Pedro Javier
Newbie
Hello everyone, could someone tell me what are the differences between the Sirius Millenium and Nòva models of the Italian brand Pigini? Do you think these differences justify the great price difference between the two models?
I hope you are not expecting the Pigini Sirius Bayan to sound like a Jupiter or Akko, because it doesn't. It's a fine Italian bayan-shaped accordion with Italian reeds. The very first generation of the Sirius was almost an exact copy of the Jupiter of that time, but with Italian reeds, and corresponding sound. They tried a very limited edition with Russian plates (only 32 were built) but that was a one-time deal. The later Sirius Bayans moved away from the Russian setup a bit more. The first ones did not offer registers on the bass side, except for switches to get 2, 4 or 5 reed base notes (i.e. lowest octave). Newer ones now have a "normal" set of bass registers, thus offering what people expect when they buy an Italian accordion.Thanks Paul, I finally ordered a Sirius Millenium because the price difference seemed unacceptable to me without really knowing in detail what the advantages of the Nòva were. On the other hand, the Sirius has been on the market for much longer and I think everyone agrees that it is a great instrument. In particular I have always preferred the sound of top-of-the-line Russian models (Jupiter, Akko), but it is almost impossible to buy one of them safely from South America and I have heard from bad experiences in terms of the reliability of some instruments (from the Jupiter brand in particular).
No Paul, I don't expect it to sound like a real Russian bayan, it's something I had to compromise. Although I prefer the sound of a Russian bayan, the sound of Pigini also seems wonderful to me and it was a much safer purchase (there is an authorized distributor in my country), among other advantages such as better after-sales service and aesthetics and construction that seem better to me.I hope you are not expecting the Pigini Sirius Bayan to sound like a Jupiter or Akko, because it doesn't. It's a fine Italian bayan-shaped accordion with Italian reeds. The very first generation of the Sirius was almost an exact copy of the Jupiter of that time, but with Italian reeds, and corresponding sound. They tried a very limited edition with Russian plates (only 32 were built) but that was a one-time deal. The later Sirius Bayans moved away from the Russian setup a bit more. The first ones did not offer registers on the bass side, except for switches to get 2, 4 or 5 reed base notes (i.e. lowest octave). Newer ones now have a "normal" set of bass registers, thus offering what people expect when they buy an Italian accordion.
This is a very wise decision. Outside of the former Soviet block it's hard to get service for a Russian bayan. Even when you are a repairer it can be hard just to source the right parts you may need....Although I prefer the sound of a Russian bayan, the sound of Pigini also seems wonderful to me and it was a much safer purchase (there is an authorized distributor in my country), among other advantages such as better after-sales service and aesthetics and construction that seem better to me.
I assume you are referring to the legendary Pigini Mythos, it is an instrument that intrigues me a lot from an organological point of view, however, I think its sound is much closer to that of an Italian chromatic button accordion than that of a Russian bayan. It also bothers me that it was a limited edition, it seems to me more a commercial strategy than anything else because, again, I highly doubt that its sound or touch is far enough from other top-of-the-line models to justify its being an absolutely unaffordable instrument.I hope you are not expecting the Pigini Sirius Bayan to sound like a Jupiter or Akko, because it doesn't. It's a fine Italian bayan-shaped accordion with Italian reeds. The very first generation of the Sirius was almost an exact copy of the Jupiter of that time, but with Italian reeds, and corresponding sound. They tried a very limited edition with Russian plates (only 32 were built) but that was a one-time deal. The later Sirius Bayans moved away from the Russian setup a bit more. The first ones did not offer registers on the bass side, except for switches to get 2, 4 or 5 reed base notes (i.e. lowest octave). Newer ones now have a "normal" set of bass registers, thus offering what people expect when they buy an Italian accordion.
It is very interesting to know your experience, the timbre and power of the bayan AKKO surprises and amazes me, it is a pity that it is so difficult to get and maintain that type of Russian instruments.This is a very wise decision. Outside of the former Soviet block it's hard to get service for a Russian bayan. Even when you are a repairer it can be hard just to source the right parts you may need.
I really love playing my AKKO bayan, but if I had to do it all over again, I doubt I would go for a Russian one again!