My new accordion

[Cindy May]

Hello, I am about to purchase this Concerto brand accordion made in Italy. I like the sound, the gentleman selling the accordion thinks it is from the late 70s. Does anyone here play this brand of accordion? Is this a quality instrument?

 

[Lucio76]

Are you sure it's not a Hohner Concerto, I've never heard of this brand and I can't find it on Google.

 

[Scuromondo]

Are you sure it's not a Honer Concerto, I've never heard of this brand and I can't find it on Google.

I had the same thought at first. But then I searched and found a place in Utah in the US called “Accordions International” which sells an accordion brand they call “Concerto.” I wonder if this is the accordion. I have never heard of this brand and it is difficult to believe that it could have been around as long as the 1970s. On their website they claim that Concertos are built in Castelfidardo, but they do not say by which builder.

Concerto Accordion | Accordions International

 

[JIM D.]

The Accordion in your Pic' is a Digital model not unlike todays Roland "V" accordion models. They showed up on the market some
20 years ago. Never really succesful and only 1 or 2 dealers here in the US are selling & repairing them. A Crapshoot buying a
used one.

 

[Lucio76]

That website seems legit but it says "For over a quarter-century" so it can't be from the 70es.
I still can't find any Concerto accordion except the Hohner one or any manufacturer here in Italy that uses that name.

 

[Ben-jammin]

The Accordion in your Pic' is a Digital model not unlike todays Roland "V" accordion models. They showed up on the market some
20 years ago. Never really succesful and only 1 or 2 dealers here in the US are selling & repairing them. A Crapshoot buying a
used one.

The description I see has it as a combination digital/acoustic with the current offered 19” model using 4/5 hand made reeds with dry or wet tuning options.

I’m guessing they’ve never been “fully” digital. With that being said many of the digital electronics strapped on accordions like this were proprietary and can be problematic.

 

[Ben-jammin]

Cindy, do you by chance have a picture of the instrument you could post? Might help us narrow down the builder.

 

[Valski]

The Accordion in your Pic' is a Digital model not unlike todays Roland "V" accordion models. They showed up on the market some
20 years ago. Never really succesful and only 1 or 2 dealers here in the US are selling & repairing them. A Crapshoot buying a
used one.

Yes exactly, with any electronic instrument you really want something that can be easily serviced. Failing that it should be an acoustic accordion with added electronic functionality that can still be played like a conventional accordion.

 

[colinm]

Fully electric model on sale in uk on gumtree

 

[Valski]

Our friend Cindy May is located in Florida so the accordion posted on Gumtree might not be the easiest option.

 

[Scuromondo]

I think her original question is whether anyone here would recommend the “Concerto” brand accordion she found. Reading through the comments, I don’t see any recommendation—pro or con, though the fact that this brand is largely unknown could be considered a con.

If this is really her first accordion, my opinion is that, unless she has already decided on a digital accordion, she might be better off (that is, it would be less risky) finding something more like a real Hohner Concerto.

 

[Lucio76]

I think her original question is whether anyone here would recommend the “Concerto” brand accordion she found. Reading through the comments, I don’t see any recommendation—pro or con, though the fact that this brand is largely unknown could be considered a con.

If this is really her first accordion, my opinion is that, unless she has already decided on a digital accordion, she might be better off (that is, it would be less risky) finding something more like a real Hohner Concerto.

It's hard to recommend something that nobody knows

 

[fjsys]

I have not chimed in as I have not seen any pictures of this accordion to actually confirm it is a "concerto" from Accordions International or not.

However the concerto from Accordions International has always been a Hybrid instrument and was started later than the 70s. Probably late 80s to 90s, after the Iorio/Elkavox/SEM collapse. The person behind those is Paul Pasquali who is my current teacher, but I never asked when the concerto came out originally.

He has two "house" brands "Concerto" which is the digital instrument and "Colombo" which is the fully acoustic instrument. Both are made in Italy by the Piermaria factory. (or at least that is my understanding and I may be wrong as he can source them from wherever he wants really)

They are a good instrument and will hold up well over the years.

However since the one in question says late 70s and doesn't say it is a Midi accordion, I doubt that it is from Accordions International and we will need pictures to prove what it actually is.

Ben

 

[Valski]

Hello, I am about to purchase this Concerto brand accordion made in Italy. I like the sound, the gentleman selling the accordion thinks it is from the late 70s. Does anyone here play this brand of accordion? Is this a quality instrument?

Hello Cindy,
From the brochure the accordion sounds interesting, however that said, there are a few unanswered questions. Is the seller the owner/player of this or is he seller something inherited or purchased second hand from an estate.

Have you seen this this accordion and heard how it sounds and plays? If you've actually looked at this instrument are there any defects that are noticeable. Do any keys or buttons stick, does the accordion play the same sounds when pulling the bellows and pushing them?
How much is the seller asking for you to pay?

All of these questions will have a bearing on the price and value of the accordion and unless everything works including the electronic elements don't buy this for the potential value after everything is fixed.

I had a seller (store) once try to talk me into purchasing an electronic accordion because it just needed the power connection cord which I discovered was unavailable and almost impossible to make on my own. So we can appreciate your uneasiness in making this first purchase.