Piano Keyboard CBA

[96Bass]

Never seen one like this before. Looks like a 3 row CBA with a piano style keyboard.
Is this type of accordion common somewhere?

 

[Dingo40]

Never seen one like this before. Looks like a 3 row CBA with a piano style keyboard.
Is this type of accordion common somewhere?

Yes, during the 1920s and 1930s it was fairly well known almost everywhere and several well known players still play a refurbished one even these days.
The type is made by several makers and known as the "Finto Piano Accordion ": ie a "fake" piano accordion.
They arose at a time in accordion history when the piano accordion started becoming the latest "must have" accordion fad and , obviously, it was easier to buy a CBC made to resemble a piano accordion than to switch over to playing an actual piano accordion.
There were many such instruments and their players.
Here's Alf Hågedal plying his refurbished finto piano accordion:

Another:

There's many examples featuring Alf Hågedal as well as other current players of the finto piano accordion.
The topic arises frequently in this forum and there's several threads devoted to all aspects of it!
Here's an accordionist's forum thread on the topic: (click on it)

Thread 'For the benefit of people new to this scene: What is a "finto" accordion?'

Apr 20, 2025

Dating back to the popular acts in the early 20th century, a 'finto' piano keyboard was introduced by players who deemed it necessary to appear to be playing piano keyboad instruments instead of their actual button systems.
It seems that the button keyboard was considered 'low class' by American audiences of the time.
Here is a reference to a ver much earlier post on this forum:

...and here a player of considerable talent playing on a well restored instrument of the type:

• Ffingers
• Replies: 14
• Forum: Accordion Makes & Models

• 
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[Dingo40]

Another forum thread on the topic of finto piano accordions:
(Tap on it)

Thread 'Finto-Piano'

Feb 10, 2014

In the book The Golden Age of the Accordion there are excerpts here and there from old accordion company catalogs; an interesting feature of items available in the 1920s are accordions which have a piano keyboard plus a row of buttons below the keys, usually two but sometimes three. Somewhere else Id read that the piano keys were strictly for appearances sake, i.e., dummies, but that doesnt appear to be correct as Ill illustrate. The idea seemed to be to give the visual impression of a the then in vogue piano layout, while allowing the player to persist with using the CBA setup they were...

• KLR
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Accordion Makes & Models

 

[Jaoe]

It's still quite popular in Poland especially in folk music. There is version with normal bass layout
and one with 24 bass with switch to play minor and 7 chords:



Here are some materials if you are interested in the topic:









The first Polish squeezeboxes (early 20th century) had 12 bass buttons in major mode only. Between I and II world war, 24-bass began to be produced. These had ‘shifts’, allowing the mode to be changed from major to minor by pressing a button underneath the bass keyboard with the thumb. Around 1935, Borucki's label added a “septimal shift” to these instruments. Earlier instruments (1920s) were two voice; later three- and four-voice instruments were constructed. After 1945, they were supplanted by 120-bass instruments, constructed like accordion

The 24-bass, manual and pedal instruments are still in use today. In the cities, the practice of playing has disappeared, while rural musicians and folk bands play, mainly in Radomskie, Świętokrzyskie and Kurpie regions.

Companies producing those instruments in Poland (in the years 1900-1950): Stamirowski (first pedalboard maker), Borucki, Leonardt, Nabe, Gade, Radek, Sawiejko, Jedynak.

 

[Dingo40]

It's still quite popular in Poland especially in folk music. There is version with normal bass layout

All this is very interesting!
Thanks for sharing
More about the accordion in Poland :

Beautiful world of Polish Accordions: Their Melodies and Heritage – Accordion Buyer's Guides and more!

Poland is known for a lot of things. Pope John Paul II, beautiful and historic architecture, rich folklore, and flora. Poland is also known for its accordionists, not only in folklore music but also in classical ensembles. It produced not only accordion virtuosos like Jaroslaw Bester, Wieslawa...

bestaccordion.com

 

[Jaoe]

Another thing is "harmonia sekundowa" where right hand is mirrored by left hand and bass notes are played by feet.

 

[Jaoe]

 

[Dingo40]

Thanks for all the pictures, Jaoe!
Although I'm not from Poland myself, the woman with the three little children is dressed just like my grandma at around the early 1940s.
Accordion foot basses, such as shown being played in the clip, I have seen still available new, on the internet .

Foot Bass 125th anniversary! « Harry Geuns

bandoneon-maker.com