Proxima Accordion

[AdamJoseph]

I noticed that Petosa updated their website regarding the release of the Proxima accordion.

Proxima

From the brilliant minds that brought the first generation of V-Accordions to the world, comes a brand new, state-of-the-art digital accordion. Proxima is a company completely dedicated to the world of digital accordion. Proxima charges forward with concepts never before known: fully...

petosa.com

Looks like the release will be in 2022.

 

[debra]

I noticed that Petosa updated their website regarding the release of the Proxima accordion.

Proxima

From the brilliant minds that brought the first generation of V-Accordions to the world, comes a brand new, state-of-the-art digital accordion. Proxima is a company completely dedicated to the world of digital accordion. Proxima charges forward with concepts never before known: fully...

petosa.com

Looks like the release will be in 2022.

Since the first announcements the silence surrounding the introduction of the Proxima accordion has been deafening...
I hope it will come, sooner rather than later, and I hope even more that when it comes it will be affordable (so they can make money on selling lots of them with modest profit rather than few with huge profit).

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Paul, I’ve seen indications that it will cost more rhan a Roland FR-4x, but what most people won’t appreciate is the engineering that went into its circuit boards and the enormous flexibility offered by its accompanying editing app. Most people are of a “set it and forget it” mindset and won’t want to pay that price. My challenge to them would probably not to compare the Proxima and its price to a Roland but to compare the Proxima and its price to a Concerto DA-300 and its price.

But I have also seen many non-accordion products delayed time and time again and never released, or when finally released turned out to be disappointing in some way. I’m well aware of what is causing the delays in the case if the Proxima and I hope people will understand.

The people behind the Proxima have listened to their potential consumers and within practical parameters have responded to those potential consumers and that process is reflected in the design of the accordion. I don’t think Roland has gone to that extent and I know that traditional Italian accordion companies haven’t. In my opinion, that counts for a lot.

 

[JIM D.]

The global chip shortage has not only affected the auto industry but also has affected the electronic musical instrument
industry. In Italy not only the global chip shortage but also the delays caused by the Covid virus & the Italian tradition
of shuting down for the month of August may well increase the delay in introduction.

Now as for the price exceding the price of a 4x, well the battery, power & superior effects should justify any price posted.

 

[JerryPH]

Since the first announcements the silence surrounding the introduction of the Proxima accordion has been deafening...
I hope it will come, sooner rather than later, and I hope even more that when it comes it will be affordable (so they can make money on selling lots of them with modest profit rather than few with huge profit).

In terms of digital accordion technology, I agree with you, however, those that have been watching, see this as a very similar path they took with the Evo... sparse web releases followed by long periods of nothing... followed by big bangs of many promises followed up by more long periods of nothing... followed by the eventual release of an overpriced product of questionable quality and little to no support followed up by a year or 2 later of closing the business down leaving the buyers with a near new but immediately defunct product.

They've got the first part down to perfection (and didn't have COVID as an excuse the first time)... let's see if they complete the rest of the path they followed once before.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I tend to agree with Jim on this one, even though, like Jerry, I've experienced promises go out the window after long delays. I would like the Proxima to succeed. It has the potential of inspiring accordionists to get into sound design for accordions without ever touching a computer and a DAW. That's exciting stuff, and Roland accordions merely scratch the surface compared to what this Proxima can do in that regard. I also have to give those three guys that are behind that Proxima unit credit for being a startup company with a forward-looking philosophy in the midst of one of the most tradition-based industries.

 

[John M]

. . . My challenge to them would probably not to compare the Proxima and its price to a Roland but to compare the Proxima and its price to a Concerto DA-300 and its price. . . .

I was present at a live demo/presentation of the new Concerto. It is a fantastic instrument and probably, the best sounding acoustic/electronic accordion available today. I believe the price, is in the neighborhood of $20K, and probably reasonable for a high quality acoustic accordion combined with an electronic accordion all in one box. If you have the money and need the combination, then the Concerto is the way to go (unless the new Proxima can produce the acoustic accordion tones equivalent to the Concerto). I cannot comment on the comparison of the Concerto electronic sounds vs. the Proxima/Evo/Roland sounds, although there was a large variety of Concerto tones and they were of excellent quality.

John M.

 

[JerryPH]

Someone needs to watch the Concerto website a little more carefully. Either hackers made most of his website the same page, or somehow the site got all botched up... most links point to his privacy page.

http://accordionfactory.com/

That said, IMHO, the Concerto's time was 20-25 years ago (with far better advertising, for example up to last year, there was NOT ONE video of the Concerto on youTube). It is today outdated and very overpriced for a PierMaria box. It even, still uses a huge external "tone generator" box outside the accordion for it's electronics and once you've gone through the 10 of it's 11 registers (#11 is to disable all reeds), your acoustic accordion experience is all done. The niche that this accordion fits in to today is even tinier than a Roland FR8X, which has hundreds more sounds, thousands more sonic possibilities... at half the price.

That said, I am always willing to be convinced otherwise. I still own and continue to be a fan of the Elkavox 83 with tone chamber (the previous gen of the Concerto, for all intents and purposes).

 

[Glenn]

Unless it’s a medical first that could seriously improve your quality of life, I’m not really a first adopter, so until something exits vapour-wear and has had a good period of being tested by the public, it’s not worth getting too excited about.

With cameras for instance, I look forward to the version 2 to be released whereupon I consider buying the version 1.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Unless it’s a medical first that could seriously improve your quality of life, I’m not really a first adopter, so until something exits vapour-wear and has had a good period of being tested by the public, it’s not worth getting too excited about.

With cameras for instance, I look forward to the version 2 to be released whereupon I consider buying the version 1

Unless it’s a medical first that could seriously improve your quality of life, I’m not really a first adopter, so until something exits vapour-wear and has had a good period of being tested by the public, it’s not worth getting too excited about.

With cameras for instance, I look forward to the version 2 to be released whereupon I consider buying the version 1.

I’m usually of the same mind. The exception, in this case, is based

1. I was in on a Zoom conference (actually two) in which a more detailed explanation of the Proxima Mia and its accompanying app were demonstrated and questions about it were asked and answered both by one of the developers and by Petosa, which will be the US distributor. I was convinced of the viability of this instrument and of its importance to the future of digital accordion development.

2. At 81 years old, with a midi-equipped acoustic accordion, a Roland FR-4x, and an AxE-Cord in my possession, I am not about to buy another accordion, digital or acoustic. But with no sign of anything new from Roland, or Bugari EVO, or any other digital accordion manufacturers, i’d just like to see the Proxima come to market and succeed.

 

[davidplaysaccordion]

I think the problem with all electronic accordions or instruments in general is that they have a limited shelf life. You can get a 60 year old acccorodion refurbished and playing like new again but the chances of being able to repair an electronic instrument within even a few years of it being no longer supported by the manufacturer are slim at best. I know I struggled with that aspect for a long time before I purchased my fr4x and while it’s great, I suspect my Borsini will be playing long after the Roland has gone to the great recycling center in the sky. You’ve probably got more chance of repairing the early electronic accordions than the newer ones as more discrete components on those vs highly integrated circuits and chips on modern instruments. I am sure that this aspect of future usability and support is a major concern when buying these instruments, I know it was for me.

 

[NickC]

I wonder if it would be better to have an instrument that is just a controller that can be used with different modules. I don't know how the mapping would work, but it would give the user more options to upgrade later. They could upgrade the module OR the controller depending on the newest technology. In addition, if something is wrong with the processor, they could use the instrument with a different module. This could be another case of 'easier said than done.'

 

[JerryPH]

Anything with a MIDI in/out can be a controller, that said, most 8X and by extension, Evo owners prefer to play just the accordion. "Different modules" means a lot more money too and more to lose/break/watch for.

In my Elkavox days, I dreamed of a single unit that did it all in one box. The Tone Generator of the Elka was annoying to say the least, and the next gen Concerto is likely also not all that portable or easy to stroll around with thanks to that big extra box it's tethered to.

 

[NickC]

Oh yeah, I forgot about strolling. That would make separate units less desirable for sure. So, if the internal module stops working 20 years later and I couldn't find a service center, I could still use the MIDI out with another external module?

 

[John M]

. . . You’ve probably got more chance of repairing the early electronic accordions than the newer ones as more discrete components on those vs highly integrated circuits and chips on modern instruments. . . .

This is very true of the classic Hammond tonewheel organs that were made from 1935 through 1975. Many are still in working order and very popular (i.e; the B3) today. They are still repairable to this day because the replaceable components are resistors, capacitors, coils/inductors, transformers, tubes and wire. Those tonewheel Hammonds were a "complex collection of basic simple parts". You are out of luck to get parts to repair a 1975-1985 solid state Hammond.

John

 

[JerryPH]

Oh yeah, I forgot about strolling. That would make separate units less desirable for sure. So, if the internal module stops working 20 years later and I couldn't find a service center, I could still use the MIDI out with another external module?

Depends. Not necessarily in my case on the Elka, the midi connector is in the tone generator. If that goes nothing works.

 

[jozz]

Why would a brand like Petose risk communication like this, when they were not sure it would release eventually?

I would say this is sign on the wall that it is actually going to happen

 

[JerryPH]

Why would a brand like Petose risk communication like this, when they were not sure it would release eventually?

I would say this is sign on the wall that it is actually going to happen

Likely because anything that can drum up business for Accordions for them is a good thing. They sold Evo's, made a little money, and because they were a supplier for it, not the owner's/manufacturers they had ZERO financial or legal responsibility that the company went defunct and screwed over a whole community of Evo owners. They can raise their hands and say "sorry, its not us!" and still look good in the community.

 

[Giovanni]

Likely because anything that can drum up business for Accordions for them is a good thing. They sold Evo's, made a little money, and because they were a supplier for it, not the owner's/manufacturers they had ZERO financial or legal responsibility that the company went defunct and screwed over a whole community of Evo owners. They can raise their hands and say "sorry, its not us!" and still look good in the community.

Hi Jerry , I'm sorry to say but you are spot on ....the distributor in this type of situation has no power , control or say in the matter !!

 

[Keymn]

As a frequent performer, weight and connectivity is important to me.