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Tiger Combo-cordion 1960's printed gig-bags?

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AccordionUprising

AccordionUprising

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Hi all,

Reading/writing about the 1960s Tiger accordion that Faithe Deffner and Bill Palmer (both since passed on) developed for Pancordion and Titano.

In this post Faithe mentions that they came in a tiger-print bag. Id love to see one of those. Anybody ever seen the rare Tiger accessory? I gather it came with a vocal mic on top for singers too? Or it was an option.
https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/rec.music.makers.squeezebox/7_oLNV2UoZQ[/url]

The concept behind the Tiger seems interesting. A cheap, light, flashy design to reach young people playing combo-organs in rock bands.
She talks more about them here: http://www.accordions.com/interviews/deffner.aspx

I wonder if the unusual keyboard setting to play in fifths (single-key power-chords) might have been more useful on the bass side, so you could then build on them with the right hand keyboard? I wish theyd been able to keep experimenting with the design. Developing a decent amplification system way back then would have made a difference for the accordion I expect.

Wish I could have talked with Deffner, she sounds like quite a lady.

Interestingly, while looking for pictures of the elusive tiger-print carrying bag, I found a photo of a Flowtone Combo accordion that looks like another version of the combo-cordion. (I believe Titano sold theirs as a Combo-cordion and Pancordion had the Tiger ComboCordion).

>805jXDq.jpg
Looks like the Titano, but the control-knobs are in different places.

So I look up Flowtone and find this fantastic old 1920s-30s (?) item that has the same swept-back keyboard.
https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/33195646
https://liveauctioneers-res.cloudin...lossy/v1476074/img/196/65696/33195646_1_x.jpg>
33195646_1_x.jpg

I was pretty sure Id seen that it had been tried before, but did they make a Tiger version modelled after this old one with the same brand name? Marvellous mysteries.
https://liveauctioneers-res.cloudin...lossy/v1476074/img/196/65696/33195646_3_x.jpg>
33195646_3_x.jpg
 
Titano accordions were made during the 60's by Victoria in Italy. The Deffner's owned the brands Titano and Pancordion and although the Tiger models carried Titano & Tiger badge's they were made by Pancordion in Italy.
 
I met Faithe Deffner many years ago at an accordion event. It was the ATG convention in 1999, held in Branson, MO. I found her to be a very nice person who knew her accordions and music. As for the Tiger accordions, the swept back keyboard looks a bit odd to me. Having not played one, I can't really judge the instrument. Since I don't play much in the way of jazz, it isn't something I would need. I do own a Titano accordion and know them to be quality, especially the older ones made by Victoria.
 
I had a blue Tiger accordion in the early-mid 70's. I loved that accordion!!!!!! It was so "cool" back then!!!! But then I played a lot of rock music also! I think my parents must have traded it in on my next accordion (which I still have, needs repairs) - I have since moved on to the Roland Fr-8X - Loving it!!!!

I would love to get my hands on another Tiger though!!!!! I went from a standard accordion to the Tiger and then back to a standard piano accordion. I don't remember having issues with the slanted keyboard, if I recall, that slanted keyboard was actually easier to play.

Brandy D
 
The Tiger model and the Titano Combo accordion model (both made by Crucianelli) were the same animal !! A Pancordion dealer would have them on the shelf with the name Tiger, and a Titano dealer would half them on the shelf with a Titano Combo Badge.
I started working for a Titano Dealer in 1962 and have worked on all the Titano models from the 1950's to date with badges that had Pan or Titano on them. The Deffner's owned both badges and had their accordions made by Victoria (Titano), and Crucianelli (Panacordion) in Italy.
 
I may have found a pic of the Pancordion Tiger carry bag. Assuming this is original:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-dec...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[thumbnail]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/GmIAAOSwu-BWOSCi/s-l1600.jpg[/thumbnail]

Well thats fun.

Its all trivia but it looks to me like the Titano Combo Cordion didnt have the same swept keyboard as the Tiger version?
The pictures seem to show that the Titano has a more normal keyboard.

Titano:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDQ1WDgwMA==/z/v9EAAOSwGtNXijv7/$_57.JPG>LINK_TEXT>.jpg

Tiger:
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/iralith/1477058/39752/39752_900.jpg>39752_900.jpg
 
I have a “Sun”-colored Tiger Combo ‘Cordion with the original Zebra print case. They were made in Fiat colors of 1968. I’m going to get a custom pinstripe job on mine. Got it from Smythe Accordions in Oakland, California (a wonderland of a store). Happy to post a picture if there’s a way to do it having less than the 39 steps that someone sent me.
 
I recently borrowed a rather beat-up Tiger Combo Cordion in order to photograph it for use in upcoming book (due Spring 2019), and it had an original case!

Its the swept back(Pancordion?) keyboard design but has seen plenty of abuse, including the Tiger letters being knocked off, yikes. The tiger-print case looks great though.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iasm1mm5juekg8b/Tiger Combo 'Cordion with Case.jpg?dl=0>
Tiger%20Combo%20%27Cordion%20with%20Case.jpg


(Hopefully this image will come through. If not, link to file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iasm1mm5juekg8b/Tiger Combo 'Cordion with Case.jpg?dl=0[/url])
 
I have a blue Universal Tiger with red bellows and treasure it (It did not come with the original case.) In the late 1990s when I was getting started on the accordion adventure, and private sales of used instruments were advertised in print rather than internet ads, I drove to the house of an odd older guy in a West Coast tract suburb selling used junk out of his garage. I was there to look at a vintage basic 2-voice 72-bass Contello student-quality accordion, and there was this Tiger as well. I knew nothing about Tigers or quints or any of that, but. . . Naturally, I left with both, each around $200.

Mine is the 36/72, very lightweight and comfortable, and a smash hit at any gig or happening you take it to. The reeds have a warm, clear voice personality wonderfully displayed in that Liberty Bellows demo clip as quite nifty for jazz, but that sound quality is also great for tango and Eastern European/Balkan.
 
The only black PAs marked Pancordion that I've seen don't look like the Tiger wraparounds.

The blue one on the page you linked is mine exactly. Even the photos are happiness-inducing. Mine has matching blue leather straps, like the red one in the photos you've linked has matching red straps. The whole phenom is just divine. Just looking at the photos makes you want to do the Twist, the Frug, the Watusi, and the Mashed Potato.

There was apparently a brown or tan one that seems pretty hideous. I've seen one photo of an example in robin's-egg-blue pale turquoise. No idea whether that was a one-off or custom-painted, or what, but it was the ginchiest.
 
The article may have mislabeled the “Pancordion Combo.”, but the idea of an all black one with key colors reversed is intriguing. Maybe I’ll get mine painted black. I have the “hideous” brown/tan one you mention. Hey, baby hyenas are pretty hideous to me, but their mothers love them.
I describe my Tiger’s color as “Llama-saliva Yellow”, but it looks better since I polished it with Black Magic auto polish.
 
No offense taken! In the right light.....
It was my first accordion, and I neglected it for a while. I really think it’s because I was trying to play stuff on it that didn’t fit it’s sound, but lately I’ve discovered all kinds of gnarly things it does really well.
 
Well, the one in that cool, hep-cat jazz demo clip at Liberty-B is, after all, the tawny jaguar.
 
The Fiat sports-car paint on the Tiger accordions seems to have aged poorly. Most of them now look quite faded. The bright yellow/red/blue colours now look sort of brownish/orange?/and grey. I have heard you can buff them up and the paint underneath shines its original colour, but I wouldnt want to polish too much off.

>a8in6m4.jpg

Theres some great photos on this Polish(?) forum of Tiger and the original 1930s Flotone swept-back keyboards.
http://forum.akordeonowe.pl/akordeon-od-a-do-z/co-to-jest-6883/

>vrVjInD.jpg
>HDnLBZb.jpg
 
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