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Author Topic: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides  (Read 5357 times)

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waltzman

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Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« on: June 02, 2011, 02:50:41 PM »

The Button Box says these models weigh 7 lbs....which is very light for a three row.  It seems doubtful to me that they are actually that light.  Does anyone have one that they could weigh for me?

Thanx,

Michael
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mglamb

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2011, 02:59:21 PM »

Eagle Music lists the Laurentides at 4.2 kg, which converts to about 9.25 pounds.
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pete /acorn

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2011, 07:14:49 PM »

Hi,
Just weighed my daughters,4.75 kg inc straps.
Very nice box,hers has hand made reeds but check,not sure if they all have.
Pete
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Mcgrooger

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2011, 07:47:00 PM »

Hi,
Just weighed my daughters,4.75 kg inc straps.
Very nice box,hers has hand made reeds but check,not sure if they all have.
Pete

How many daughters have you, who, when weighed together, come in at 4.75kg? (McG - Pedant's Corner!)  >:E
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pete /acorn

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2011, 08:07:19 PM »

 :D :D :D best be careful how I answer that,they may just read this
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Acorn Instruments are the official retailer for Castagnari Instruments,Melodeons and Accordions for England and Scotland and have an extensive stock of new instruments on the shelf for prompt delivery in standard layouts however these can easily be changed to customers specia lrequirements
 We also have the largest stock in the UK of  pre loved melodons all fully serviced,and with 12 months warranty
UK and international customers catered for
www.acorninstruments.co.uk

waltzman

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2011, 01:05:54 PM »

Thank you.  I knew seven lbs. had to be wrong.
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waltzman

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2011, 07:20:56 PM »

Hi,
Just weighed my daughters,4.75 kg inc straps.
Very nice box,hers has hand made reeds but check,not sure if they all have.
Pete

When you say hand made reeds do you mean A Mano or Tipo a mano?  One of the criticisms I've heard of Saltarelle is that you cannot specify what quality reed you get in your box and they don't make it very clear what type reed is standard in each model like castagnari does.
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pete /acorn

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2011, 07:27:37 AM »

Hi,
The reeds in ours are A Mano however when we asked The Music Room couldn't say with certainty,this is why I say check the actual instrument because Saltarelle are a bit vague.

Pete
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Acorn Instruments are the official retailer for Castagnari Instruments,Melodeons and Accordions for England and Scotland and have an extensive stock of new instruments on the shelf for prompt delivery in standard layouts however these can easily be changed to customers specia lrequirements
 We also have the largest stock in the UK of  pre loved melodons all fully serviced,and with 12 months warranty
UK and international customers catered for
www.acorninstruments.co.uk

Theo

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2011, 08:23:07 AM »

A recently built Saltarelle Nuage I looked at has the blue edges to the head of the reed.   Received wisdom is that this is the true sign of an "a mano" reed.    But the reeds were no better in response and sound than midrange tipo a mano. In fact one high reed had such a poor fit between tongue and plate that I replaced it with a tipo a mano which played better.   This box also had two features that are all too common in new boxes: 1)  inconsistent tuning - some treble reeds as much as 10 cents from where they should be, and 2) poorly set reed gaps resulting in air sounds before the reeds speak when playing gently.

Conclusion: don't get hung up on reed type labels, better to judge a box by how it plays, and be prepared to spend some time/money on getting the reeds set up to suit your playing style.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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pete /acorn

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2011, 09:15:43 AM »

Hi
Re tunings,
Over the past few months I have been involved ,as well posted here,with the development of the Manfrini boxes.We only use true hand made reeds.
Something that has become very apparent,the reeds no matter how well set up in a new box after a while,need to have the reeds checked and tuned,I think it must have something to do with structure of the steel changing slightly because of the vibration,also do the reeds become magnetised
Whether this is a ''problem'' with A Mano reeds only I am not sure however once settled in they perform extremely well and do actually get better as the instrument is played.
I have had similar discussions with several people and the general conscientious is that probably players get used to their own instruments sound and if their ear is no ''tuned into'' what a correctly sounding box should sound like it is just accepted,and lets face it if you play a lot in sessions then you probably can not hear how your own sounds.
There are probably lots of out of tune instruments out there

Pete
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Acorn Instruments are the official retailer for Castagnari Instruments,Melodeons and Accordions for England and Scotland and have an extensive stock of new instruments on the shelf for prompt delivery in standard layouts however these can easily be changed to customers specia lrequirements
 We also have the largest stock in the UK of  pre loved melodons all fully serviced,and with 12 months warranty
UK and international customers catered for
www.acorninstruments.co.uk

waltzman

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2011, 12:36:18 PM »

I don't think it's a problem with A Mano reeds only.  I thinks it's likely that 90% of the time when people pick up an accordion to try it out and say the don't like the 'way it plays' it's because of poorly set and poorly tuned reeds.
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Theo

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2011, 12:48:33 PM »

I don't think it's a problem with A Mano reeds only.  I thinks it's likely that 90% of the time when people pick up an accordion to try it out and say the don't like the 'way it plays' it's because of poorly set and poorly tuned reeds.

Couldn't agree more, even from new many boxes can be improved significantly by a couple of hours careful work on the reeds.  Though I have to say the prototype Manfrini that I tried at Mendlesham earlier this year was superbly well set up.

I recommend that anyone who buys a new mass produced box, such as a Saltarelle, Baffetti, etc should take it to their favourite tuner to have it set up.  Anyone buying a new mass produced fiddle or guitar would expect to have this done, so why not us too?
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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Andrew Wigglesworth

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2011, 05:00:06 PM »

I think that's pretty shocking. These instruments are by no means cheap, and are indeed promoted as "hand made" and deserving a premium because of the craftsmanship ... yet, it's expected and accepted that they won't bother to tune or set-up the reeds properly?

The reeds are pretty fundamental, I mean, if they're not bothering with them, what else are they not bothering about and where do these premium prices come in?  There are plenty of manufactured goods that are more complex and harder to quality control than an accordion. Would you accept a new car that was not possible to drive?

Edit: spelling

george garside

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2011, 05:09:48 PM »

my thoughts exactly

george
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Theo

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2011, 05:17:53 PM »

I think that's pretty shocking. These instruments are by no means cheap, and are indeed promoted as "hand made" and deserving a premium because of the craftsmanship ... yet, it's expected and accepted that they won't bother to tune or set-up the reeds properly?

The reeds are pretty fundamental, I mean, if they're not bothering with them, what else are they not bothering about and where do these premium prices come in?  There are plenty of manufactured goods that are more complex and harder to quality control than an accordion. Would you accept a new car that was not possible to drive?

Edit: spelling

It puzzles me too.  The trouble is people seem to like them enough to buy them, like they used to buy poorly quality controlled British made cars in the 60s.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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waltzman

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2011, 05:48:23 PM »

I suspect most customers aren't in a position to judge a well set up accordion from one poorly set up so it becomes an 'invisible' way to cut costs.  Tuning and setting reeds is labor intensive and time consuming and therefore expensive. 
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Theo

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2011, 06:43:34 PM »

Maybe not visible to the eye, but obvious to the ears and under the fingers  of an experienced player.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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waltzman

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #17 on: June 05, 2011, 06:49:59 PM »

Yes.  So the moral of the story is if you have bought an accordion that is supposed to be a 'good accordion' and it just doesn't play easily or sound right to you or it used to sound good and play well and now it doesn't, then take it to your friendly tuner and prepare to be amazed...... :||:
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Andy Simpson

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #18 on: June 05, 2011, 09:01:52 PM »

They may not be the absolute best they can be but the factory setup on most boxes is adequate and I think "adequate" is the best you can reasonably expect from a production instrument. To get an instrument to play just right requires considerable skill, hours of careful work and really needs detailed discussion with the player, which just isn't realistic in a workshop or factory making dozens or hundreds of accordions a month.

If you buy a new mass-produced car you expect to be able to drive it straight off the forecourt and carry on using it with no problems but you could take it to a mechanic and have the engine and transmission tightened up and the steering, suspension, etc tweaked to your specifications to make it drive a lot better. Likewise, if you buy a new mass-produced box you should expect it to be playable with no serious faults but if you want it to play the best it possibly can then it'll need special attention.
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george garside

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Re: Saltarelle Duna/Laurentides
« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2011, 09:31:36 PM »

that might be a reasonable asssumtion with £300 chinese boxes  but a 2 grand plus box should be spot on, otherwise its a question of just paying for a 'naame' without the assumed dquality which should extend to the whole playability of a box including tuning & response of reeds & not just fancyy woodwork. 

george
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