What are tell tale signs of a real crucianelli accordion?

[Nicktunic]

I'm very new to the accordion scene and for Christmas I got what is advertised as a 1955 crucianelli accordion. It looks old and has some wear and tear on it. But with all the fake models going around I just want to be sure.
It has 5 pedals. Oboe, piccolo, bassoon, organ and master.
When we purchased it from the seller it came with papers of authenticity and such but I'm a skeptic by nature. Still if it is real it has some issues with is. Mainly one of the keys is sticking out quite a lot and the register switches seem a little busted. And I believe it's somewhat out of tune. But I was wondering if it's real and if it is how much it would cost to repair it to a good state? Any kind of insight would be extremely helpful and appreciated. Thanks to all

 

[Dingo40]

Nick ,
Welcome !
I'm sorry no one's responded as yet.
I'm no expert by any means but I imagine your instrument is probably genuine (being the age it is)
The raised treble key is a common problem (being caused by ignorant handling , resulting from either grasping or snagging the key with a strap when lifting the accordion out of its case.
The bent rod can be straightened by a competent technician.
Unfortunately, finding such a technician in your vicinity will be the greatest problem (as it is for most of us).
As to costs, it's a bit like a used car: it all depends!
Anyway, it's by one of the known makers and good luck with it!

 

[Ventura]

lets see.. hmmm.. the signed papers of authenticity are a
good start.. Abby in Forensics can carbon date the ink.

the top and bottom treble keys have that telltale side curvature
and of course the flapper shifts themselves are rather unique
(would be kind of expensive tooling up to copy or fake those)

so sure, it came from the actual Crucianelli factory before the fire
took them out, but that carries zero lingering monetary value..

so, umm, brand doesn't mean much as this is a basic student level accordion
and it's actual physical condition is far, far more important than it's pedigree,

pedigree is only meaningful most times on professional instruments
where a reputation is being built (or bled)

very few brand names committed to and protected a high value/quality
ratio in their export/private branded/student models. Most student
models, like this one., were intended to be useful until worn out
and offered a reasonable value when new and were priced very competitively.

the vast majority of Student accordions were ordered and built TO a specific price point
NOT a specific Quality point

 

[JIM D.]

A " Real McCoy ". Made 50's thru 60's. A quality built instrument and well worth repair. Many imported to the
US with the badge -- PANcordion. Those grill flaps are a giveaway as they were Copyrighted and never copied.

The real McCoy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tom]

Congrats Nick! I have this one (or similar) in black with the Pancordion guy on it playing accordion. I love this accordion. It's compact, but not "ladies" size. It's got a real nice feel and distinctive sound. Plus that super cool nerdy look. Only problem is, a ***repairman*** replaced one of the reeds with one from the wrong set. Before I knew any better. I'm sure I've posted about this. One of these years I'll fix it. In the meantime, there's the master register...... Good luck!

 

[Chickers]

NICK
Welcome.
It looks like you have a nice Crucianelli.
i see you are from the Hamilton, Ohio area, so if you cannot find a repairman / technician in your area, I know of a very
good repairman in the Medina, Ohio area. I'm in the Cleveland area, and have used the services of Brian a few times.
Good guy.
Let me know if I can be of help
CHICKERS

 

[Ventura]

hmmm... i feel i should elaborate, as it must seem unusual
not to hear me applauding a Crucianelli

so let me give examples of why i suggest a rather large
divide between Student line "price point" vs: Quality level accordions

you can take hundreds of old 3 reed Excelsior Accordiana's and Bell
student models in the 3/4 or full size and would be hard pressed to find
any with warped keys

by contrast, any group of several comparably priced Crucianelli's or Pan
flapper-shift budget models built by Crucianelli will show some side warping
keys and curving bellows folds

and this was a direct result of decisions made to be more competitive
in the market AT THAT TIME

the money saved from not lining the bellows cardboard on the inside and using
non-kilned wood for the keys would not make much difference in the first 20
years or so of the accordions life (the original purchaser likely got their
moneys worth) but it makes a big difference 50 years on

the long term tuning stability of the Crucianelli budget line is also in my
opinion rather poor compared again to the Excelsiors or Bells, which
can come out of a closet and you pick it up and play and they still
sound damn good to this day !

this is all subjective, and based on personal observation over time, and by no
means suggests the Professional Cru built models, which often spared no
expense, cannot stand toe to toe with any other top shelf brands.. my friend Joe
owns a flapper shift LMMH 4/5 Professional Pan and it is a peach.. easily
as good as any Baton model Pan that came out of that same factory

and obviously there are a lot of student level Cru's that people have
that are still damned nice to play and own

just, as i said, (newbies especially) must consider the actual condition
and not get blinded by a brand name or imagined value based on
internet chatter (or salesmen who can scatter innuendo like rice at a wedding)

 

[Tom]

hmmm... i feel i should elaborate, as it must seem unusual
not to hear me applauding a Crucianelli

so let me give examples of why i suggest a rather large
divide between Student line "price point" vs: Quality level accordions

you can take hundreds of old 3 reed Excelsior Accordiana's and Bell
student models in the 3/4 or full size and would be hard pressed to find
any with warped keys

by contrast, any group of several comparably priced Crucianelli's or Pan
flapper-shift budget models built by Crucianelli will show some side warping
keys and curving bellows folds

and this was a direct result of decisions made to be more competitive
in the market AT THAT TIME

the money saved from not lining the bellows cardboard on the inside and using
non-kilned wood for the keys would not make much difference in the first 20
years or so of the accordions life (the original purchaser likely got their
moneys worth) but it makes a big difference 50 years on

the long term tuning stability of the Crucianelli budget line is also in my
opinion rather poor compared again to the Excelsiors or Bells, which
can come out of a closet and you pick it up and play and they still
sound damn good to this day !

this is all subjective, and based on personal observation over time, and by no
means suggests the Professional Cru built models, which often spared no
expense, cannot stand toe to toe with any other top shelf brands.. my friend Joe
owns a flapper shift LMMH 4/5 Professional Pan and it is a peach.. easily
as good as any Baton model Pan that came out of that same factory

and obviously there are a lot of student level Cru's that people have
that are still damned nice to play and own

just, as i said, (newbies especially) must consider the actual condition
and not get blinded by a brand name or imagined value based on
internet chatter (or salesmen who can scatter innuendo like rice at a wedding)

So Ventura, my friend, is mine (above) with the white trimmed flappers and Pancordion guy a student build or above? And how would I know? Thanks!!!!

 

[Valski]

hmmm... i feel i should elaborate, as it must seem unusual
not to hear me applauding a Crucianelli

so let me give examples of why i suggest a rather large
divide between Student line "price point" vs: Quality level accordions

you can take hundreds of old 3 reed Excelsior Accordiana's and Bell
student models in the 3/4 or full size and would be hard pressed to find
any with warped keys

by contrast, any group of several comparably priced Crucianelli's or Pan
flapper-shift budget models built by Crucianelli will show some side warping
keys and curving bellows folds

and this was a direct result of decisions made to be more competitive
in the market AT THAT TIME

the money saved from not lining the bellows cardboard on the inside and using
non-kilned wood for the keys would not make much difference in the first 20
years or so of the accordions life (the original purchaser likely got their
moneys worth) but it makes a big difference 50 years on

the long term tuning stability of the Crucianelli budget line is also in my
opinion rather poor compared again to the Excelsiors or Bells, which
can come out of a closet and you pick it up and play and they still
sound damn good to this day !

this is all subjective, and based on personal observation over time, and by no
means suggests the Professional Cru built models, which often spared no
expense, cannot stand toe to toe with any other top shelf brands.. my friend Joe
owns a flapper shift LMMH 4/5 Professional Pan and it is a peach.. easily
as good as any Baton model Pan that came out of that same factory

and obviously there are a lot of student level Cru's that people have
that are still damned nice to play and own

just, as i said, (newbies especially) must consider the actual condition
and not get blinded by a brand name or imagined value based on
internet chatter (or salesmen who can scatter innuendo like rice at a wedding)

Well said!
Although the 1950's and 1960's seem like yesterday to some of us, you have to remember that these 60 and 70 year old accordions are possibly approaching their end of life. Unless they were the very best of the best you should expect the need to spend a considerable sum to repair things like bent keys, stuck buttons and perhaps straps. Tuning and replacement of parts associated with reeds and all of the inner workings probably starts at several hundred dollars so you have to decide how much you like your instrument. The main question remains, what is the purpose of this overhaul? Are you going to try to resell the accordion? Are you looking to play the instrument extensively or will it be displayed on a shelf as a conversation piece?
I would prefer to downplay the "value" of your Crucianelli so you don't invest a disproportionately large sum into it expecting to increase its potential selling price. We've all seen too many episodes of TV shows where people find very valuable items in garages and storage units which turn out to be extremely rare and valuable, real life is usually not like that.
Fix what needs to be fixed but concentrate on learning how to play and enjoying the accordion. Many new owners become obsessed with the value of these instruments and forget that the sellers would not have sold something really valuable for a few hundred dollars if they could have sold it for much more.

 

[JIM D.]

"PAN's" a brief history

This tread is of history of models of USmade PANcordions & Italian made PANcordions ( Crucianelli) . The information here might just be of interest to members unfamiliar to the design & history of the models of PANcordion. Some of the history here has appeared in print and some is from...

www.accordionists.info

I've posted this in the past -- please read thru.

 

[debra]

I must have been very lucky. I have a 2 voice Crucianelli 26/40 student accordion from the sixties and a 4 voice Crucianelli 41/120 Super Video from around 1970. The student accordion shows no signs of wear or warping or any other problem. The only "problem" it has is that Crucianelli has glued the bass reed blocks to the soundboard. That's really bad practice. I have rewaxed, revalved and tuned the accordion and it is in pristine condition. The Super Video has new bellows tape, gasket tape, wax, valves, etc. and has also been tuned. It too is in pristine condition.
I do not doubt that some (or many) of these accordions may have developed problems in 60 to 70 years, but the two Crucianellis I have are impeccable.