably musical. Thanks again for all of your help!

Jeanine,
I'm a member of the MD Accordion Club Ventura mentioned. I want to piggy back on his comments and suggestions. Any visit with Ventura is rich with information and opportunities! He mentioned Busso/Ernest Deffner music in Alexandria. My former student found their 72 bass at House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD. (It was a Chinese accordion with an Italian name.) They likely have one in stock you can try, if you're traveling up I-95 into MD. For a full selection to try, keep rolling into Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia.

Club members using a 72bass instrument as their primary accordion are mostly seniors that prefer a lighter instrument. They generally choose a RH configuration with 34 or 37 piano keys.
They see these advantages:

• The RH keyboards have slightly wider keys, which you'll appreciate, being in transition from a piano/organ background.
• The LMM tuning offers a mild musette and two straight-tuned single reeds for different effects (especially helpful when accompanying solo singers).
• They can easily add diminished chords (jazzy!) with the root of the chord, or with easily-fingered leading tones (e.g., F#/cdim>GM>C)
• They generally weigh under 20lbs.

Ventura mentioned that with a few harmonies, there may be awkward jumps. up or down the length of the 72 bass configuration. The 120 bass models have enharmonics doubled nearer the root of most keys. (e.g., I played a tune in Gb on my 120 bass and had access to I,ii,, II, IV,V,and vi chords at the bottom of my instrument as well as near the top.)

You've probably reviewed a chart similar to this. It's a good reference when you're trying to determine how you'll move from Db to Gb (that's the leap) which are the first two chords in the arrangement of the song I played. The 3rd harmony, as I recall, was a Cb!

 

[Morgan28]

Congrats on diving deep into accordion. A 120-bass La Tosca is fantastic but heavy if it’s straining you, a 72-bass would be a great middle ground for folk/Balkan/gospel. Plenty of range without the bulk. A 48-bass could work too, but you might miss the versatility. Play what feels comfortable without sacrificing musical needs. Keep enjoying the journey.

 

[Jeanninerose]

A quick note. I understand you are looking for an acoustic. If you are interested, in organ & piano, I would suggest a Roland digital. It will have the piano & organ sound that you "have in your head". I think it has a reasonable approximation to the accordion sound. However, It will not duplicate the specific tone you expect from an acoustic accordion. But, it's pretty good for the average person. Believe me.

I just had my Excelsior 960 retuned by Capital accordion in Columbus. Their tuning is fantastic -- beautiful M+, M- tremolo. This is not easy since a few cents off as you go up a scale is easily detectable . I have the best of both worlds -- acoustic & digital.I am thankful. For me, the digital is not quite there yet, for exact duplication of the acoustic..

Thank you! As an organist, I have always been a bit of a "pipes only" snob but am rethinking that as I play the newer digitally sampled organs. I am intrigued by the Rolands but am thinking I really should try to master acoustic first, especially as the bellows were quite a challenge for me at first. I wonder if the Rolands are like the first generation of digital organs and will improve over time?

 

[Jeanninerose]

Jeanine,
I'm a member of the MD Accordion Club Ventura mentioned. I want to piggy back on his comments and suggestions. Any visit with Ventura is rich with information and opportunities! He mentioned Busso/Ernest Deffner music in Alexandria. My former student found their 72 bass at House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD. (It was a Chinese accordion with an Italian name.) They likely have one in stock you can try, if you're traveling up I-95 into MD. For a full selection to try, keep rolling into Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia.

Club members using a 72bass instrument as their primary accordion are mostly seniors that prefer a lighter instrument. They generally choose a RH configuration with 34 or 37 piano keys.
They see these advantages:

• The RH keyboards have slightly wider keys, which you'll appreciate, being in transition from a piano/organ background.
• The LMM tuning offers a mild musette and two straight-tuned single reeds for different effects (especially helpful when accompanying solo singers).
• They can easily add diminished chords (jazzy!) with the root of the chord, or with easily-fingered leading tones (e.g., F#/cdim>GM>C)
• They generally weigh under 20lbs.

Ventura mentioned that with a few harmonies, there may be awkward jumps. up or down the length of the 72 bass configuration. The 120 bass models have enharmonics doubled nearer the root of most keys. (e.g., I played a tune in Gb on my 120 bass and had access to I,ii,, II, IV,V,and vi chords at the bottom of my instrument as well as near the top.)

You've probably reviewed a chart similar to this. It's a good reference when you're trying to determine how you'll move from Db to Gb (that's the leap) which are the first two chords in the arrangement of the song I played. The 3rd harmony, as I recall, was a Cb!

Super helpful! I do have this chart and pull it out- often. I do prefer a lighter instrument as I'm a bit on the smaller side. One question- I do have smaller hands (which has made playing the organ a bit more difficult) and have had to do some creative fingering to reach a full octave. This may sound a bit naive, but is there an advantage to choosing an instrument with fewer buttons to help with the reach between chord jumps? Keep in mind- I'm just 3/4 of the way through the Palmer book 2!

 

[Jeanninerose]

Congrats on diving deep into accordion. A 120-bass La Tosca is fantastic but heavy if it’s straining you, a 72-bass would be a great middle ground for folk/Balkan/gospel. Plenty of range without the bulk. A 48-bass could work too, but you might miss the versatility. Play what feels comfortable without sacrificing musical needs. Keep enjoying the journey.

Thanks! I'm having great fun with it! I have to admit- it much more of an interesting, complex, and deeply musical instrument than I would have (in my pre accordion days) thought. Like pipe organs, you can hear and feel the sound in your body and soul.

 

[Accordionna]

Thank you! As an organist, I have always been a bit of a "pipes only" snob but am rethinking that as I play the newer digitally sampled organs. I am intrigued by the Rolands but am thinking I really should try to master acoustic first, especially as the bellows were quite a challenge for me at first. I wonder if the Rolands are like the first generation of digital organs and will improve over time?

There are several Roland experts on the forum (including Ventura) who can assure you, the current Rolands, 4x and 8x are quite sophisticated programmable synthesizers with hundreds of digitally sampled instruments on board. The full size 8x weighs over 25 pounds. The 4x may be about 20lbs. KORG recently produced a competitor to the Roland 8x. There are several demos and discussions in the forum. A member of the forum, Breezy Bellows, has produced demos on the Rolands and the Korg.

I have an early model Roland3S. It's a fully digitized instrument with 10 distinct accordion samples, all with LMMH registers. The treble side runs G to G, so the keys are a bit wider than a compact acoustic instrument, with 120 basses. The treble samples 10 other instruments, including a Hammond and classic organ, violin, flute, harmonica, clarinet, alto & tenor sax, trombone. It has a variety of bass button options accordion switches, orchestral sounds, and free bass. As simple as the 3S is compared to the current models, its sounds get attention and add novelty. It weighs a bit less than 20 lbs.

 

[Accordionna]

Super helpful! I do have this chart and pull it out- often. I do prefer a lighter instrument as I'm a bit on the smaller side. One question- I do have smaller hands (which has made playing the organ a bit more difficult) and have had to do some creative fingering to reach a full octave. This may sound a bit naive, but is there an advantage to choosing an instrument with fewer buttons to help with the reach between chord jumps? Keep in mind- I'm just 3/4 of the way through the Palmer book 2!

I've got relatively small hands; playing a ninth on a piano is a stretch, an octave plus 2 may not be completely in unison. You might look for a 41 treble keyboard about 16 inches. The spacing between bass buttons seems (to me) to be relatively consistent across "ladies'" size and full-size instruments I play. My smallest keyboard is the one in the photo, about 15 inches on the treble side. Treble key widths are far more variable. My full size treble keyboard is about 20".

Coincidentally, I picked up a 12 bass earlier this week for the first time in ages; the bass buttons were so far apart I wondered how I stretched to play them as a child!

 

[Morgan28]

Thanks! I'm having great fun with it! I have to admit- it much more of an interesting, complex, and deeply musical instrument than I would have (in my pre accordion days) thought. Like pipe organs, you can hear and feel the sound in your body and soul.

Hell yeah accordions are sneaky beasts. That visceral rumble and airy punch hits different. Keep squeezing the magic out of it.

 

[Ventura]

As an organist, I have always been a bit of a "pipes only" snob but am rethinking that as I play the newer digitally sampled organs.

oh my

newer ? hehehe.. in 1971 Allen Organs went digital..
Galanti-Ahlborn were not far behind

but i must loop you in on some of the "secrets" inside Roland
Keyboard products

first of all, the organs in the modern FR models are primarily Hammond
mostly because the "organ-accordion" history and legacy is so
closely aligned to Jazz and club dates and the expectations of
the emeritus well heeled as well as the rebel Rock and Rollers..
but
many many ages ago Ikutaro Kakehashi made decisions that
started decades of investment into sampling instruments and
creating a database and library unparalleled in the history of
Music Companies, as well as a long term investment into
a company department dedicated to integrated circuit design
and their actual creation. The result in the "modern" age of
Roland Products was a set of Large Scale Integrated Circuits that
include not only the best of the decades of collected Instrument sounds,
but also the entire core soundsource and programming of the Rodgers
Institutional Organs.. and this LSIC motherboard is inside just about
every Roland Keyboard product made in the last 25 years or so..
also on this motherboard is their incredible LSIC Digital FX chipset..

what differentiates each product is the specific device programming that
"hooks" into various portions of the core LSIC's .. in other words all
Roland products are simply targeted software and control surfaces
that. while they take many forms, actually share the same heart.

so that is the short explanation, but the key takeaway for someone
like you who has a love for the "Pipes" is that the Classical and
Liturgical stuff accessible in the Roland Accordions are faithfully
Rodgers Organ sounds and should knock your socks off if you
ever get a chance to play with them. Sadly, the control over Pipes
you have on a church organ is not implemented over these.
You can exercise some tone control and other adjustments over
the patches, but they are selectable presets in the orchestral section..

if you warm to the Hammond side of things, the ability to micromanage
and tweak the drawbar sound is immense, and you CAN re-create
almost any Church reverb emulation you can imagine in the FX
as well as Red Rocks Canyon if you prefer your Pipes in a vast space..

Roland owned Rodgers Organ and Rhodes Electric Piano and
Sequential Circuits for decades which is part of the reason
you can hear the Prophet Preach and the Piano Cry and the Wind Howl
in corners of the FR accordions as you dig into the sounds..

while the control over this motherboard is obviously far greater
in the flagship Synths in their lineup, there are more than enough
hidden sound gems in the V-Accordion to make you smile

 

[Rosie C]

I am intrigued by the Rolands but am thinking I really should try to master acoustic first, especially as the bellows were quite a challenge for me at first. I wonder if the Rolands are like the first generation of digital organs and will improve over time?

It may depend on what sort of music you play. I play morris music (english folk dance music) and my FR-1X is already good enough - I've played alongside experienced box players who didn't realise it was electric until I pointed it out! I couldn't comment on more classical repertoire though, particularly solo work - when I perform there are drums, mandolin, violin etc.

 

[John M]

oh my

newer ? hehehe.. in 1971 Allen Organs went digital..
Galanti-Ahlborn were not far behind

but i must loop you in on some of the "secrets" inside Roland
Keyboard products

first of all, the organs in the modern FR models are primarily Hammond
mostly because the "organ-accordion" history and legacy is so
closely aligned to Jazz and club dates and the expectations of
the emeritus well heeled as well as the rebel Rock and Rollers..
but
many many ages ago Ikutaro Kakehashi made decisions that
started decades of investment into sampling instruments and
creating a database and library unparalleled in the history of
Music Companies, as well as a long term investment into
a company department dedicated to integrated circuit design
and their actual creation. The result in the "modern" age of
Roland Products was a set of Large Scale Integrated Circuits that
include not only the best of the decades of collected Instrument sounds,
but also the entire core soundsource and programming of the Rodgers
Institutional Organs.. and this LSIC motherboard is inside just about
every Roland Keyboard product made in the last 25 years or so..
also on this motherboard is their incredible LSIC Digital FX chipset..

what differentiates each product is the specific device programming that
"hooks" into various portions of the core LSIC's .. in other words all
Roland products are simply targeted software and control surfaces
that. while they take many forms, actually share the same heart.

so that is the short explanation, but the key takeaway for someone
like you who has a love for the "Pipes" is that the Classical and
Liturgical stuff accessible in the Roland Accordions are faithfully
Rodgers Organ sounds and should knock your socks off if you
ever get a chance to play with them. Sadly, the control over Pipes
you have on a church organ is not implemented over these.
You can exercise some tone control and other adjustments over
the patches, but they are selectable presets in the orchestral section..

if you warm to the Hammond side of things, the ability to micromanage
and tweak the drawbar sound is immense, and you CAN re-create
almost any Church reverb emulation you can imagine in the FX
as well as Red Rocks Canyon if you prefer your Pipes in a vast space..

Roland owned Rodgers Organ and Rhodes Electric Piano and
Sequential Circuits for decades which is part of the reason
you can hear the Prophet Preach and the Piano Cry and the Wind Howl
in corners of the FR accordions as you dig into the sounds..

while the control over this motherboard is obviously far greater
in the flagship Synths in their lineup, there are more than enough
hidden sound gems in the V-Accordion to make you smile

Great detail on the design and historical background on the Roland V-Accordion. I understand a little more each time I read one of your posts.
I sure appreciate every design detail (drawbars - control tablets, Vibrato selection) of the Hammond B3 Roland programmed into the 8X.

 

[Jeanninerose]

Great detail on the design and historical background on the Roland V-Accordion. I understand a little more each time I read one of your posts.
I sure appreciate every design detail (drawbars - control tablets, Vibrato selection) of the Hammond B3 Roland programmed into the 8X.

My first organ was a Hammond circa 1966 (NOTE- I bought it used, I'm not that old!). I loved the sound and mastering those drawbars was a challenge. The real drawback was the lack of an AGO pedal board. I swapped it out for a Johannes studio model. I find the digital setting a bit more comparable to the pipes I play. Lugging out the old Hammond was a chore for 4 strong men. The Johannes was easily carried in by 2 and has 3 instead of 2 manuals and a full AGO pedal board. I can even lift it to retrieve the odd marking pencil for scores that rolls under it. I was thinking the newer digital accordions would also be lighter (the 26 lb full sized 120 base accordion is crushing me)? Any thoughts on why they seem as heavy as some of the traditional instruments?

 

[Jeanninerose]

Great detail on the design and historical background on the Roland V-Accordion. I understand a little more each time I read one of your posts.
I sure appreciate every design detail (drawbars - control tablets, Vibrato selection) of the Hammond B3 Roland programmed into the 8X.

Great detail on the design and historical background on the Roland V-Accordion. I understand a little more each time I read one of your posts.
I sure appreciate every design detail (drawbars - control tablets, Vibrato selection) of the Hammond B3 Roland programmed into the 8X.

oh my

newer ? hehehe.. in 1971 Allen Organs went digital..
Galanti-Ahlborn were not far behind

but i must loop you in on some of the "secrets" inside Roland
Keyboard products

first of all, the organs in the modern FR models are primarily Hammond
mostly because the "organ-accordion" history and legacy is so
closely aligned to Jazz and club dates and the expectations of
the emeritus well heeled as well as the rebel Rock and Rollers..
but
many many ages ago Ikutaro Kakehashi made decisions that
started decades of investment into sampling instruments and
creating a database and library unparalleled in the history of
Music Companies, as well as a long term investment into
a company department dedicated to integrated circuit design
and their actual creation. The result in the "modern" age of
Roland Products was a set of Large Scale Integrated Circuits that
include not only the best of the decades of collected Instrument sounds,
but also the entire core soundsource and programming of the Rodgers
Institutional Organs.. and this LSIC motherboard is inside just about
every Roland Keyboard product made in the last 25 years or so..
also on this motherboard is their incredible LSIC Digital FX chipset..

what differentiates each product is the specific device programming that
"hooks" into various portions of the core LSIC's .. in other words all
Roland products are simply targeted software and control surfaces
that. while they take many forms, actually share the same heart.

so that is the short explanation, but the key takeaway for someone
like you who has a love for the "Pipes" is that the Classical and
Liturgical stuff accessible in the Roland Accordions are faithfully
Rodgers Organ sounds and should knock your socks off if you
ever get a chance to play with them. Sadly, the control over Pipes
you have on a church organ is not implemented over these.
You can exercise some tone control and other adjustments over
the patches, but they are selectable presets in the orchestral section..

if you warm to the Hammond side of things, the ability to micromanage
and tweak the drawbar sound is immense, and you CAN re-create
almost any Church reverb emulation you can imagine in the FX
as well as Red Rocks Canyon if you prefer your Pipes in a vast space..

Roland owned Rodgers Organ and Rhodes Electric Piano and
Sequential Circuits for decades which is part of the reason
you can hear the Prophet Preach and the Piano Cry and the Wind Howl
in corners of the FR accordions as you dig into the sounds..

while the control over this motherboard is obviously far greater
in the flagship Synths in their lineup, there are more than enough
hidden sound gems in the V-Accordion to make you smile

Ah, I'm slipping in this reply to someone who commented:
My first organ was a Hammond circa 1966 (NOTE- I bought it used, I'm not that old!). I loved the sound and mastering those drawbars was a challenge. The real drawback was the lack of an AGO pedal board. I swapped it out for a Johannes studio model. I find the digital setting a bit more comparable to the pipes I play. Lugging out the old Hammond was a chore for 4 strong men. The Johannes was easily carried in by 2 and has 3 instead of 2 manuals and a full AGO pedal board. I can even lift it to retrieve the odd marking pencil for scores that rolls under it. I was thinking the newer digital accordions would also be lighter (the 26 lb full sized 120 base accordion is crushing me)? Any thoughts on why they seem as heavy as some of the traditional instruments?

Thoughts on the weight and agility? I truly appreciate your insights!