Melodeon.net Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome to the new melodeon.net forum

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?  (Read 2747 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

pgroff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1797
H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« on: July 20, 2014, 07:57:59 PM »

Hi all,

Here's an interesting early piano accordion that has been listed for sale several times over recent years.  The price has been revised into a range closer to the (depressingly low) market value for most used piano accordions that are a few decades old.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=291195682122

We've discussed San Francisco's early accordion history on melodeon.net before* so possibly someone here may have knowledge about the history of this interesting instrument. Could the relatively plain finish (despite some figure in the wood) be original?

Here's a reference in Polk's Oakland CA Directory for 1927,  to "Verwer, Harry (Stella), accordion mfr.  1109 7th"
http://www.sfgenealogy.com/oaklanddirectory/1927/1927_1835.pdf
Other addresses and possibly a second wife (? Mary) are shown in later years.

He had an accordion patent granted in 1924.

H. Verwer seems to have worked as an accordion teacher and to have been of Dutch origin, according to this newspaper mention of one of his students:
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/67679929/


Thanks for your thoughts about this one. 

PG

*
http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,5706
http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,14968.0.html
« Last Edit: July 21, 2014, 02:32:39 AM by pgroff »
Logged

Kimric Smythe

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 708
    • Smythe's Accordion Center
Re: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2014, 05:54:23 AM »

I will ask Lou Jacklich about Mr Verwer ,Lou still teaches.
The person in possession of the accordion might be bringing it to my shop to have me look at it.
 I would like it just because it is made in Oakland, but I suspect it it would take years to sell it for that E-bay price even if I rebuilt it. I have several similar instruments of related vintage in my shop, and I no longer rebuild them as people won't buy them.
Logged
Smythe's Accordion Center
Pinole, California
Sales and repairs since 1997

pgroff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1797
Re: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2014, 02:21:15 PM »

Hi Kimric,

I agree that the current market for accordions like this is so poor that you can lose money restoring one for sale . . . even if you get it for free!

It would be a shame though if that historic Verwer accordion were discarded just because it may be "totalled" from the point of view of the current market value.

Maybe the owner would donate it to your shop where it can be appreciated as a part of Oakland history?

PG
Logged

Kimric Smythe

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 708
    • Smythe's Accordion Center
Re: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2014, 04:02:53 AM »

It's in my shop right now, and I will take lots of pics. The keyboard is raked back at a steep angle like  Combo-cordion /Tiger and the register set up is pretty unusual. The bass has 5 buttons set up like stops on the left that gives you control over all the bass reeds.
 The instrument is very clean , but the keyboard is almost immobile ,as if the keys are hitting the grill, one register is jammed, and the other two are very stiff.
Logged
Smythe's Accordion Center
Pinole, California
Sales and repairs since 1997

Kimric Smythe

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 708
    • Smythe's Accordion Center
Re: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2015, 08:13:37 AM »

Figured I should post an update on this.
 The instrument is pretty unusual it has two sliders on the back that each operate a bank of reeds in addition it has a palm switch that operates a third bank , this also has some sort of reset button. The left side is really interesting this has 5 banks of reeds, each set of reed has a slider attached to a button that looks like a bass button on the side of the instrument. It also has a bass register that is on the bass plate that is operated by the thumb. This is where it gets interesting ,after opening the bass it seems like any of the bass register buttons can be locked to the main bass register by twisting them so that they can be switched together! So you only get two options at a time, but this works out to something like 25 possible bass register setups.
It appears that this was a 4 red instrument LMMM but was converted (well done too) to a LMH setup some time in the 60's-70's as the wax and valves are in very good condition.
 Turns out Lou Jacklich studied under him when he was about 7 yrs old, and got some other details, Verwer did all the work himself and it was thought that he may have made about 40 accordions.
Logged
Smythe's Accordion Center
Pinole, California
Sales and repairs since 1997

pgroff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1797
Re: H. Verwer, Oakland California, piano accordion -- history?
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2015, 10:15:28 AM »

Hi Kimric,

Thanks for researching this and posting!

Really an interesting instrument and it clearly wound up in the right place.

All the best,

Paul Groff
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 


Melodeon.net - (c) Theo Gibb; Clive Williams 2010. The access and use of this website and forum featuring these terms and conditions constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions.
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal