Trying to find a beginner accordion that is worth the price.

[Plinky]

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Hi box player4000 I have a friend that still looking for a Hohner VM,and that chap does appear to have some lovely boxes.
but he doesn't have a website,and she spent a lot of time researching and couldn't find any recommendations
from anyone thats actually bought an instrument from him?

She said to me I'm not just going to bank transfer £600 and just hope that it arrives and in the condition described.
It's not like the security with a shop ,or paying with a credit card.

And she does have a point,I was in contact with him and she suggested I send a message saying

"If he sends the accordion ,and if it's as described I will happily then bank transfer the money"

I didn't send the message,but its a reasonable request.

 

[davidplaysaccordion]

I see you are on NH so maybe 1st step is to get in touch with NH Accordion society and see if you can find players near you to meet up with and talk accordion! They might be able to point you at a good beginner accordion and give advice as well.
If you are coming from piano or at least a standard size keyboard. A piano accordion with std size keys is probably best to start with unless you have very small hands. There are ladies size accordions that have smaller keyboards and the buttons are slightly closer together so you’d need to adjust if used to playing standard size keys. I have a small ladies size box I got for fun but it’s hard work playing it. Smaller bellows means you have to pump more for the same volume and pressing multiple keys are one quickly used up the air!
On the left hand the Stradella system is easy to learn and grt used to as it’s organized in the circle of fifths so most three chord songs (half the pop songs I the world) only use three rows and need minimal movement of the left hand up and down.
Personally I prefer a full size 120 button bass because it just gives you more options to hit the note/chord you want without lots of jumping up and down although you do have to do some mental gymnastics sometimes to realize that say F# is also Gb, not something you are used to having to think about when playing piano so it’s a new skill.
That said, more basses equals more weight and possibly cost.
Finally what tuning do you want, I love musette so I go heavy on that most of the time but a drier sound has its place for a lot of pieces. Fewer registers means less weight, less to go wrong etc so a simple two or three voice box might be perfectly fine to lean on.

Anyway that’s my $0.02 worth. Make of it what you will. Hope it helps.

 

[Ed S]

I live in Manchester NH. I bought mine from Nathan Longo, proprietor of The Free Reed in Montpelier - a nicer drive than NYC!
He mostly has accordions in the $500-$2500 range, most of which he has refurbished. He also has concertinas and melodeons.

I was there almost a year ago. At that time, I think he had around 15 accordions for sale. He only posts a few on his website.

I don't usually recommend accordion service and sales persons, except - and he's relatively near you, is Albini Gallant in Quebec City. For years he was the Excelsior representative in that area, was a professional player, operated a successful accordion school and is still in business. He was upfront, hardworking and honest when we knew him well. Worth checking the internet and a phone call.

For some reason several Excelsiors went on the market in New England last fall - at least 4 just at the Free Reed (at least 3 are still there). At the time I suspected someone was closing down, but that's just a wild guess! I almost bought the one that sold.

Without making judgment about where it is wise to buy from, here are how I've found accordions near enough to drive to see. If you don't see what you want, give it time - stuff comes and goes all the time!

- craigslist, ebay, facebook marketplace, reverb
All of these will filter based on distance and "local pickup available". I suspect reverb is best, but YMMV. Some sellers clearly know their stuff, others are clueless.

- accordion shops
These are surprisingly hard to search for via Google. For instance it will broaden any search I've used, and instead searches for any old musical instrument seller. But you don't have to search! Forum member lordzedd has made this great list! Some shops have lists of instruments for sale that Google doesn't see for some reason. Some shops don't advertise everything they have. Some owners will help in unpredictable ways.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

I have been surfing the web, looking through music stores, personal eBay sales, craigslist, the whole shebang. I can't find one that I feel definitive on. Either the ones I know are working are too expensive, or the cheaper ones being sold by people that know nothing about them trying to sell me something that could be a mushroom farm on the inside. What do I do. Any Tips?

Try facebook market place or a state sales in your area. Sometimes they have accordions that you could try and see if they are a good fit.


You must be aware that the accordion you buy for cheap might have some issues that you may or may not be able to fix. Buying an used accordion is like buying a used car. You have to make sure is working properly and that they are not selling you a money pit of an instrument.

If you grow tired, you could try some online store where they sell old refurbished accordions. Low quality but at least you have some confidence that they play.

 

[Squeezeplay]

Buy from a shop, if this is your first accordion …… we all want a “ good deal “. A good deal is one that comes fully functional. And a reputable shop usually has no issue taking your first accordion back in trade on something newer, or more versatile if and when you “ upgrade “.

 

[daveburkevt]

I live in Manchester NH. I bought mine from Nathan Longo, proprietor of The Free Reed in Montpelier - a nicer drive than NYC!
He mostly has accordions in the $500-$2500 range, most of which he has refurbished. He also has concertinas and melodeons.

I was there almost a year ago. At that time, I think he had around 15 accordions for sale. He only posts a few on his website.

I second what Ed says, especially if you live in NH! Nathan's a great guy with a number of accordions for sale. He will no doubt also help you understand what you are after even if you don't want to buy anything. You'll definitely learn something! Send him an email to setup an appointment if you're interested.

 

[Riccardo]

Hi Dave. couldn't resist contacting you.. Little to do with accordions but my hometown years ago being Burlington Ontario, I was involved in the twinning of Burlington Vermont cities, with sports events being the first impetus! Don't know if still going on. since I moved away.... but small world too re accordions as you may have picked up some of my previous threads... I'm the Excelsior man who operated a service centre in Burlington - also years ago...

 

[Jeremyh]

Hi box player4000 I have a friend that still looking for a Hohner VM,and that chap does appear to have some lovely boxes.
but he doesn't have a website,and she spent a lot of time researching and couldn't find any recommendations
from anyone thats actually bought an instrument from him?

She said to me I'm not just going to bank transfer £600 and just hope that it arrives and in the condition described.
It's not like the security with a shop ,or paying with a credit card.

And she does have a point,I was in contact with him and she suggested I send a message saying

"If he sends the accordion ,and if it's as described I will happily then bank transfer the money"

I didn't send the message,but its a reasonable request.

FWIW (assuming the gumtree search is correct), I bought a Frisco accordion from Gordon.

The instrument was as described, or better, and a very reasonable price. Although I have bought a more upmarket accordion since I still play the Frisco now and again as it's a lightweight 120 bass which suits my back when I sit down to play.

The reason I didn't buy my next Accordion from Gordon was simply that I wanted to hear and try several and he is in Scotland and I am in London.

 

[Plinky]

FWIW (assuming the gumtree search is correct), I bought a Frisco accordion from Gordon.

The instrument was as described, or better, and a very reasonable price. Although I have bought a more upmarket accordion since I still play the Frisco now and again as it's a lightweight 120 bass which suits my back when I sit down to play.

The reason I didn't buy my next Accordion from Gordon was simply that I wanted to hear and try several and he is in Scotland and I am in London.

Hi Jeremyh that all sounds great but as I said she had a bad experience with Gumtree,and as you can't pay with a credit card or PayPal there is no protection policy.

This was not intended in any way to be reflection on Gordon.
But in all honesty I do see her point,she explained to me how easy it was to set up a bank account using other personal data taken off the net.
And I believe the term is "spoof" web pages
I think younger people also think very differently,I think they have an expectation of reviews etc

I bought a melodeon and it was much better than expected ,beautifully tuned and brilliantly packed and I would certainly recommend him to anybody.
But my recommendation to anybody that doesn't know me or has not played the instrument ,is based on my knowledge and competence.