What to look for when buying a used accordion...

[Seannn]

Hi everyone,

 

I recently celebrated the holidays and my birthday and received a considerable sum of money from gifts. I have a list of purchases I'd like to make (various effects pedals and such), but my biggest purchase will be a used accordion (I plan on spending some of my own pocket money on that). That's right, I'm now legally an adult, and decided that instead of going on some drinking binge or visiting strip clubs, I'd buy myself a squeeze box.

 

I will probably rent one out first to try, and based on how much I enjoy playing it (and how comfortable I am with the new instrument), I'll decide how much I'd like to invest in buying one. I've never played accordion before - the closest I've gotten to playing one is playing a Farfisa Pianorgan III that I've owned for about a year and a bit, and that's still pretty far from the real thing.

 

My question to you is - what should I look for if I'm buying a used accordion? There are some stores in Montreal that sell used ones, but the biggest one (from what I can tell) sells them at prices starting at $1000. I've seen many on Kijiji and Craigslist for under that. How should I test one - is there anything I should know about its smell/colour, what features do you think I should look for?

 

Thank you advance for your help!

 

Cheers,

 

Wolvesparade

[Rocket Man 2]

Wolvesparade,

 

There are a plethora of helpful articles useful to you. Use the Google search engine, and type in "used accordians how to buy one", for example.

 

It is also going to be important for you to know what kind of accordian sound you wish to play, for, just like electric guitars (eg., Fender and model vs. Gibson and model) accordian brands sound different--each has its own acoustic signature.

 

Also, search for a genuine accordian instructor that plays the style of music that you want to play.

 

Good luck, and enjoy the adventure!

 

 

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Also, buy from someone who works on them. I did, and it's now in their shop awaiting resale (I didn't find accordion a comfortable instrument for me to play personally, is all). He did good work on making all the reeds consistently placed, in tune, calibrated, etc. He's doing the same now that it's up for resale. It makes a HUGE difference and can make a cheap instrument sound expensive or vice-versa, just like a guitar if it is set up correctly or not.

[Seannn]

I bought one today from Steve's Music Store in Montreal, which is like our staple music store (a great place where I buy most of my gear), and it was on liquidation. It was distributed by Supra (a generic brand), so it's Chinese. Regardless, it sounds wonderful, and it's perfect for an accordion beginner like me. The hard case, also made in China, is pretty much falling apart, though.

 

I already called an accodionist for lessons, I only left a message, so he'll have to get back to me. The accordion itself is red, brand new, has 41 keys and 120 basses, something like four sets of bass and four sets of discant reeds, and is bloody heavy (that, if anything, I'll have to get used to). It cost me around $600-something plus tax.

[acidolem]

Congrats on your red accordion. I got the fever 8 months ago. Ended up buying 10 accordions,Italian and German, from pawn shops , goodwill, CL,and ebay.most are not playable but one is a gem. It takes time to find what works and what does not. it is fun to take them apart the junkers and see how they are constructed. Palmer Hughes- has a great method book series.

Good luck