"Something New"

[JIM D.]

I've known for a year now of a new digital accordion being developed in Italy by a former Roland executive. Yesterday i was called in to the Falcetti
Music Shop for a Roland electronic board repair & replacement.
I've been associated with Sam Falcetti for 60+ years now and his yearly trips to Italy have brought back a wealth of information. I did now that a new
digital made totally in Italy as in development. So far Petosa is the first US dealer but many other firms have applied for dealership.

You can find the intro video here ---

 

[knobby]

The burning questions is... how much?

 

[JIM D.]

Prices will be posted in 30+ days.

 

[Tom]

I like it, thanks Jim, hope it's not "mia". 37 keys, enough for me, we'll see about the "affordable." Voices are kind of weird sounding, maybe due to the recording.

 

[debra]

Many thanks for posting this! I must say that the accordion sounds (both treble and bass) really sound like accordion, much much more so than the Roland sound!

 

[jozz]

Nice to see them follow up on their promise early 2020!

some of the recording is rather "hot" with distortion

So the modeling engine is essentially the same as Roland's? Not sure if I that is stated in the video.

 

[Glenn]

Not a lot of clarity on the modelling and samples used or the overall architecture technology. From the functionality point of view it looks a lot like an 8 series Roland (apart from the harmonisation function). Considering it is a brand new development I am rather disappointed with the quality of the screen (quality and affordability have greatly increased since the Roland days). The blue-tooth connectivity might be a nice to have If you can pair some blue-tooth enabled headphones.

 

[JIM D.]

Yes a only introduced as a 37 Treble & 96 Bass. But this model will initially appeal to many US & European customers
At this point, only time will tell off it's true attributes.

 

[Tom]

I think price, durability and support will be the key issues. Sound will probably be acceptable to digital players. Priced between Fr1 and Fr4 perhaps?

 

[knobby]

Priced between Fr1 and Fr4 perhaps?

I'm going to guess at something approaching the FR8X

 

[dunlustin]

I see it's being promoted in Europe - see below - a post on Christmas Eve and again a week ago showing the same vdo JimD mentions:
Proxima Digital Accordion | Facebook
Just a detail - I like the idea of picking the lowest note in Stradella.
I wouldn't be surprised to see FR4x size and weight and FR8X pricing - all that wood and proper keyboard must hit the price.
Will just 37 note range be an issue for PA players?

 

[Tom]

37 not a problem for me, fr8 pricing a problem, why not just buy an fr4? Or switch to cba and buy an fr1b? I'd still likd to see something < $2000 to compete with a good quality acoustic....

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I think price, durability and support will be the key issues. Sound will probably be acceptable to digital players. Priced between Fr1 and Fr4 perhaps?

Probably a little more than the 4x, from discussions I've seen.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I see it's being promoted in Europe - see below - a post on Christmas Eve and again a week ago showing the same vdo JimD mentions:
Proxima Digital Accordion | Facebook
Just a detail - I like the idea of picking the lowest note in Stradella.
I wouldn't be surprised to see FR4x size and weight and FR8X pricing - all that wood and proper keyboard must hit the price.
Will just 37 note range be an issue for PA players?

37 notes in the right hand hasn't been an issue for many 41-note players, but some do feel it's an impediment. As far as picking the lowest note in Stradella is concerned, have you also looked at what it can do with chords? That's spectacular. Every chord in Stradella can be configured with up to five notes. You can program your own extended chords for each chord button and voice them the way you want. I just hope all of that comes to market. Price will be somewhat higher than that of the FR-4x, I've been told.

 

[Tom]

So maybe $5000 +/- ? ?

 

[Pipemajor]

So maybe $5000 +/- ? ?

That's the exact price !! How did you know

 

[JerryPH]

Nope, not for me. 37 keys and FR-8X price? I'll kindly pass.