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Author Topic: Recording king repair  (Read 24991 times)

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boxcall

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Recording king repair
« on: November 17, 2017, 07:51:53 PM »

A guy is offering this three row free plus a PA, it's a bit of a drive to get it 45 minutes or so.
So are these any good? It appears to be a Hohner but I'm not sure. He says they need work but it does not look to bad at least.
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Hohner 1040 C, Beltuna one row four stop D, O'Byrne Dewitt/ Baldoni bros. D/C#, Paolo soprani "pepperpot" one row D

Graham Spencer

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2017, 08:26:25 PM »

Recording King does appear to be a Hohner product, so my instinct, if it's free, would be to grab it with both hands. At best it will be a decent playable box, and at worst a restorable instrument or a goldmine of spares. 45 minutes drive each way isn't a huge distance - we do more than that for our weekly shopping - and it's a very small investment for what could turn out to be a nice instrument. AND you get a PA thrown in - in my experience, old PAs offer a rich source of otherwise hard-to-find bits & pieces.

Graham

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Among others, Saltarelle Pastourelle II D/G; Hohner 4-stop 1-rows in C & G; assorted Hohners; 3-voice German (?) G/C of uncertain parentage; lovely little Hlavacek 1-row Heligonka; B♭/E♭ Koch. Newly acquired G/C Hohner Viktoria. Also Fender Jazz bass, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Epiphone Sheraton, Charvel-Jackson 00-style acoustic guitar, Danelectro 12-string and other stuff..........

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pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2017, 08:57:58 PM »

A guy is offering this three row free plus a PA, it's a bit of a drive to get it 45 minutes or so.
So are these any good? It appears to be a Hohner but I'm not sure. He says they need work but it does not look to bad at least.

Definitely, grab that RK and if you don't want it, send it down to me. I could use some of the parts (reedblocks etc) on a project one I have here. They are 1930s Hohners but have a couple of quirky features including the bass button layout, a sharp left rear corner etc.

PG
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boxcall

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2017, 09:25:07 PM »

Thanks , Graham and Paul
I'll see if I can swing down to get them, I assume the three row would be GCF.

Here's the other one

« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 09:28:35 PM by boxcall »
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Hohner 1040 C, Beltuna one row four stop D, O'Byrne Dewitt/ Baldoni bros. D/C#, Paolo soprani "pepperpot" one row D

triskel

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2017, 09:39:52 PM »

Scott Bellinger had one just like that Recording King last year: Recording King (Hohner) button accordion in GCF #302 (sold)

I was puzzled by what I could see of the grille in your photo boxcall, but all became clear in Scott's video - where I saw they evidently put Koch grilles on them!

Recording King was a house brand of Montgomery Ward, beginning in the 1930’s, and they're much better known for guitars and banjos from that era that were made for them by Gibson.

boxcall

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2017, 09:53:26 PM »

Thanks Triskel
The grill is why I wasn't sure about but everything else appeared to be Hohner.
I thought I saw one somewhere but when I searched for it I came up empty.
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Hohner 1040 C, Beltuna one row four stop D, O'Byrne Dewitt/ Baldoni bros. D/C#, Paolo soprani "pepperpot" one row D

Mutt

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2017, 11:14:39 PM »

Recording King was the house musical instruments brand for the old Montgomery Ward Company, an American mail order and department store.  I never knew they dealt in accordions, but it makes sense, because Montgomery Ward tried to sell everything, at one time or another. 

At one time, Sears and Roebuck sold Hohners under their house brand.  I can't say who made the Recording King line.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 11:18:19 PM by Mutt »
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Malcolm Clapp

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2017, 01:19:10 AM »

The unbranded piano accordion, at first glance, looks to me like a mail order catalogue Hohner too.



I stand corrected :-[

I'll sit down now....and have a beer!   :|glug
« Last Edit: November 20, 2017, 03:40:44 AM by Malcolm Clapp »
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Tuner/repairer, now retired, but still playing! Happy to offer advice on repairs etc., and might be persuaded to undertake the odd emergency job for local and longtime  customers. Selling a few melodeons from my collection currently....

triskel

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2017, 04:45:36 AM »

The unbranded piano accordion, at first glance, looks to me like a mail order catalogue Hohner too.

At first glance, it does - but if you compare it with photos and catalogue illustrations of those late '20's/early '30's Koch/Hohner models you won't get a match, whilst American accordion builders were doing similar designs at the time too. Maybe the answer is to be found under that long strip of celluloid between the bass buttons and the bellows - which looks like it's been put there to hide something (like the "Made in Italy" on my Baldoni was  ::)).

pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2017, 01:56:09 PM »

Pretty sure the piano box is a Galanti. I have one with the same grille and decoration, and where the cover strip of celluloid is located on yours mine reads "GALANTI BROS. NY"  I think these were imported from Italy however.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 08:05:42 PM by pgroff »
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triskel

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2017, 03:32:40 PM »

Pretty sure it's a Galanti. I have one with the same grille and decoration, and where the cover strip of celluloid is located on yours mine reads "GALANTI BROS. NY"  I think these were imported from Italy however.

I wonder if Augusto in New York might have added the decoration to these then, like he did to the Baldonis and Walters boxes...

pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2017, 07:07:35 PM »

Pretty sure it's a Galanti. I have one with the same grille and decoration, and where the cover strip of celluloid is located on yours mine reads "GALANTI BROS. NY"  I think these were imported from Italy however.

I wonder if Augusto in New York might have added the decoration to these then, like he did to the Baldonis and Walters boxes...

To me the engraving style of the early white celluloid Galanti Bros piano accordions is a little different than the engraving on the Irish-American boxes. Here's the Galanti Bros that I mentioned above - a 12 bass piano accordion ca. 1920s I think (photo attached below).  Metal soundboard, MM, very nice original condition. The exact design of the engraving is different from the one boxcall posted, because this one is smaller, but the style is very similar IMO. The lyre is similar though not identical, as is the use of a few rhinestones and the metal grille.  Then, here's a link to another example that google pulled up; no lyre this time:

http://www.icollector.com/Galanti-Bros-NY-Accordion_i7689096


PG
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pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2017, 07:10:34 PM »

Back to the Recording King 3 row, here's a nice example that recently sold, including the original hang tag with a 1936 date:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-ACCORDIAN-KING-ACCORDIAN-NEAR-MINT/311998173186

PG
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pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2017, 07:21:39 PM »

Pretty sure it's a Galanti. I have one with the same grille and decoration, and where the cover strip of celluloid is located on yours mine reads "GALANTI BROS. NY"  I think these were imported from Italy however.

I wonder if Augusto in New York might have added the decoration to these then, like he did to the Baldonis and Walters boxes...

To me the engraving style of the early white celluloid Galanti Bros piano accordions is a little different than the engraving on the Irish-American boxes. Here's the Galanti Bros that I mentioned above - a 12 bass piano accordion ca. 1920s I think (photo attached below).  Metal soundboard, MM, very nice original condition. The exact design of the engraving is different from the one boxcall posted, because this one is smaller, but the style is very similar IMO. The lyre is similar though not identical, as is the use of a few rhinestones and the metal grille.  Then, here's a link to another example that google pulled up; no lyre this time:

http://www.icollector.com/Galanti-Bros-NY-Accordion_i7689096


PG

However, although the Irish-American Baldoni-Bartoli button accordions had slightly different styles (several different ones) to the Galantis, some Baldoni-Bartoli piano boxes were a little closer to these Galanti Bros instruments, and also similar to some Majestic banjos. Maybe the same engraver did these Baldonis and Majestics. Compare the green vines / red flowers on the front of the B-B piano box in the attached pic below, and the resonator back of the Majestic banjo at this link:

banjoworld.de/Majest03.htm


Another interesting comparison of engraving details (e.g. the flowers / strands of vines on the Majestic fretboard and at the front corners of the McNulty Baldoni box):

banjoworld.de/Majest10.htm

tedmcgraw.com/Mas.Baldoni.html


PG
 
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 07:37:33 PM by pgroff »
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rileycat

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2017, 07:49:54 PM »

I had a white (ish) Recording King 3 row about 25 years ago, bought very cheaply on eBay - it came to the UK from the US.  As I recollect, it wasn't too bad a player, but not really as good as a Hohner Corona, for instance.  Still, it was good value (about £100 all in) and perfectly useable, but I wouldn't equate it to a German made Hohner from the 60's, nevertheless.  Perhaps it was a 'cheap' model??
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pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2017, 08:05:13 PM »

Yes, as I mentioned above, a couple of the features of the Recording Kind aren't too ergonomic for some players (e.g. sharp rear left corner that hits your left wrist, and the staggered bass buttons). Some don't like the long air bar. But these were 1930s boxes, and the Hohner-branded 3-rows from that period  aren't as comfortable as a postwar Corona either IMO.  For their time period, they're pretty well made and can sound nice. But for many folks it wouldn't be economical to invest in restoring one as a player.

« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 08:07:16 PM by pgroff »
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MarioP

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #16 on: November 19, 2017, 08:17:05 PM »

Go get it !

Those boxes can resell if you tune it up I’ve seem them go for 450 functional.

I never held one of those but it does look a bit like my Pre Corona 2 voice..
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boxcall

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #17 on: November 19, 2017, 08:18:44 PM »

I just pic them up and both need work as stated buy owner, reeds lose and all that.
The PA had a plastic strip covering up Makers name? Here's a pic
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 08:26:07 PM by boxcall »
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Hohner 1040 C, Beltuna one row four stop D, O'Byrne Dewitt/ Baldoni bros. D/C#, Paolo soprani "pepperpot" one row D

boxcall

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #18 on: November 19, 2017, 08:25:09 PM »

PA grill

EDit to add: it says made in Italy on back
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 08:27:18 PM by boxcall »
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Hohner 1040 C, Beltuna one row four stop D, O'Byrne Dewitt/ Baldoni bros. D/C#, Paolo soprani "pepperpot" one row D

pgroff

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Re: Recording king repair
« Reply #19 on: November 19, 2017, 08:30:50 PM »

Hi boxcall,

Very interesting. La Tosca was a model name used by Gretsch; some of their accordions were US made I think and some (like this one, I think) made in Italy. I'd say that whoever made the Galanti Brox boxes made your La Tosca as well.

That fretworked and engraved metal grille with the birds, lyre, and flowers is seen on many brands of Italian-made boxes from that period, including the Galanti 12 bass I posted above.


PG

edited to add: now I see you've added the "Made In Italy" inscription to your description. My Galanti Bros was not so labeled, but I've seen others that are (i.e. "NY labeling" in the front, Italy labeling in the back).
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 08:38:07 PM by pgroff »
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