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[Theo]

Or how about a 1930s Hohner Regina  (felt sorry for it on ebay!)

3 voice treble LMM with switch to take out the L reed
4 voice bass
34 treble keys
111 bass
6kg

And all in a case not much bigger than a three row diatonic!

[ukebert]

Or how about a 1930s Hohner Regina  (felt sorry for it on ebay!)

3 voice treble LMM with switch to take out the L reed
4 voice bass
34 treble keys
111 bass
6kg

And all in a case not much bigger than a three row diatonic!

Ah so it was you that bagged it! I was watching that. What's it like?

[Theo]

yes, my max bid was below the reserve, but the in the end seller let me have it for what I'd bid.

It's one of Hohner's top quality boxes, their best reeds with the Hohner name stamped on every plate, bass machine shoe-horned into a very tight space.   One small piece of celluloid lifting, but all there.   The bass buttons all had a real MOP top many of which are missing. It plays well enough that I can hear it will sound great once refurbished.

[ukebert]

yes, my max bid was below the reserve, but the in the end seller let me have it for what I'd bid.

It's one of Hohner's top quality boxes, their best reeds with the Hohner name stamped on every plate, bass machine shoe-horned into a very tight space.   One small piece of celluloid lifting, but all there.   The bass buttons all had a real MOP top many of which are missing. It plays well enough that I can hear it will sound great once refurbished.

Glad to hear that it's gone to a good home It did look like a lovely box, far too nice to do anything with other than lovingly restore.

[Sandy Flett]

How did you find the slightly narrower keys at first, and do you notice when you go from this box back to your standard key size box (eg on the longer "leaps", etc)?

Bit of concern has crept in about the impact of the slightly narrower treble keys. Last night I had a play of a friend's Beltuna PA which has narrower treble keys, but on tunes that "go up and down a bit" I found I had to look to see where my fingers should be going all the time, which is something that I have been trying not to do ever since attending a Karen Tweed workshop at Sidmouth 2 or 3 years ago. Karen said that she found it best if you followed a mental model of where you were going rather than actually looking down. It can take a lot of getting used to but I really do feel I play better that way, more fluent generally and also because my mind can deal with more challenging (for me anyway) bass manoeuvres as well as treble; and lets face it, it does look a lot better than the old "broken kneck" stance, and you can even watch the dancers.

So a bit concerned about allowing a non-standard key-width such as the small-bodied 30/72 into my collection.

Having said that, I seem to be able to go between my Tommy and Pokerwork fairly easily, but the "leaps" are much smaller on a melodeon, and the anchored thumb helps.

[nemethmik]

and the anchored thumb helps.

That is one of the only two reasons I picked the CBA to be my chromatic system and not PA: I cannot play without an anchor.

[HallelujahAl]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/72-BASS-PIANO-ACCORDION-FANTINI-ALLODI-SP03-GB-/320704974695?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL&hash=item4aab818f67

Am completely and utterly pig-sick that I'm in no position to go for the above little beauty! Looks a bargain!
AL

[jilly/ pete]

Hi,
This was on before,I contacted seller,Its about 9 years old.With some checking it,at that time, cost less than the start bid,also the reeds were standard export,Allodi now has tipo a mano fitted as standard.

Pete

[HallelujahAl]

Ah - didn't know that - thought it would the TAM as per standard?

[Sandy Flett]

Ah - didn't know that - thought it would the TAM as per standard?

I think the basic reeds are still the default standard as some of the Allodi ads, like for the 30/72, mention "Available with hand made reeds at extra cost of £230".

Wonder if it would be cost-effective to buy the eBay 26/72 and replace the reeds with TAM reeds?

[ceemonster]

i tried this 12.5 pound, 30-treble, 60-bass Weltmeister Rubin PA yesterday and loved it. if i were still playing PA, this would be the one for me.  yes, the treble keys were a bit undersized, but i was fine with them.  the compactness and light weight are unbelievable.  it makes the 15-pound 72 bassers feel like anvils. ha, it was actually this exact color.....

everybody's different, but i personally have never found handmade/TAM reeds essential in a unisonoric. solid, well-made, well-fitted, well-installed factory reeds are to me more than fine for world folk genres in a unisonoric accordion.  it is the bisonorics where i have found hand/TAM to be essential....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utrr1FrgtWU

[jilly/ pete]

Hi,
The info re the reeds came from Allodi himself,he now has TAM fitted as standard in this model.When it was first advertised we thought of swapping Jills Guerrini 30/48 which she loves as a small box to throw in the caravan or just to pick up when grand kids about  but decided against it.The extra 4 treble keys mean it will be a good starter box for children and only 2 voice helps with weight.

Pete

[RGF]

Re: the Weltmesiter Rubin.

When I first picked up the PA after a forty year lapse, I got a Rubin. Very nice little box, I thought.  Thirty keys fit into the space of the standard 26 made them a tad narrower, but I never found it troublesome. (Then again, I have smallish hands.)

A few years ago, I traded that for a Weltmeister Juwell......essentially the same as a Rubin, but with an extra set of treble reeds (LMM), so a tiny bit heavier. AND, it's a 72 bass.  I found the quality of the Juwell to be a bit nicer than that of the Rubin: quality leather bellows straps, wood reed blocks on the treble side, felt-bushed bass buttons. It comes with three rows of reeds on the bass side, and I recently added a fourth (the space was already there), so that bumped up the weight a few more ounces.  But it really is an amazing compact little box. Kind of like the Allodi SP/30T, without some of that Italian quality, but also without the price.

Bob

[ceemonster]

juwell:  yes, the store had one of those as well, and i saw it was the same dimensions but more switches and stuff.  cool, though lighter is better for me....i'm also very intrigued by the single-reed ones that weltmeitster does, 24 free-basses on the left,

[That is one of the only two reasons I picked the CBA to be my chromatic system and not PA: I cannot play without an anchor.]   really? i use my thumb, so no anchor....

[Sandy Flett]

I had the pleasure of a visit to the Allodi shop today, first time for many years.

I actually took my bathroom scales with me and Emilio was happy for me to weigh various accordions (all with straps).

Fantini/Allodi 26/72 3 voice PA - 6.3kg

Fantini/Allodi 30/72 3 voice PA - 7.2kg

Fantini/Allodi 5-row 3 voice CBA - 7.2kg

Vignoni 30/72 3 voice PA - 7.2kg.

The other thing I was able to confirm was that I did not notice at all going between a standard key-width PA and the very slightly narrower keys of the 30/72 boxes.

[nemethmik]

Sandy, can you find out if Mr Allodi has a small C-system 3-voice CBA. How Fantini can squeeze 3-voices into a 6-kg box  
 

Hi Miklos. Just had a quick word with Emilio and he said the Fantini SCR31 is the CBA equivalent of the 30/72 PA - same body, same weight, 3-voices.
http://www.accordions.co.uk/Buttonviewdocs.htm/FanSCR31.htm
To get it even lighter you can order it as a 3-row. He has a 5-row C-system in stock, is more than happy to ship to Hungary, but he also said he is to be away for about 10 days.
Fantini do not have any of these compact models on their own website, so looks like they are specials for Emilio.

From another thread:

..... I am still on the market for a light 3-voice CBA that sounds exactly your Allodi.

I was never sure whether you saw my reply on another thread back in May - http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,6704.msg85735.html#msg85735. Later in that topic I posted actual weights of various accordions, with my 26/72 PA being 6.3kg and the 5-row CBA Allodi 7.2kg, but it does have 8 extra treble notes.

I definitely want a 3-voice 5-row LMM CBA that is not heavier than the 6.3kg of your 26/72PA, even less. A Hohner Xtreme LMM is 6kg. This is the maximum I am willing to handle; I'd choose less buttons rather than more weight: 7kg is too heavy, 6.5kg is too heavy, 6.4kg is too heave, 6.3kg OK. If there is no such an animal (3-voice 5-row LMM CBA no more than 6.3kg) I live with my 2-voice 5-row Cooperfisa.
Thank You Sandy for the Help!  

[parkwood]

I had the pleasure of a visit to the Allodi shop today, first time for many years.

I actually took my bathroom scales with me and Emilio was happy for me to weigh various accordions (all with straps).

Fantini/Allodi 26/72 3 voice PA - 6.3kg

Fantini/Allodi 30/72 3 voice PA - 7.2kg

Fantini/Allodi 5-row 3 voice CBA - 7.2kg

Vignoni 30/72 3 voice PA - 7.2kg.

The other thing I was able to confirm was that I did not notice at all going between a standard key-width PA and the very slightly narrower keys of the 30/72 boxes.

So, Sandy - what did you think/buy and did you get to try the Borsini too? I'm looking at replacing my 3-voice Serenellini box with something like the SP30T or a Brandoni 65 Wood....

Also, any idea how much swing these two have as standard? I want something quite dry....

[Sandy Flett]

I ended up going back and buying the second hand Fantini 26/72 LMM accordion as I wanted smallest/lightest for sessions and working at computer (transcribing tunes). But my top box is still my Pigini 34/72 which does everything I want, and sounds and feels really great.

There wasn't a Borsini 30/72 there to try that day, but I would guess it would compare well with the others. I did try a 34/72 wood finish Brandoni just because it was there and it is an absolutely lovely looking, playing, sounding accordion. Assuming the Brandoni 65 30/72 will be the same standard, then I would go for that if you can afford the extra cost and you know you really want/like the wood finish.

I felt the Vignoni had a slight quality edge over the Fantini. And I know my Pigini P36 has the edge on my Fantini for quality, but I also tried a Pigini 30/72 2-voice at a festival last year and did not feel it was as good quality as my P36. You really need to try and compare if at all possible.

I recall Emilio saying all these accordions come in a mild swing tuning of around 4 cents offset at A=440, but of course he could change that to whatever you ask.

Hope this helps.

You might find www.accordionforum.co.uk useful for information.

[parkwood]

Thanks for that Sandy - really helpful. (You my remember that we've discussed being both melodeonists and PA players in the past, and wanting to play the PA a little more like a diatonic box...?)

I really love the look of the Brandoni in wood, but then I may as well pop to Ireland and try the Pietro Mario too for a few more hundred pounds. Oh dear....!

Serenellini has a new 34/72 3 voice box in a cherry case and a mano reeds that I'd really like to try first!

I've tried lots of Pigini P36/3s at festivals, some with TAM reeds and I have noticed that they tend to be variable. I'm a thin bass end chap and I tend find the bass reeds a little strident, although one I played a few years back was perfect for me!

Thanks for the info on the swing tuning too. 4 cents sounds just about right!

Barry

[BillWolfe]

One great 30-key PA that got left out ot this thread is Beltrami's P6/s http://www.beltrami-fisarmoniche.it/fisarmoniche.php?id3=9 .  Mine tips the scale at 6.9 kg, a little heavier than I might like for a 2-reed 30/60 PA, but the handmade reeds realy sing, and it's a delight to play.  Having said that, I'm making the jump to CBA, partly because of the relative savings in size and weight for a given musical capability and partly because of the many advantages of the fingering system in terms of flexibility, economy of space, and ease of transposing--even on a lowly 3-row, a tune would be fingered the same in B, D, F, and Ab.  I've never played a tune in Ab on the PA!