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Author Topic: Hercule swiss accordions  (Read 3970 times)

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squeezy

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Hercule swiss accordions
« on: January 13, 2014, 11:35:17 PM »

Hello all,

Another delicious looking chromatic was on eBay that I missed out on because I lost my nerve and only bid a pretty low amount because I have no idea about the quality of these instruments ... but this one looked amazing.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360828528434?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Question is ... does anyone know about Hercule accordions and melodeons (made in Courcelles, Switzerland)?  I have definitely seen diatonics which I think are much older than this chromatic on the net - and I get the idea that they're generally pretty good - but often '20s or '30s build.

My Google skills are not legendary - but I can't find a thing online about the company or much about their boxes.  Does anyone know anything else about them?

Cheers

Squeezy
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Squeezy

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squeezy

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2014, 07:52:28 AM »

Oh I did see that one before - not as stunning on the outside, but it looks amazing on the inside for a 1920s box!  Some very interesting different build features too.

I've never come across the make at all before this though.
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oggiesnr

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2014, 01:58:58 PM »

They also made 2 and 2 and a bit rows

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

Steve
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squeezy

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2014, 06:59:25 PM »

I've seen that one ... and heard it being played at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ0wuU6GXy8&feature=youtu.be

It does say in the description that it's pitched somewhere half-way between G/C and G#/C# which is why I wasn't tempted last time it was on eBay ... but I have to say that these boxes look so well made that I'd love to sneak a look inside one!  The video makes that 1920s box sound as if it's playing very crisply for it's age.
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squeezy

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2014, 11:21:34 AM »

Just to add that I yielded and bought one of the 4 row continental chromatics on eBay because I just had to know how these things were put together - and because their build quality looked like it rivals that of the modern top makers.

The first thing that jumps out at you is that it can be almost entirely dismantled for maintenance without using a single tool - there is no reed-wax either, just plates screwed down individually on to a leather faced reed block.  The other thing is that it  only has a single way to access the interior of the instrument to get at the reeds ... the bellows are permanently fixed to the casework on both sides!  The keyboard, action and soundboard/fondo are what you remove!  2 sturdy clasps at either end are undone and the whole thing comes out - when it's re-assembled you push it in to a thick leather gasket and close the clasps  and it's completely air-tight.  The front grill also comes off with an elegant "door handle" that you turn and it releases.  The engineering is beautiful and has that Victorian-type built to last quality that I rarely find in any other boxes apart from concertinas.  The external finish is also very nice indeed and the icing on the cake.

The reeds are the old Dix zinc plates with the circles on them and sound great - the removable soundboard doesn't seem to have an effect on how direct the sound is - which is interesting as it's definitely not held in place as rigidly as if it were glued in there.

The completed listing for the instrument I bought has loads of internal photos which show what I'm talking about and can be seen at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201024177723?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I think anyone contemplating building a box should have a look at the design to see just how some things can be done differently to the now fairly standard designs for boxes.

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squeezy

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2014, 01:34:39 PM »

The other thing which I've never seen before is how the springs on the treble action work.  Each pallet lever has a spring sized hole drilled in to the wooden comb just before the axle - and there's a simple compression spring inside each hole!  The result is quite a light action that is deceptively simple and very unlikely ever to result in a broken spring the way tension springs tend to go.

This thing is fascinating.
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Owen Woods

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2014, 02:22:39 PM »

Lovely box!
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robotmay

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2014, 09:12:19 PM »

That thing looks fantastic. How does it sound?
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squeezy

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2014, 09:22:16 PM »

Well it's obviously a B system Chromatic and about 50% bigger then most melodeons I own - so it's hard to completely compare it with what I'm used to.  Obviously the big bellows and larger dimensions give it a mellower growly tone compared to my melodeons.

Although the reeds are old with less-than-perfect set-up and tuning - it sounds far brighter than I expected it to.  The bass in particular has a lot of character to it and sounds nothing like most modern Italian accordion left hands - much clearer and less muffled.  I imagine the right hand would be improved by some fettling - there's a lot of reeds though!
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robotmay

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2014, 09:36:25 PM »

Well it's obviously a B system Chromatic and about 50% bigger then most melodeons I own - so it's hard to completely compare it with what I'm used to.  Obviously the big bellows and larger dimensions give it a mellower growly tone compared to my melodeons.

Although the reeds are old with less-than-perfect set-up and tuning - it sounds far brighter than I expected it to.  The bass in particular has a lot of character to it and sounds nothing like most modern Italian accordion left hands - much clearer and less muffled.  I imagine the right hand would be improved by some fettling - there's a lot of reeds though!

Hah yes I could see that being quite time consuming and/or expensive to fettle! Might be worth it at some point though if it's something you'd want to play rather than keep as part of a collection. I always find it hard to tell the size of boxes from photos (which only really struck me when I tried a Benny recently); I didn't realise it was that big :D
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Christopher K.

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2014, 07:08:08 PM »

Those are very nice accordions and with very nice reeds. Several Swiss and German websites (not auction sites but reputable dealers) sell restored Hercules for around 850 euros and up. Steel tongues on brass plates are common. Good cabinet work, too.

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Re: Hercule swiss accordions
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2014, 10:43:28 PM »

The other thing which I've never seen before is how the springs on the treble action work.  Each pallet lever has a spring sized hole drilled in to the wooden comb just before the axle - and there's a simple compression spring inside each hole!  The result is quite a light action that is deceptively simple and very unlikely ever to result in a broken spring the way tension springs tend to go.

This thing is fascinating.

Sounds very similar to my Geipel
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