Re: Different brands

>
>Paul Kriwaczek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>>But I want something a little better than the Hohner Student 72 that I
>>started on. I don't play folk music or polka, but swing era standards and
>>what little jazz improvisation my lack of virtuosity allows. So my
>>preference is for an accordion with a rich rather than reedy tone, more vox
>>Hammond than vox humana.Best of all would be an instrument tuned LMH, but in
>>a 72 bass that would seem to be vanishingly rare.
>
>Yes, most unusual. Several makers seem to produce 4-voice LMMM 72-bass
>instruments, I guess this is primarily for young (and not-so-young!)
>folk players wanting a 3-voice musette sound for Scottish music. 
>My mother has a Marsioli 72-bass like this which came from Emilio 
>Allodi's shop in Lewisham. 
>
>I'm sure Emilio has the skills to build you a 3-voice LMH 72-bass,
>but what it would cost I don't know.
>
>What about Sonatina? They make a cassotto model, which is fiercly
>expensive but looks fabulous. 
>
>Pete
>

There are also other alternatives than abbreviating either keyboard on the
accordion.  How about settling for less reeds or smaller keyboards, both of
which will lighten the load.  I, personally, prefer to adjust to smaller keys
and less reeds to lighten the load.  Abbreviating either the bass or treble
keyboards find me looking for keys that aren't there and make me rearrange
pieces to fit the accordion.  I guess that's ok if you practice a lot, but it
doesn't come so easy to me on an ad lib basis.  I once had a little 120 bass
full keyboard 2/4 reed accordion with only a 14 inch treble keyboard ( my
granddaughter now has that box ) I loved it for playing jazz pieces - it had
excellent reeds and your hand could span about an octave and a half  making
some terrific chords possible.  It presented more problems playing keys too
close together as my fingers wouldn't fit between the black keys so all white
keys had to be depressed from below the tips of the black keys.  The two reeds
were bassoon and clarinet - all that's needed for jazz.  If you want a musette
sound have a second accordion with only two clarinet reeds -- this only makes
it difficult to change from straight tuning to musette while in the same tune 
:-)   but then you can't have everything.  

And of course the ultimate in lightening the load is the "reedless" - full size
accordion in only 14 or 15 pounds !!   I do not have one of those
--------------  yet !!   I have played them and they didn't seem bad once you
get used to the idea that the sound isn't coming from the instrument you hold.

Just some thoughts on the problem that many of us face as we age -- the weight
of the beasts we chose to entertain.

Ciao! for now!


Ron Smith, Montana Squeezer