Jazz Accordion review
~Dream~
regarding, the makeup of a "Jazz Accordion". One particularly
interesting idea suggests dual sets Bassoon(MM)reeds in unison.
An extended opportunity to work with just such an instrument
recently came my way, and I accepted it.
Pancordion has offered this specific (LL-MM) chambered "Jazz"
model since the 1970's, delivering on average a couple each
year. Built on the highly respected "Baton" series platform
designed in America, the essential body, specifications, and
mechanics of the scale design have not changed in over half a
Century, though incorporation of improved components, hi-tech
materials, and other refinements continue to this day.
For example, the plate through which the 120 Bass buttons
ride is an interesting 5 ply construction of composite
material sandwiched between two layers of wood, laminated
with shields of plastic on top and bottom. When Bass holes
are punched, resulting top and bottom edges are sharp and
clean as a whistle, while the middle layer frays providing
extra cushioning, helping button alignment & quieting the
action. As a result, this model weighs in at 23 ½ pounds!
Quite incredible for a chambered, full size 41/120-4/5 reed
pro instrument, and easily puts it in the "stroller" class.
Physically, the Pancordion is a striking instrument to behold...
certainly, the only specific American Accordion model a large
segment of the general Public immediately recognize on sight.
The unique dual Shift layout & distinctive Grillwork contribute
to this phenomena, aided in large measure from high visibility
as "Myron's" accordion (and Lawrence's too) through decades of
being featured front and center on the "Welk" show. While it is
true that many non-accordion people recognize the "Hohner" name
and know it stands (stood) for something special, that is brand
recognition. In the case of the Pan, it is a recognition of this
specific model series - and that is quite amazing in our world.
From pictures, you really don't notice, but the grillework is
unusual in that the sound openings (in the curved section) are
higher up than most accordions, and close to the ends as well.
(recalling the classic Excelsior motif) This was the result of
design philosophy heavily weighted to implementing sound blend,
diffusion, & dispersion on a higher level than typical designs.
Air carrying sound exiting from the tone chamber is forced to
deflect & diffuse against a solid area of the grille before it
can actually exit the accordion. In the Bass chamber, notice
the interior tone channels which exit through small louvers on
the outside corners directing some of the Bass sound toward the
Accordionist, as well as the center audience. This goes way
back to original Patents researched and received by Pancordion.
It is such a nice thing to find someone in the American Music
Industry who has not forgotten lessons learned through decades
of trial, research, error and success. To see those small, but
important little "sound louvers" from my half Century old white
"Wedding" Pancordion being used today in the newest Pro model
suggests that we ARE dealing with intelligent life forms here.
For me the real test is, of course, in actual performance.
-particularly un-plugged and strolling- Bottom line is this
Pan gave me more audible "reference" than a typical box and
was easier for my ears to "monitor" in a noisy room. One is
more aware and confident, therefore, of Bass tone & volume
being at an appropriate level. The Audience perceives the
overall sound more as a wide dispersion Monophonic waveform
(as opposed to audible "hot spots" or opposing "sweet spots"
for treble and bass typical of many designs) There is less
chance of inadvertently overpowering any individual with a
volume spike, nor is there a shelving, leading edge of sound
off your left hand as you stroll.
end part one
Ciao Ventura
all rights reserved - copyright MMII VHM Co.
reproduction in RMMS newsgroup and related Internet archives is
permitted
~Dream~
heard varying descriptions of key-actions from being soft as
"Butter" to tactile as "Marshmallows" (Campfire, and fresh)
But to me this Pan had responsiveness and resilience in her
action that can only be described in one word...
"Nikki"
Yes... way back when I was fresh Nikki was a sweet, ripe,
and very special friend of mine. "like a Georgia Peach"
only begins to describe! Of course, the Pan also suggests a
certain "DD" voluptuousness with it's twin curved shift banks
and playing it was such a pleasure that it did put a big old
smile on my face so yes... smoother than Butter, more pliable
than marshmallows, tactile response like - in a word - Nikki!
The treble-action mechanicals have several design features
which quite impress me. Many chambered accordions use drawn
aluminum, split fork arms that run down to & through the keys.
This can result in convoluted rods with Medusa-like bends and
twists. The Pan action, however, was engineered so nicely that
all adjustments were pretty much covered at the pivot point by
the basic design engineering. Every arm runs straight up from
the key dead center to its corresponding sound hole, perfectly
parallel to the plate. Arms for the chambered reeds are a full
right angle to the main arm, attached in a firm double riveted
fashion. The short arms also run dead straight & parallel to
their inside plate. Bottom line result - the pads come cleanly,
clearly, & evenly off the mark with little angular distortion.
Now to the NG's point of interest... the "Jazz" sound.
Discussion with several experts in the field suggest that the
"LL" dual low reed sets must be in tight proximity, whether in
chamber or out, in order to fully realize an interaction which
produces this dramatic Jazz tone. Twin chambered bassoon reeds
singing in unison - an interestingly rich & full bodied effect.
2 or 3 cents are allowed by Pancordion tuners between each LL
note-set, which causes just the slightest phasing efect to the
interweaving waveforms in the tone-chamber.
Next, there is certainly a lower limit for thick chords. In
other words, as you come down the keyboard, lighten up the
chords or risk muddying up the sound. But hey, what a small
price to pay... because the benefit and beauty of the tone
will really knock your socks off when you are playing lead,
improvising a hot Solo, or knocking off a timely riff.
.......... this is where the chambered LL really shines!
The fullness and richness of the resulting Tone will let
the accordion stand up and hold it's own trading licks &
leads toe to toe with a Sax, Bone, Organ, or even a Chet
Atkins Country Gentleman arch-top Jazz geetar.
Bear in mind, LLMM is not a "general purpose" setup. This
is a sound tailored to a specific and to a degree limited
use. If you are a "one accordion for everything" person,
be prepared to give up the variety of tone variations you
enjoy with typical LMMM or LMMH - In other words, "Jazz"
tuning for the twin Bassoon and Clarinet reeds gives you
a very full and rich, but essentially dry sound.
Conclusion: if your desire and goal isto someday be a top
"Soloist" capable of going mano-a-mano with other "lead"
instruments and musicians, tonally as well as technically,
then you may want to consider a Jazz LL-MM accordion like
this one as your main Ax. Far more than "Jazz", growling
for blues, powerful enough to Rock, sweetly refined for
Tango yet ethereally mournful for sad "Canciones Romantica"
end part two
~Dream~
the Baton model Pancordion are tops... starting with the
slightest pressure while having excellent dynamic range.
Internally, the arch-top mahogany tone chamber is tuned
deeply toward the "warm" side for tone. Comparatively,
the Jazz-tuned non-chambered MM are almost too bright.
Personally, for the way I play, I live with my Middle
reeds, so experiencing this Jazz accordion was both of
personal interest as I broaden my perceptions, and a
challenge since there are very few songs for which I
normally use Bassoon as my principal voce. "Angel Eyes"
"I'm getting Sentimental over You" "Sunrise Serenade"
and "Spanish Eyes" are all pretty much no-brainers for
taking advantage of what LL has to offer, but beyond that...?
It didn't take long to adjust my mindset, however, quickly
becoming so comfortable with this accordion that I took it
on a gig days after receiving it as my featured instrument.
This was a strolling gig in a very large and old fashioned
formal Restaurant. Performing without a break as part of
the experimentation process to see at what point I would
be forced to rest (which speaks to body balance of design,
reed sensitivity and efficiency of the compression)
I went 2 hours 10 minutes comfortably.
The total experience clearly demonstrated to me that having
unison reed-sets chambered together is the best set-up for
getting the warmest, tightest, richest Lead tone possible.
It also re-inforced for me that my style of playing is not
suited to the deeper LL sound, I will stick with my middle
MM unison reeds, but clearly I can now understand why some
folks love it this sound to death and swear by it.
Finally, the way Pan puts it all together in the "Baton"
series you have one mighty fine instrument. Great action,
response, well balanced physically and tonally. Of cpourse
all typical reed configurations are available (continental
polka etc.) as well as the Jazz arrangement. Pancordion
at one time was built entirely in the USA, today they are
custom assembled and finished at the factory workshop in
Minneola New York. Retail price is competitive with landed
"top shelf" instruments plus it has an excellent warranty.
Significantly for me, a unique and legitimate scale-design,
true to it's rich heritage and history has a special appeal.
Not merely some thick, generic boilerplate accordion jacked
up $$$$$ and fitted with a hot-glued-on-big-brand nameplate.
Of American Marquee names currently available Pancordion may
very well be among the last legitimately unique brands still
in regular production of their original models (outside of
Excelsior, Cemex continues to diligently produce several
models originally designed and built in America)
> Disclaimer: I received no remuneration or gratuity of any
> kind for this review, beyond the personal use for a limited
> time of this Pancordion. I am not employed or retained by
> Pan, or any other Musical Instrument manufacturer.
> This review is produced solely due to my personal curiosity,
> and is shared with and offered to the accordion community
> at large merely as a topic of interest.
One caveat - when ordering an instrument like this,
from a company like Pan, it is critical you make your
personal wishes regarding reed tuning and action
clearly known. Don't be embarrassed if you don't
really know how to express your desires... let them
work through it with you. There are many variables in
the finishing process that are shaped by things like
your intended use as well as matters of taste.
Ciao Ventura
all rights reserved, copyright MMII VHM Co.
reproduction in RMMS newsgroup and
related Internet archives is permitted
end part 3 (final)
~Dream~
should invite anyone in the Washington/Baltimore
corridor who has not been able to fully conceptualize
the tone produced by the dual Bassoon reedsets
in tone chamber, unison tuning, or is just curious,
to catch me Thursday evening April 24
at Cafe Paris in Columbia MD. and hear it.
Intend to take the Pan to the gig and stroll with
it off and on throughout the evening.
Cafe Paris 410.997.3904
8808 Center Park Drive
(Route 29 to Rt. 108 East - visible from 108)
The cafe has a "lounge" area, so you don't
need to order Dinner to hang out.
Ciao Ventura
goodboy
tuning as I'm considering purchasing a Guerrini that has a tone chamber with
very dry "concert" tuning. I'm not sure what exactly this means as I've
only played 'til now on an accordion with 4/5 reeds....I've never owned a
higher end instrument with hand made reeds and a tone chamber. I'm told
that it has no musette tuning (something that I feel I might miss as I kind
of like that "singing" sound for musette tunes) I assume it has LLMM reeds
all dry tuned. Does anyone know if it could be easily changed to have the
musette tuning if the MM reeds were re-tuned? Is this advisable or easily
done for that matter? The reason that I'm considering such an instrument is
that I would like to get into playing more jazz styled music. Any
suggestions/critics etc. would be most helpful. Thanks
"~Dream~" <acco...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:3CC310D8...@worldnet.att.net...
Bruce Metras
> From: "goodboy"
> Sorry to jump in here but I have an interest in the typical "jazz" type of
> tuning as I'm considering purchasing a Guerrini that has a tone chamber with
> very dry "concert" tuning. I'm not sure what exactly this means as I've
> only played 'til now on an accordion with 4/5 reeds....
Very dry "concert tuning" would be all reed banks tuned as close to A440 as
possible with no detectable tremelo....most older accordions are not tuned
to A440, A441 and A442 are more common..
> I've never owned a higher end instrument with hand made reeds and a tone
> chamber. I'm told that it has no musette tuning (something that I feel I
> might miss as I kind of like that "singing" sound for musette tunes) I assume
> it has LLMM reeds all dry tuned.
Do you know if the accordion you are looking at is LLMM or is it LMMH....a
"tone chamber" doesn't automatically make it a LL (double bassoon jazz box)
Is the Guerrini new or used?...if used, an LLMM setup would be rare and
probably a special order....if new, you should be able to order the tuning
you want ....personally, I like the LL's tuned the same, one in chamber and
one out, and the MM's tuned wet, this gives me many options, if I want a dry
sound only, I have L1 or L2, both L1+L2 or L1+L2+M1 or M1...the addition of
the wet M2 will give me the tremelo to L1 or L2 or M1.....
> Does anyone know if it could be easily changed to have the
> musette tuning if the MM reeds were re-tuned? Is this advisable or easily
> done for that matter?
Tuning can be changed, but I wouldn't recommend buying a dry box with the
intention of tuning it wet...
one: it can be costly to have done satisfactorily, $300 and up (way up
depending on condition of reeds/leathers/wax)....
two: you can only remove metal from the reeds, never put it back on....so,
if a mistake is made and you are unhappy with the results of the tuning, it
can even be more costly to get it where you want it (as in the reeds could
get ruined from "over working" and you might be looking at reed
replacements)....
> The reason that I'm considering such an instrument is
> that I would like to get into playing more jazz styled music. Any
> suggestions/critics etc. would be most helpful. Thanks
Hopefully, the instrument you are looking at can be tested by you...make
sure it's what you want, if not, order it with the tuning you desire..or if
it is used and the price is really attractive, find a tuner relatively near
you that you can work closely with so that there are no misunderstandings as
to what you want...
Bruce (San Francisco)
~Dream~
>
> .......catch me Thursday evening April 24
> at Cafe Paris in Columbia MD. and hear it.
Thursday is the 25th...