What model Bugari?

[saundersbp]

Well I've been borrowing this instrument for a week and loved the keyboard feel and balanced sound so I decided to buy it! There are no obvious signs it's been played much at all. I've always been afraid of full sized accordions.....

It doesn't say what model it is on the instrument and wondered if anyone knew the model?

 

[jozz]

580?

 

[jozz]

I hope it doesn't say serial A15.566 on the inside
because that one was stolen 2018

 

[saundersbp]

No!! it's from two friends who bought matching ones in 2017 from a UK dealer who had them made in Italy

It says A47.297

 

[debra]

Indeed looks like a 580/ARS/C. That's a great accordion!
It also looks like it is the "newer" edition that has 61 notes (G to G). Older ones only had 58 notes (G to E).
The only minor flaw it has is that on the single M the third row of buttons doesn't sound quite the same as the first two rows. (But I'm splitting hairs here.)

 

[JerryPH]

Not sure of the model, but it is a beauty!
Forum rule, its not a real accordion until you show us how it plays... lol

 

[Walker]

Well I've been borrowing this instrument for a week and loved the keyboard feel and balanced sound so I decided to buy it!

Congratulations... a lovely acquisition.

 

[saundersbp]

Indeed looks like a 580/ARS/C. That's a great accordion!

It's surprisingly different feel/sound to the 540 I have, and which will now need to be sold as I'm a non-collector!

Forum rule, its not a real accordion until you show us how it plays... lol

Well I've ditched my usual Bach and Philip Glass for the week and now learning Get Lucky which I found a brilliant arrangement of on Youtube and is apparently de rigueur for these sort of posh instruments....

 

[debra]

It's surprisingly different feel/sound to the 540 I have, and which will now need to be sold as I'm a non-collector!

Well I've ditched my usual Bach and Philip Glass for the week and now learning Get Lucky which I found a brilliant arrangement of on Youtube and is apparently de rigueur for these sort of posh instruments....

I'm not surprised about the difference between the 540 and the 580. My wife really likes the 540 as it is small, sounds nice enough, and is very light to the touch. The 580 is a much more "mature" instrument, just a fraction more compact than a bayan with 64 notes (and 58 melody bass notes). And yours is likely of better quality than the new ones, which must leave room for the Nextra that is still above it in ranking in the catalog.
We also still have a 508/ARS/C which is of similar quality of your 580, but it is limited to 46 notes (thus fitting on 2+2 reed blocks, mostly eliminating the sound differences that come with the 3+3 reed blocks of the 580. Alas that 508 from about 15 years ago is no longer being made. (Bugari still made a 508/ARS/C that was just a convertor version of the 508/ARS accordion that is larger and has larger buttons, common on non-convertor accordions.
Enjoy your new baby! It's a very nice one!

 

[JerryPH]

Well I've ditched my usual Bach and Philip Glass for the week and now learning Get Lucky which I found a brilliant arrangement of on Youtube and is apparently de rigueur for these sort of posh instruments....

Today I am leaving to go to Ontario for the annual All Saint's day event and to drop off the Gola for a complete look-over and touch-up on anything it may need... when I get her back, Stewart had made a suggestion and we decided on an appropriate song for me to record and play for you on the Gola. He told me it was a perfect choice, so that is in the plans.

 

[Tom]

Today I am leaving to go to Ontario for the annual All Saint's day event and to drop off the Gola for a complete look-over and touch-up on anything it may need... when I get her back, Stewart had made a suggestion and we decided on an appropriate song for me to record and play for you on the Gola. He told me it was a perfect choice, so that is in the plans.

Train to Vercelli?

 

[JerryPH]

Train to Vercelli?

No one except Stewart and I know what it will be, and until it is completed, I am not telling... lol

 

[saundersbp]

I'm not surprised about the difference between the 540 and the 580.

Yes it's a little more homogeneous in sound and response, if anything less extrovert. Both great instruments of course.

Stewart had made a suggestion and we decided on an appropriate song for me to record and play for you on the Gola.

I'm guessing then it will be something by Take That or possible the Barbie song if we are talking appropriate for my musical taste.

 

[Dingo40]

It doesn't say what model it is on the instrument and wondered if anyone knew the model?

it says "conservatory" on it, so maybe one in this line of thing?

 

[petch]

it says "conservatory" on it, so maybe one in this line of thing?

I think that's just what they put on their free bass converters

 

[debra]

I think that's just what they put on their free bass converters

Indeed: all convertor instruments, from Juniorfisa up to the highest end instruments, they all say "conservatory" and let you guess which model it is. The one in the video by Dingo40 looks like a 320/J/C which is something like 5 categories below the 580/ARS/C that saudersbp just bought.

 

[Walker]

I like that the Bugari 580 has 15 treble switches.

I also have the full 15 switches on my new accordion - I like that on a totally straight-tuned accordion as it gives you the choice of 2 nice flute/clarinet sounds (that are both in tune ) as well as 2 nice bandoneons (single and double cassotto bandoneons) and 2 nice oboe sounds - both cassotto and non cassotto.

Ben, in the left hand side do you have LM or LL?

 

[debra]

I like that the Bugari 580 has 15 treble switches.

I also have the full 15 switches on my new accordion - I like that on a totally straight-tuned accordion as it gives you the choice of 2 nice flute/clarinet sounds (that are both in tune ) as well as 2 nice bandoneons (single and double cassotto bandoneons) and 2 nice oboe sounds - both cassotto and non cassotto.

Ben, in the left hand side do you have LM or LL?

The 580 only comes with LM in the left hand, not in LL.

 

[saundersbp]

This one is LM, though you can get them in LL.

https://www.bugariarmando.com/en/fisarmonica/580-ars-c-2/

There's 2 nice gizmo switches in addition to the Left Hand registers in stradella mode. One of them adds octave above in some registers, but I found a lovely one where you get MM together on the bass note. I like this a lot as I find deep basses can inhibit the flow of phrases in upbeat music, where as a stronger unison bass is lush.

The other gizmo switch adds a very high reed to the bass in stradella. I can't think of a sensible musical use but it works a treat in daft tunes like Yann Tiersen (all his tunes are daft imho) but Valse des Monstres stands out.....reminds me of that classic Keith Floyd cookery programme theme tune....

 

[debra]

This one is LM, though you can get them in LL.

https://www.bugariarmando.com/en/fisarmonica/580-ars-c-2/

You appear to be right, according to that link. But according to the catalog they only offer LM.
Bugari has always had options they did not list, but this one I did not yet know about...
The "gizmo switches" you are referring to are probably the octave couplers. As the bass configuration is LM the base notes in standard bass are also LM (2 voice) or single L or single M depending on the register. The topmost of the two octave couplers adds a higher octave (4 voice bass) and the lower one adds a yet higher octave (6 voice bass). There is a drawback to these switches: when you couple an octave more pallets need to be opened so the base note buttons require more force to press. And there is a word of caution too: when pressing the convertor switch or any of the octave couplers you should always do so while no bass button is pressed. The whole bass mechanism may jam when these switches are operated while keeping bass buttons pressed.