The factory of Dino Baffetti (in Castelfidardo) burned down today (March 14, 2024).

[debra]

This is very bad news in the heart of the accordion world!

Of course everyone in Castelfidardo will come to their aid in rebuilding, because the accordion manufacturers are more of a community than just competitors.

 

[Ventura]

the ghost of Paolo strikes again

hope they can survive..

no amount of insurance can cover the loss of the unique tooling
a shop like this develops over their ages and ages of trial and error..

if you love a baffetti, buy one right now from your local retailer,
because the "new" ones will simply be different

 

[Dingo40]

is this it?
May not be terminal?
Castelfidardo - A company of accordions, firefighters in action

 

[Waldo]

This is a sad state of affairs. The clip Dingo posted suggests minimal damage, probably more water & smoke damage than fire. They are a highly personal business, with excellent customer communication. I'm hopeful this will not be the end of Baffetti. I love mine!

Press on,
Waldo

 

[debra]

The post thar was forwarded to me says (slightly shortened):
"In the early morning hours of Thursday March 14, 2024, the Dino Baffetti accordions factory located in Castelfidardo, Italy suffered a catastrophic fire. As a result most of the factory was destroyed. Along with countless hours of work that was currently in production...
We will rebuild and come back even stronger and continue to deliver the best of us."

Here is a first picture that was posted on facebook:

 

[Dingo40]

That's serious!

 

[debra]

That's serious!

They did say "catastrophic"...

 

[Ventura]

am reminded a few weeks back someone complained about how
little wood working stuff was on the Serenellini factory floor
(and remembering how clean and dust/sawdust/dustbunni free
the place looked) and thinking now (again) how prevention
is worth a pound of cure

 

[debra]

am reminded a few weeks back someone complained about how
little wood working stuff was on the Serenellini factory floor
(and remembering how clean and dust/sawdust/dustbunni free
the place looked) and thinking now (again) how prevention
is worth a pound of cure

It's not just the wood. Everything (like accordion bodies) with celluloid will light up like a torch! Very flammable. I am always careful to not overdo the sanding when fixing cracks in the celluloid. Every accordion factory should have a separate place where they store and work with the celluloid. It's no wonder that more and more accordions are now made as "pure wood" (no celluloid cover).

 

[JerryPH]

Very sad to hear. I hope it really is as Paul says, that they kind of help each other out a little, it helps to take away a little bit of that sting from the loss.

 

[debra]

Very sad to hear. I hope it really is as Paul says, that they kind of help each other out a little, it helps to take away a little bit of that sting from the loss.

They already have been offered office space to get their administration up and running again, and also showroom space, so yes the other members of the accordion community in Castelfidardo is really working together, not just in case of a disaster, but also when one is overloaded with work and others can spare the time. It's nice to see being colleagues and competitors at the same time can really work!

 

[belsmith]

They did say "catastrophic"...

We emailed Vince from Saltarelle as someone had enquired about one of thier accordions and learned about the fire. His response is here on the blog

Saltarelle & Dino Baffetti Factory Fire in Italy

The Saltarelle and Dino Baffetti factory burnt down on 14 March, 2024

www.reedworks.com.au

Very sad, but yes they will rebuild.