Casali Verona info required
Dudley Simons
I need some help - my wife has been hankering after a piano accordion
for some time and now one has appeared in a local junk shop, sorry
collectors shop. I havent been able to get in and see it yet - just
looked through the window.
I should point out that I neiter of us know anything about piano
accordions - I'm the practical mechanic and she is the musician with no
practical sense whatesoever and would be happy to buy it without laying
or researching it just because she liked the colour! Please dont flame
me for this - she would tell you exactly the same thing!
It has the name Casali Verona on it and is a blue marbley/mother of
pearl finish. The keyboard has 23 white keys that look like they may
actually be ivory and 14 'black' keys which are actually the same finish
as the main case of the instrument. The other end has 5 rows of 16
buttons. There is white 'piping' trim arond the edges of panels - some
of the piping is missing. Other than that it looks in half decent
condition. It has what look like some ancient straps with it - hard to
see as the accordion was actually sitting on top of them. I spoke to
the shop owner on the phone and he said there is a case with it - I
don't know what kind of case. He didn't really know much about it. He
said it played ok as far as he could tell - he had two accordions which
he bought at a house clearance and he had a guy come into the shop a
couple of days ago and played them both. He bought the other one which
he described as much prettier and much more expensive.
Can anyone tell me anything about this maker - are they any good? Apart
from obvious leaks in the bellows and being out of tune, is there
anything which I need to look out for when giving it the once over?
What kills accordions? I suppose I should add that he wants 70 UK
pounds - just over 100 USD which may not sound a lot but I dont have 100
bucks to throw down the pan on something that is only capable of sitting
in the corner looking interesting and gathering dust!
Any advice folks??
If the Casali is a no-no. Are there any UK readers with a good
instrument to sell at a reasonable price?
Regards
Dudley
--
Take out the TRASH to reply
Life - Some days you are the dog, some days you are the lamp post
Dave Garland
<drs...@esc.cam.ac.uk> wrote:
The finish is celluloid over wood and metal.
>The keyboard has 23 white keys that look like they may
>actually be ivory and 14 'black' keys which are actually the same finish
>as the main case of the instrument. The other end has 5 rows of 16
>buttons.
Which makes it a medium-size instrument, an "80-bass" (the button count
on the left hand). As compared to a "full-size" (120-bass) you're
giving up a little range (41 keys) and some chords, especially in the
"all-sharps" keys. More of a "stroller" instrument than a concert
instrument, but weighs less than a full-size.
>It has what look like some ancient straps with it
New straps would run about US$40 or so.
>Can anyone tell me anything about this maker - are they any good?
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of brands. Some factories made many
different brands, or new brands to order. Some brands were good at one
point in their history, and junk in another. I don't know that one.
>Apart
>from obvious leaks in the bellows and being out of tune, is there
>anything which I need to look out for when giving it the once over?
>What kills accordions?
It would really help if you can find someone local (Cambridge?) to take
a look and give advice. It could be a good deal, but it could easily be
junk. Many instruments like this are no longer a good deal once you
have paid for repairs, and most of us recommend buying from an
instrument dealer, because he will have gone over the instrument and
assured that it is working properly, etc. Some of us also ignore that
advice from time to time :)
Accordions are very complicated instruments, and there is a lot that can
go wrong. How it has been stored can be a big factor (e.g. mildew on
the bellows and rust on the reeds). The reeds are held in place with
wax, and when the wax gets old it gets brittle and cracks, leading to
internal air leaks and even reeds coming loose (if it rattles when
shaken, there are probably loose reeds inside). The wax can be
replaced, but it is a labour-intensive job and would probably cost more
than the accordion is worth. There are leather flap valves over the
reeds, and those can get deformed (especially if the instrument has not
been stored upright) or hard. Leaks can occur under the key valves if
the padding has deteriorated. Keys should sit fairly level. Bellows
wear at the corners (where the metal reinforcements go missing) and on
the back, where they rub against the player ("belt-buckle wear").
Tuning is not user-adjustable, but a bench job and probably the one
thing that must be done by a pro unless you're willing to chance
destroying the instrument in the process of learning.
Good luck.