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Author Topic: Small Stradella bass systems  (Read 4296 times)

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Sandy Flett

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Small Stradella bass systems
« on: November 06, 2015, 07:14:43 PM »

I have just put the following post on the Accordion Forum, but as I am always amazed at the breath of interest and knowledge on melnet, I thought I would float it here as well:

Has anyone come across accordions with 8x4 32 bass Stradella bass which includes a counter-bass row. I am aware that the vast majority of the early Hohner 32 bass models almost exclusively comprised bass, major, minor and 7th. But has anyone come across other makes of 32 bass accordion that are configured to the much more useful counter-bass, bass, major, minor?

Also, does anyone know where one might buy a bespoke small Stradella bass mechanism? I heard only today that Pigini make them, but have not had time to enquire yet.

I would also be interested to hear if anyone has come across an 8x3 24 bass box, other than the early Hohners I have already mentioned.
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Anahata

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2015, 08:02:43 PM »

The Casali B/C/C♯ that JK used to play was 12x4 with counterbass, root, major, minor.
I don't know anything about 8x4 though.
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Microbot

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2015, 10:02:16 PM »

Hi Sandy!,

thanks for your pm/email last week! Good to see that the quest goes on!

I hope this is not repeat info... but the only model I know of is the Hohgner Imperial III ...it's actually 4 times 12 = 48 bass, but it has the counterbass/bass/major/minor configuration you describe. The Youtube video below opens with the guy playing a run on bass/counterbasses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3KWi3QIMaw

By the way, the difference between 32 and 48 bass in terms of weight is negligible, since the same number of reeds (12 in each bass block) are required for a 12 bass or an 8 bass instrtument.The only difference is the 16 plastic buttons and 16 lightweight stradella rods ... literally negligible.

cheers!

Mike R
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george garside

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2015, 10:54:04 PM »

Whilst I find the 12x4 casali set up very useful  I   think its a pity they didn't do it as a 12x5 60 bass with 7ths  which as Mike R has said wouldn't make much difference to the weight.  Having come down from an 80 bass paolo and 96 bass Gaelic I miss the 7ths but couldn't give a toss about the diminished row.

george
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Rog

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2015, 02:37:21 PM »

You probably already know this but the Hohner Student III has a 8x3 Stradella bass system. Theo sold me two of these accordions. One of which I've just restored to quite a nice playable condition. The other is in donor mode but the Stradella bass etc is all intact.

Sandy Flett

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2015, 12:00:39 AM »

.... the only model I know of is the Hohner Imperial III ...it's actually 4 times 12 = 48 bass, but it has the counterbass/bass/major/minor configuration you describe. The Youtube video below opens with the guy playing a run on bass/counterbasses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3KWi3QIMaw
I had my eye on an Imperial III some years ago, but for some reason had convinced myself it did not have a counter-bass row (from a Liberty Bellows video possibly). So it is really great to have that confirmed so conclusively by this video.

By the way, the difference between 32 and 48 bass in terms of weight is negligible, since the same number of reeds (12 in each bass block) are required for a 12 bass or an 8 bass instrument. The only difference is the 16 plastic buttons and 16 lightweight stradella rods ... literally negligible.
A very good point that highlights the problem of fitting Stradella to a box that is compact enough to still have the right "melodeon feel".
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Kimric Smythe

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2016, 07:46:54 AM »

I just rebuilt a Cantulia that was a 40 Bass B/B/M/m layout and I see them from time to time.
 Weltmeister makes a 60 bass that has the B/B/M/m/7 layout and is very compact.
Are you looking for a wet or dry tuned instrument?
I have 12 x4 instrument in the shop right now one wet one dry.
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Kimric Smythe

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2016, 11:26:01 PM »

I also got a 32 bass instrument made in Brazil in the 60's that has the 8x4 B/M/m/7th in the other day,very compact.
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Sandy Flett

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2016, 10:50:52 AM »

Hi Kimric, thanks for your posts.

I think I am resigned to the fact that it is not possible to get even a 32 button Stradella bass inside the compact size of melodeon I wish to play, and I am in fact currently developing my Stradella bass playing on a Student 40 piano accordion (BBMm7) which is small enough and light enough to get lots of bounce out of.
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Kimric Smythe

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2016, 05:36:08 PM »

Such things do exist, but they are not common and typically are from an earlier era, I have a Buttstadt that is the same size as a pokerwork that I am currently restoring, I have seen exactly one of these in the 20 yrs I have been doing this, it has narrower keys on the right so it can get in 2+ octaves.
 The other instrument I have is basically a 12 bass with 32 buttons on the left.
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squeezy

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2016, 11:29:36 PM »

I have only ever seen a handful of early instruments which have a useful number of stradella buttons in a size I would say is comparable with what one would normally call a small melodeon frame:

Those are the Hohners you mentioned Pirol, Lucia I, Cornelia I plus an instrument made (I think) in Italy called the Solo Licro which is very like the Lucia in design but rougher in construction.  Most of those are 48 (12x4) systems and I have never seen a 36 bass model which is counter bass/bass/major
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squeezy

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2016, 11:58:35 AM »

One of the Solo boxes is up on German eBay at the moment with 24 basses - probably bass/major/minor and most likely covering bass notes Eb/Bb/F/C/G/D/A/E with a 3 row B system continental chromatic ... normally a bit restrictive for British folk stuff given the lack of B and F# basses but great if you want to play in C, F and the relative minors.  Obviously the lack of any counter basses is even more restricting in what it can do too.  But they are out there.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/kleines-antikes-SOLO-Knopf-Akkordeon-Friedr-Topel-A-G-Oberpollnitz-Thur-/131698386233?hash=item1ea9d5e539:g:58AAAOSwHaBWk7Dt
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Randal Scott

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Re: Small Stradella bass systems
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2016, 08:57:18 PM »

I also got a 32 bass instrument made in Brazil in the 60's that has the 8x4 B/M/m/7th in the other day,very compact.

This is the bass configuration on my red Paolo Soprani.  An excellent compact box.
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