Jump to content

I Bought An Accordion Recently. Does Anyone Know Anything About It?


mmichael

Recommended Posts

It's a vintage Morelli 120 button, and I bought it for $80. I know, anything for that cheap is not very good, and supposedly Morellis are poorly made in China with an Italian name. However, I also read that they may have originally been made in Italy long ago, and mine even has "Made in Italy" scratched in on it. It is obviously very old, it even smells old, but most of the sounds I can get out of it are just beautiful, no matter what you say. The whole thing may be about 10 cents sharp, but it makes music and apparently it's lasted this long, so I'm just fine with what I've paid for it. Anyway, does anyone know anything about Morelli history, or some key factors in telling how old or young it is? I'm probably guessing 30s or 40s.160U-371_front.jpg

160U-371_back.jpg

Edited by mmichael
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most probably 30es, judging by the art-deco design. I'm not sure accordions were even produced in Italy or Europe during the war, that started in 1939 or in some places earlier.

Whatever you'll do, don't clean the reeds, except perhaps some rust and obvious dirt clogs. If possible, resurrect and re-use the leather valves, or replace them with the best leather, no compromise.

Don't re-tune it, you may lose that beautiful old sound. It may not have been the best produced, and I bet that now it sounds better than in it's youth. Don't return it in it's prime condition - you'll end up with mediocre instrument. The biggest problem to fix would be the bass mechanism, but here you need specialist's advice.

If you can put up with some clanking - super good! If there is no clanking - man, you're living!

Another source of trouble may be the old, brittled wax. I'd say, don't re-wax it, but instead re-juvenile it with soldering iron, if necessary. Where you can go wild, is the keyboard - leveling, re-springing. Re-padding the palletts, pouring wax along all seams on the inside - all you can do by yourself and it will make it better.

A thing of beauty! but only for those who understand, like you and me :D .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen similar period PA's in junk shops with legs added to make it into a coffee table (or perhaps occasional table if you can still play it!) Probably the kindest thing to be done :ph34r:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen similar period PA's in junk shops with legs added to make it into a coffee table (or perhaps occasional table if you can still play it!) Probably the kindest thing to be done :ph34r:

And how junk shops with legs added can act as coffee tables? :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen similar period PA's in junk shops with legs added to make it into a coffee table (or perhaps occasional table if you can still play it!) Probably the kindest thing to be done :ph34r:

And how junk shops with legs added can act as coffee tables? :blink:

 

 

Why not? Baba Yaga has a hut with legs after all! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen similar period PA's in junk shops with legs added to make it into a coffee table (or perhaps occasional table if you can still play it!) Probably the kindest thing to be done :ph34r:

And how junk shops with legs added can act as coffee tables? :blink:

 

 

Why not? Baba Yaga has a hut with legs after all! ;)

 

 

 

Oh, you touched upon a serious topic! Stay away! Don't mention her name, or she'll come to you.

BTW, those legs sometimes wrongly thought to be chicken legs. No! Those are Kuhrr legs, a bird, just like a chicken, but the size of an elefant. What a phantasy! Ridiculous!

However, recently fossilized dynosaur was discovered, that looked just like a chicken, but the size of an elefant.

Note how meticulously I try to stay on topic! True example to all of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To Dirge:

No, no chicken legs. It would have rendered the Hut unusable.

To David:

Accordion is large funny concertina with piano keys. And a Concertina is small cute accordion with buttons.

There is inverce relation between percentage of concertinaship and diameter of the buttons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Accordion is large funny concertina with piano keys. And a Concertina is small cute accordion with buttons.

There is inverce relation between percentage of concertinaship and diameter of the buttons.

So if it's not a concertina at all, the buttons are infinitely large? :unsure:

 

Does a concertina ship have sails, or does it run by diesel or steam?

 

More seriously, I'm surprised that noone has directed mmichael to an accordion forum for more information. I'd do it myself, but I don't keep track of them. I only know that others have done so in the past.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More seriously, I'm surprised that noone has directed mmichael to an accordion forum for more information. I'd do it myself, but I don't keep track of them. I only know that others have done so in the past.

 

 

Michael, can I suggest that you post to rec.music.makers.squeezebox newsgroup, where there are some very knowledgeable accordion people.

 

However, as on this site, you may well receive some very misleading advice from self-proclaimed experts.

 

My best advice is to take the accordion to a repairer who has some experience of pre-war accordions. Although this is a hat I wear myself, I would prefer not to make judgments about your instrument without being able to see it "up close and personal".

 

However, I would confirm that it is 1930s Italian without a doubt.

 

It is indeed unfortunate that some highly respected Italian makers' names have been recently hijacked by Chinese manufacturers. Not just Morelli. I recently tried to sell am Italian Serenelli button accordion on eBay. They pulled the auction and accused me of fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin after some one reported the matter.

 

So I suppose it is only a matter of time before we see a Chinese concertina with the name Jeffries.... :o

 

That might bring prices down.... :P :P :P

 

Good luck, Michael.

 

MC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"So if it's not a concertina at all, the buttons are infinitely large? "

 

Please do not try to build an infinitely large instrument as it will have infinite mass and will collapse into a black hole and swallow the universe:)

 

Likewise do not attempt to play irish jigs at a speed where the button movement approaches the speed of light as this will also cause the moving buttons to have infinite mass witht he same result.

 

Robin Madge

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, those legs sometimes wrongly thought to be chicken legs. No! Those are Kuhrr legs, a bird, just like a chicken, but the size of an elefant. What a phantasy! Ridiculous!

However, recently fossilized dynosaur was discovered, that looked just like a chicken, but the size of an elefant.

Every description I've ever seen of Baba Yaga's hut (admittedly, all were from program or liner notes concerning "Pictures at an Exhibition") called it "a hut on fowl's legs."

 

I suppose a Kuhrr might be a type of fowl.

 

(I hope this last parenthetical sentence is sufficient to prevent a stream of foul puns). :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every description I've ever seen of Baba Yaga's hut (admittedly, all were from program or liner notes concerning "Pictures at an Exhibition") called it "a hut on fowl's legs."

 

I suppose a Kuhrr might be a type of fowl.

 

(I hope this last parenthetical sentence is sufficient to prevent a stream of foul puns). :P

 

Really, David...you should know better than to count your chickens before they're hatched.

 

jdms

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To David.

No, it's not a Fowl. It's mythical (or not so mythical) creature, that looked like a chicken, but large. That bird wasn't evil, but it wasn't too friendly to humans either.Apparently it was very strong, and for Baba Yaga to have her Hut mounted on the bird's legs was quite an acheavement.

To Jim.

Yes, infinitely large buttons are the sign of infinite absence of concertina. But in real life there is no such things, so concertina is omni-present. However, Accordion is also omni-present. Which leads me to belief, that all life is the same, and everything is connected. There is also no absolutes and it is possible for anal types to prove that concertina is accordion and vice versa.

As for advice to contact accordion forum - it is very wise.

Aside from the chance to run into the same people.

Oh, and I am very relaxed about been one of the self-proclaimed accordion experts after Boaz Rubin, qualified repairer, ruined my much cherished 1900 Paolo Soprani.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...