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[nfldbox]

Andre Bouchard just delivered my accordion and it is absolutely beautiful, curly maple, with cagnoni a mano reeds in Quebec tuning . It will take me a while to learn how to play it--I have no experience on one rows--but if I ever get good enough I'll do a youtube or mp3.
Here is Andre's explanation, which I admit is rather long but you need it to make sense of the extra buttons  :

The accordion is exactly the same size as 10 buttons Cajun accordion 6'' X
11''. The four extra buttons are in fact two sets of reeds. The first and
second extra buttons active the same pallet. When you push the first button,
it is G# (low). When you pull the second button, it is C. In fact if you
push and pull the first button or the second button, the sound is exactly
the same but for the fingering, it's better to play the G# (low) on the
first button position and play the C on the second button position. When you
pull the third button, it is D# and when you push the fourth button, it is
G#(high). If you push and pull the third button or the fourth button, the
sound is exactly the same but for the fingering, it's better to play the D#
on the third button position and play the G#(high) on the fourth button
position.
 
To resume, the G#(low) and the C are on the same reeds set and the D# and
G#(high) are on the same reeds set too. When you play the G scale, you use
the C on the second button (pull). When you play the A scale, you use the
G#(low) and the G#(high) at the position 1 and 4 (push) and when you play
the E scale, you use the
G#(low) at the first position (push) then the D# at the third position
(pull) and the G#(high) at the fourth position (push). Exactly at the same
position as the two rows D/C# accordion.
 
 The weight is approximate 7 pounds.
 
Keep in mind that this accordion system do not replace the two rows irish
system but it is a really good alternative to play with the feeling of the
Cajun box with the power of four reeds set without the size and the weight
disadvantage of the two rows accordion.
 
To resume:
 
The extra 4 buttons are in fact, 2 sets of reeds
 
first = G#(low) push and C pull
second = G#(low) push and C pull
 
third = G#(high) push and D# pull
fourth = G#(high) push and D# pull
 
The button one and two active the same reeds and the button three and four
active the same reeds. The reason is just to position the button at the
right place for the fingering.

Back to me:
At present I am just trying to learn how to play on the D row but I hope to make good use of the extra buttons eventually.

 

[HallelujahAl]

Beauty!

[Tamba]

I almost shed a tear looking at that picture. I want one of those and I want it now!!

[nfldbox]

That was Andre's ninth and he is certainly ready to do more, with a one year--or perhaps one year and a bit--wait, And at least in my experience he is absolutely dependable in specs AND delivery date.

[Owen Woods]

But, but... butt...

[melodeon]

Nice looking box , congrats.
How long did it take to get the box ?




Nice looking set of blonde butts  : )

[nemethmik]

That was Andre's ninth and he is certainly ready to do more, with a one year--or perhaps one year and a bit--wait

One year of waiting for a 10(+4) button accordion?

[nfldbox]

Yes, a year.
And given how nice Jeff has been to me on here lately I accept the no doubt underlying message of the "nice looking set of blond butts."
Back to the year. I don't know much about one rows but I know a bit about accordions and the quality of the reeds, ease of the bellows--Andre really works them in before delivery--and general quality of construction certainly justify the wait and the price ($2500). I think it is the equal of the best Quebec boxes--butts but no buts.

[pgroff]

nfldbox,

Looks great to me, and I'm sure it sounds and plays great.  We melodeon players are lucky to have a choice among builders willing to devote many hours to making new ones of all types.

I really love the traditional 10 key melodeon styles and settings. But I fully support the idea of a box with "1 row type construction" -- i.e. all the pallets in one row for a very even and present tone quality and response, and with multiple sets of reeds -- but with a few extra "helper notes" beyond the diatonic scale. These days I spend a lot of time working with a 10 + 3 box of this general construction (though not with completely exposed pallets).  I think you will find the addition of a single C natural to the D major scale gives a lot of extra options, expanded even more by the G#.  By jumping octaves for short sections of the tune, you can play tunes that are written with the C natural or the G# in a different octave. You might find, like me, that some tunes normally played in G mixolydian or G inflected (using both F# and F natural), sound great transposed to the keys of A or D on your Bouchard, since in those keys you will have both the major seventh and dominant seventh scale degrees.

Congratulations!

PG

[Québécois]

Yes, a year.

Sometimes André has a box that is ready to go, perhaps not exactly matching your setup or color requirements but still, if you are eager to get one of his excellent instruments you may not have to wait!

[nemethmik]

butts but no buts.

(1) What is wrong with butts? Is the sound of a butt accordeon inferior to a non-butt box?
(2) How to contact M. Bouchard?

[nfldbox]

For the buts about butts look at this thread:

http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,4344.0.html

And if you are not a woodworker, prepare to get lost.

As to Andre Bouchard, write him at     André Bouchard <andrebouchard@videotron.qc.ca>

[Québécois]

Andre has posted several clips on YouTube, his user name is 'scoobywest' but if you search for 'Accordeon Bouchard' you will find him.