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Author Topic: CF Troubadour  (Read 2297 times)

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Pat McInnis

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CF Troubadour
« on: June 25, 2019, 04:17:54 AM »

So I picked up this wee box recently and to be honest, I thought it would be a bit of a wall hanger. It turns out that the bellows are tight as a drum and it's pretty close to being in tune. Well close enough for me anyways. I have turned up very little info on Troubadour boxes. It seems like they made more PAs than anything else. Any info whatsoever would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
IMG_9247 by Pat McInnis, on Flickr

IMG_9244 by Pat McInnis, on Flickr

Hey,I fixed my links. Maybe there is hope.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2019, 04:00:23 PM by Pat McInnis »
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Pat McInnis

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2019, 04:30:32 PM »

So I'm thinking not a popular model? I thought it was a bit different.

Oh well.
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Theo

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2019, 04:39:31 PM »

From the general appearance it looks like a pre-WW2 box made in Saxony. There were many small factories there before the DDR era.  I think (but I don’t know for sure) that many of the factories there used a whole range of brand names, perhaps for retailers, perhaps just to give an illusion of variety.  Much the same sort of thin that happens today where retailers have their own brand name put on instruments of different origins.  For example hobgoblin music uses the name Gremlin on instruments that are made in Italy, China and probably elsewhere too.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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Fred

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2019, 05:34:54 PM »

From the general appearance it looks like a pre-WW2 box made in Saxony. There were many small factories there before the DDR era.

Yes. My first thoughts were also that it's from Eastern Germany.
Compare the making of your Troubadour melodeon with the design of other instruments made in that area.
Overall I'm pretty sure Troubadour is a brand from Klingenthal but I can't provide any guarantees for my gut feeling/vague remembrance here.

For example:

"Sybilla-Brand"
http://deerbe.com/imgs/a/e/j/o/n/sehr_altes_mini___akkordeon_ca___28x22x12_cm__21_knopftasten__8_bsse_1_lgw.jpg

Unkown Brand
http://deerbe.com/imgs/a/c/f/c/z/uralte_handharmonika__bandonion__akordeon__musikhaus_hildburghausen_um_1900_1_lgw.jpg

Husberg & Comp
http://deerbe.com/imgs/a/c/e/g/q/knopfakkordeon___akkordeon___sehr_alt___20er_jahre_1_lgw.jpg

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Pat McInnis

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2019, 06:01:27 PM »

Thanks guys. That's a start for sure. I wasn't sure if someone was going to pipe and and tell me that it's total junk and I should run away screaming but it seems like it's worth doing some research on it and it does play quite nice. Maybe trade someone down the road for something a bit more semi-tone.
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Peadar

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2019, 08:23:13 AM »

Pat- Don't fall into the semi-tone accordion trap!!!!
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Why should the devil have all the best instruments???

Pat McInnis

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2019, 03:29:12 PM »

Pat- Don't fall into the semi-tone accordion trap!!!!

Is it a trap if I'm only playing ITM?
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Peadar

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2019, 02:13:31 AM »

Probably not , but it does seem to me that a D melodeon woud be a valuable addition to your ITM tested herd (if it is true that most of the old Irish 1 row boxes were in D).  A 1 row makes some note sequences more difficult it also drives  you to think about working round notes you have  not got
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Why should the devil have all the best instruments???

Kolya

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2019, 09:42:55 PM »

Hello!
I created my account here just for this (but I'll stick around to learn, already picking up so much from the guides and a light browse of the forums.)
I apologize for bumping a topic several months old but I must tell you, I have one of these CF Troubadours!

I inherited it from my great grandmother, through my grandfather. I'm not sure if she was the original owner, I'm asking my family for more info. I'm told she could play it like no other, and it looks like she did as mine is definitely well-used. She lived her whole life in a small town in Newfoundland so it would surprise me to learn that it could have been made so far away.

I know nothing about melodeons other than what my last couple of days on YouTube has told me, but I have 20 years of piano experience so I'm getting pretty comfortable playing it quickly.

Mine has the accidentals layout featured on the layouts page.

Pictures in this imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/gR40HhS
As you can see it's a little rough around the edges. I am tempted to take it to get restored but I may try opening it up myself first.


Hope we can solve the mystery of the Troubadour.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2019, 10:10:30 PM by Kolya »
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Pat McInnis

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Re: CF Troubadour
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2019, 10:18:14 PM »

Hello!
I created my account here just for this (but I'll stick around to learn, already picking up so much from the guides and a light browse of the forums.)
I apologize for bumping a topic several months old but I must tell you, I have one of these CF Troubadours!

I inherited it from my great grandmother, through my grandfather. I'm not sure if she was the original owner, I'm asking my family for more info. I'm told she could play it like no other, and it looks like she did as mine is definitely well-used. She lived her whole life in a small town in Newfoundland so it would surprise me to learn that it could have been made so far away.

I know nothing about melodeons other than what my last couple of days on YouTube has told me, but I have 20 years of piano experience so I'm getting pretty comfortable playing it quickly.

Mine has the accidentals layout featured on the layouts page.

Pictures in this imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/gR40HhS
As you can see it's a little rough around the edges. I am tempted to take it to get restored but I may try opening it up myself first.


Hope we can solve the mystery of the Troubadour.

Good to hear that there is another one out there. Mine plays quite well and has good bellows pressure. It looks like yours may have seen some moisture by the way the laminate is separating. Definitely take it apart. It's just a few pins. Keep them in order in case some are longer than others. There may be rust on the reeds and probably old curled leather valves. The only upgrade i did to mine was to stuff a bit of foam under each button cavity to limit button travel.

Have fun with it.
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