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Rochelle Vs Tedrow's Stagi Vs Bastari


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Hi all!

As a rank beginner, would I be better off with a Rochelle, an Anglo Stagi officially hotrodded by a Bob Tedrow, or with the standard Bastari I already have. All are 30-button boxes.

Thanks for any and all advice.

Greg

Edited by GregHankins
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What do you like/dislike about the Bastari? If you are getting along all right with it, and don't hate playing it, it's probably not worth buying another beginner box. I started on a Rochelle and it was a good beginning instrument, but like nearly every other Rochelle owner I've talked to, I was ready to move up to a mid-range instrument within a year.

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Hi Bill!

 

Thanks for the input. The Bastari I acquired hadn't been played in a long time, and I wound up replacing the button boots (which was fun and educational).

 

What I don't like is that the high-pitched reeds on the upper end of the c-row are very slow to speak and the buttons, despite my best efforts, tend to waggle around a bunch in their bushings, making fingering uncertain.

 

I wonder if the Rochelle would have these problems as well. I did play one briefly at the a House of Musical Traditions in Maryland and found the noisy air button a bit annoying.

 

What did you move up to?

 

Greg

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The rochelle doesn't have the problems you describe with your Bastari. I rented one for 3 months and it was great for a start, but then I found it to be holding me back developmentally, as it's a bit tougher to squeeze than say a Morse, which is what I play now.

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The Bastari is indeed hard to squeeze — particularly when squeezing out the high notes on the right hand. It beings to look like it is very difficult to find an easily playable concertina for under $1000. This is unfortunate, since I greatly enjoy playing the instrument but am not likely to have an extra grand laying around anytime soon. Perhaps doing battle with this box will develop my arm muscles and I can pursue another career in fast pitch softball, earning enough to afford a box that does not require such effort to squeeze.

 

Greg

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The Bastari is indeed hard to squeeze particularly when squeezing out the high notes on the right hand. It beings to look like it is very difficult to find an easily playable concertina for under $1000. This is unfortunate, since I greatly enjoy playing the instrument but am not likely to have an extra grand laying around anytime soon. Perhaps doing battle with this box will develop my arm muscles and I can pursue another career in fast pitch softball, earning enough to afford a box that does not require such effort to squeeze.

 

Greg

Greg

 

If your Bastari is hard to squeeze because you are trying to sound some reeds that are slow to speak then that is probably a fixable problem.

 

Reeds are often slow to speak because the gap between the tip of the reed and its holder is too big. Adjusting this gap is called voicing the reed and is a common problem that owners can fix for themselves.

 

There are much more experienced fixers here than I am but I have used a popsicle stick to push down on the base of the reed to close the tip of the reed down.

 

Your Bastari has accordion reeds in it so you might want to Google voicing accordion reeds.

 

Don.

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Hi Don!

 

Thanks for that. I had begun to think I had a slow to speak problem, but had got ten the clearly mistaken impression that the problem was too small rather than too large a gap. I'm glad you set me straight, and I will do a bit of research and then give your suggestion a try..

 

Thanks!

 

Greg

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The Bastari is indeed hard to squeeze — particularly when squeezing out the high notes on the right hand. It beings to look like it is very difficult to find an easily playable concertina for under $1000. This is unfortunate, since I greatly enjoy playing the instrument but am not likely to have an extra grand laying around anytime soon. Perhaps doing battle with this box will develop my arm muscles and I can pursue another career in fast pitch softball, earning enough to afford a box that does not require such effort to squeeze.

 

Greg

I'm sorry, after reading my reply again it looks like I meant that the Bastari is hard to squeeze--it may be but I wouldn't know! I was talking about the Rochelle. That said, I would recommend the Rochelle for a beginner, with the caveat that you'll want to trade up soon. Fortunately, those who sell the rochelle know this, and some will take your Rochelle back for full trade-in price toward one of their own instruments. The Button Box in Sunderland, MA, for example (makers of my Morse and my good neighbors!) will do that. I think Bob Tedrow at Homewood Music does it too, though I may be mistaken there. But the Rochell ain't bad, it just ain't great! And the Rochelle is less than $500 last I checked.

 

As for arm strength-- you may have an advantage on the Uileann Pipes if you focus on the right squeezing muscles. :D

 

ff

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