Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'bandoneon'.
-
Hey all! I’m brand new here with my first step into the concertina family! I stumbled across this little bandoneon at a music store in my town, and couldn’t pass it up, despite obvious aesthetic and mechanical issues. I am now trying to learn as much about this instrument as I can! The system is very similar, if not the same as a Kusserow bandoneon, and the instrument seems to have been made in the early 1930s for export to Argentina, as the inside of the right hand side bears the markings of a musical instrument dealer in Santa Fe, a bit up the river from Buenos Aires. I found a virtually identical instrument that sold on reverb a while back but the seller didn’t seem to really know what they were talking about, as they billed a C.B. Arnold instrument as being made by Alfred Arnold himself. Also, upon looking at information I can find on the web, most sources would have you believe that the only bandoneons you’ll find in Argentina are 142s or variants of that particular system. Anyhow, just my little quarantine project, and I figured I would share and see if anybody else knows more about these (or can potentially correct my current notions)! CB Arnold 82 button chromatic bandoneon. I was gonna link pictures but I cannot figure out how. Thanks! -William
-
I inherited two Bandoneon from my grandfather. Both were brought over from Germany pre WWII. The “newer” of the two is an Arnold obtained by my grandfather around 1924. The other is older and is an ELA. I know they went out of business in 1910. I was hoping someone might know a bit more about these ELA bandoneon. Like approx how old it might be and maybe a value. The two are going into a museum exhibit next month and the museum would like to know how much they are worth. I can find info on the “newer” one but not the ELA.
-
HI there, I know a few of us have owned or looked at the Harry Geuns basic model hybrid bandoneon/accordion. I'm generally happy with it but looking at getting Harry to upgrade the reeds - good but expensive! So I was thinking about upgrading other elements myself to save money if possible. - The buttons are a bit basic, screw in white plastic buttons. Is anybody familiar enough to say if these are standard and can be upgraded to something better looking? Would it help to post dimensions, thread etc.? - The bellows are also a bit basic. Let's say I could find a set of traditional bellows of the correct dimensions, good condition. Is it a difficult thing to replace bellows and get a good seal? Of course, if anybody knows of a used Harry Geuns with proper reeds, that would be even better but I don't think they come up much. Kind regards, Paul
-
I have just purchased a beautiful (probably quite) old Bandoneon and am trying to learn more. It is about 55 buttons, and is (from the inside) "#1865" from F Lange, formerly Uhlig, in Chemnitz. It has the coolest veneer with fine metal wire inlay design and "art nouveau" looking hardware all in great shape. I took it apart this morning to dust/clean, and it is quite tidy inside, save some curling valve leathers. The bellows are tight, and the papers affixed are a beautiful blue with gold stars/accents. It has musty smell, but not nearly as bad as some old accordions I have known, and it has penciled in it the name of the firm in Milwaukee that I've read repaired lots of these types of devices. I am not with the box now, but I think it was "Forster" or similar name. Any clues about age? I don't care now about value, since it was cheap and I want to play it. I can get two octaves in one key with pretty easy action, and can make not much sense of all the other buttons. I sounds sweet, but who knows what key? It seems like a flat A, but I haven't spent time with a tuner to try to pin it down. It does sound in tune with itself, so fun to play, at least solo. Any suggestions to proceed? Thanks, and regards, David
-
Hello, For details, please open the PDF, herewith, which includes a short summary, some photos, and a keyboard layout chart of this instrument. If interested, please contact me directly at danersen using gmail or via the messenger option here. Be Well, Dan Schoma CBA Unisonoric Bandonion.pdf
-
I came across this photo in an antique shop today as a part of a Victorian Photo Album. The Photo, dated through clothes to be around 1878 - 1882, shows a studio portrait of a family taken by the Luton photographer Frederick Thurston. I haven't fully scrutinised the album yet, but it appears that the family in question are possibly identified elsewhere in the album, and are possibly English. It seems unusual to have a Bandoneon in England in this period so I just wondered if anyone may have any thoughts / comments? Cheers Christian
-
Hi all, Given the choice between a traditional long reed plate instrument and a waxed accordion reed instrument, the conventional wisdom is to go for the long reed plates because they sound better or at least more traditional. However there is a big price difference, plus maintenance issues. I'm beginning to wonder if the actual audible difference is all that large. Here are sound samples of two similar Harry Geuns hybrid bandoneons with the two different reed systems. Unfortunately the recordings are totally different so comparison is difficult. But in any case, I'm not really hearing that one sounds like an accordion and the other does not: http://bandoneon-maker.com/c-system-bandonion-basic-model/ http://bandoneon-maker.com/professional-model-c-b-and-russian-b-system-bandonion/ So what is the main expected benefit of long reed plates: More sympathetic resonance along the plate, like a harmonica, giving added volume and brightness? Dynamic range affected by the density of the plate and reeds? I'm wondering if this is the kind of difference that would be eliminated when using a mic and a PA. It's difficult for me to compare these instruments so appreciate the feedback. Thanks, paul
-
Still working down here in Colombia, though contracts slower to become profitable than I'd like, so haven't yet jumped on my clever ideas to take advantage of low-low labor costs down here to get some cool stuff done. One idea I have is to find a local accordion technician, and get him to make me a basic hybrid concertina. For ease of an accordionist building it, simplicity of design, and also because I like it, my current vision is to have him build me a Wheatstone Duett, but hybrid and in Hayden layout: It's smaller than the usual (though will have to scale-up size to fit hybrid reeds), minimal angles and curves, looks to be a pretty simple action to adapt to using stock accordion levers/springs, etc. Plus I've always loved the look of the little things, and I'm fine having a more limited instrument if it means I can have less-expensive and durable small instrument for travel. Does this sound like a broadly-reasonable idea? My impression is that most accordion techs in Colombia work on Hohners, don't know how common building from scratch is. But if I can find a guy who's repaired/fabricated actions and boards, knows reed settup of course, and has decent woodworking skills, might this be feasible? I don't know if such a tech makes his own bellows, but if somehow he doesn't, perhaps I can get the smallest rectangular off-the-shelf bellows we can source and build around those dimensions. Any of you concertina builders/repairers/enthusiasts have any input on the feasibility of this? If doable, what would I have to explain to an accordion tech about (hybrid) concertinas that might not otherwise be intuitive to him?
- 28 replies
-
- hybrid
- latin america
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with: