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Lightweight accordion

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andante

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Hi all, new to the forum, hope you can help.
Some years ago I used to own a very nice Italian 72 bass that I loved. Subsequently I suffered a shoulder injury and despite several attempts over a lengthy period I was unable to support its weight and ended up parting company with it, much to my regret.
This all happened a number of years ago and I have recently taken up the accordion again and have been playing a small 48 bass to get me started again. I am now in the market for a serious upgrade - 72 bass and either 34 or even 30 treble obviously a fab sound (!) but the main requirement is the weight - 7kg or below would be ideal. I have a maximum budget of £2000, new or second hand. Can anyone advise?
many thanks
 
Hi Andante,
Have you considered either the Rolalnd V Accordions FR1 or FR3 - Like you Ive returned to playing and wanted somethinng light as I was worried about shoulders so I got a fR3 X 8.3kg for a 120 BASS is not bad The FR1 is only 6.5kg
 
The FR2 is about 15 lbs and has 96 bass plus 34 keys vs the 72 bass and 26 keys (one less octave) on the FR1. Of course you need an amp but the sound is much better with one .
The FRX3 is 18-1/2 lbs but costs twice as much.
I have both but the FR2 with a small practice amp is more than adequate.
Nice to have so many choices.
 
Hi andante, and welcome to this great forum. I certainly understand the need for a lighter weight accordion. I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder about a year and a half ago and am still very careful with my shoulder. I do know that Weltmeister makes some lighter weight accordions, such as the Achat 72, which has 34 treble keys and 72 bass. I believe they weigh about 17 pounds, which is about 7.7 kg. That accordion has 3 sets of reeds in the treble side (LMM) with a nice musette. Hope this info helps.
 
Tough one for PA players. Maddeningly, PA makers have given little attention to developing a lightweight PA with a minimum of 30 treble rather than the infuriatingly inadequate 26, preferably one with all 12 tones in the bass, such as a 2X24, or a 60b. Because of CBA ergonomic differences, you can get a small CBA with that crucial 30-treble minimum and all 12 bass tones, in the same chassis size that in a PA normally gets you the unacceptable 26 treble.

However, Weltmeister has finally run with the torch, and has come up with the fabulous Weltmeister Rubin, a 30-treble, 60b PA that weighs a mere 12.3 pounds. The keys are slightly thinner, which is how theyve done it. The ultimate compact world folk PA. If I were still playing PA and had not switched to CBA, I would get one of these and would not look back. True, its not your 72, but you dont need 72. On a 60b, you can make your diminished using single-tones from the bass or counter-bass rows. Demo at the link:



If you seriously wanted a high-end premium grade instrument, you could use this config to get one of the high-end makers to create one for you. There is no excuse not to have 30-treble-minimum PAs with all 12 bass tones available at no more than 12.5 pounds.
 
Brandoni is a quality brand. They do the 30/72 Piccolo, which is supposed to weigh only 6Kg. I tried one out and it was certainly very light, and it had a sweet tone. The instrument comes with a variety of tuning options and colours.

Here is a demo:
It can be purchased in the UK at e.g. http://www.accordions.co.uk/Newinstviewdocs.htm/BranPicc.htm
for £1760.

Cheers, Siri
 
Another high-quality option could be the Allodi/Fantini SP30T, which is again an Italian-made instrument but with 3 reeds on the treble side, and more choices (3 + 2 couplers). It comes in at a shade under 7Kg. The new price is a bit over your limit (£2790) but if you couldnt stretch to that there should be some second-hand ones coming up now and then as it is a popular instrument, from a highly-respected dealer.

If you like the Hohner sound the Hohner Concerto 11N is a very light second-hand 34/72 again with two reeds on the treble side (three switches but actually really only one coupler). I have one and it is a well-built German instrument with a lovely (plenty loud!) tremolo. I havent got the right kind of scales to weigh it, unfortunately, but I read on one thread that it came in at 5.8Kg. You would get a lot of change from your £2000: http://www.accordions.co.uk/secpicsviewdocs.htm/HoCon3S.htm

Allodis is also selling a second-hand three-reed Concerto 111 which I suspect will also fall under your 7Kg upper limit.
 
The pigini wing models are very light in relation to their size. I don't know if they are still made but their should be some used ones around ? ebay

george
 
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