Accordions

DareToBeStupid · Post by **DareToBeStupid** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:06 am

Who all has an accordion? How much do they usually cost?

Post by **weirdojace** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:46 am

Uhh...

Where's ThatOneGuy?

Post by **Gadget Girl** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:08 am

We have one concertina and one cajun accordion. The concertina was about $100 and the cajun about $150 - found them on ebay....eeee....eeee....eee

Post by **Grom** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:22 am

I saw brand new ones in a music store the other day, "from $399" in Aussie dollars.

weirdalfan95 · Post by **weirdalfan95** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:06 pm

Good ones: Depending on whether they're used or not.... If used, probably between maybe 400 and 1000, or new, which are usually about 2000 to... Probably 9000. I think I've even seen an electric accordion on eBay for like 10000, but I dunno... But, um, yeah, accordions aren't cheap.

Post by **Gadget Girl** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:21 pm

Good point. Ours aren't very good quality by any stretch of the imagination. But they are fun for everyone to play with for now.

Poptronixx · Post by **Poptronixx** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:59 pm

Have you checked around music sites on the internet? You may find some specialised stores that will sell accordians, but will cost a lot depening on make! I'm no expert nor do I play the accordion, but there are also different types of accordians according to the octave range etc.!

I found this information site, and I hope it will be of some help when it comes to making your choice! http://www.accordions.com/

Danicrzy · Post by **Danicrzy** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 6:51 am

Post by **Aron** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:48 am

I paid about $200 for my Red Ferrari....

.....Ferrari Accordion.

I got it on ebay about 2 years ago. Do be VERY VERY careful if buying on ebay. Many of the sellers don't really know what they're selling. I had a hard time when I first shopped. My first accordion-- a La Tosca-- was destroyed in shipping because the seller ignored the instructions on the web page I sent them on how to properly ship it.

When I got it, all the bass buttons were mashed under the bassboard.

When shopping for an accordion on ebay, try to buy from someone who is somewhat familiar with what they sell. They should be able to identify an accordion that leaks air to some extent. They should also be able to tell you if any buttons are sticky or are slow to return to their position.

Though the first time I bought one off ebay I had bad luck, my second time around, I had much better luck and bought the Ferrari accordion from a seller who was very happy to go through and pack it according to instructions I sent.

After the problem with the first seller, I went through and built a page that outlines step by step--- with photos-- on how to pack an accordion safely.

http://www.ufotofu.net/accopen.htm

Ebay can sway either way. Sometimes you get lucky and someone has a very nice instrument that sells for cheap, and other times you have a more worn instrument that's not really accurately described.

Always ask the seller questions. Ask if they can send you a sound clip from it. It never hurts to ask.

Accordion Mom · Post by **Accordion Mom** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:37 pm

It's not what they cost to buy.....

It's how much they cost to tune!

How much do you want to spend?

I have 5, but if you count a toy one - 6.

My Dad bought the first one for $25. He did HVAC work and a lady had it in her attic. She wanted to get rid of it and said, "Do you think I can get $25 for it?" He said, "Yep" and handed her the money. It's a student sized red one and sports Al's sig.

I got 2 from ebay - one is a 12 bass beginner which, at the time, I didn't realize one would outgrow it so quickly. It was about $100 after shipping, etc.

The second ebay one is a black Titano (I think - I haven't had time to play in so long) and it's the one I play the most because it's a smaller student model and it's easier to tote around. It also sports Al's sig. It cost maybe $130 after shipping. I was extremely lucky that it sounded pretty good and all the keys work, and it didn't get damaged in shipping etc.

Then I found out a friend used to play. Her's sounds pretty good and it's very pretty. Has rhinestones on some of the chord buttons. It's black as well. I haven't paid anything yet. I was trying to sell it for her, the deal fell through and I haven't given it back.

Finally, my husband same across one in the paper and it was WAAAAy across town, but as luck had it, we were going to a party on that side of town that day! For $285 I picked up a lovely black instrument with more switches than the others. It was probably meant for the more serious player. This one is larger, too. It's been so long since I've had it out I can't remember much else about it except that it smells really musty. Not a good thing, but I couldn't pass it up! It might actually be the Titano. I'm too lazy to go look!

So, the moral of my story is: They range from Free to much more than $285, but be careful what you buy. If you can get the pins out that hold the bellows on, you can check the felts and see if they've had bugs in there. Silverfish like the wool felt and if they nibble it up, you won't get a good sound. Also, take a good sniff - if it's musty, there's been moisture and it might be rusty which can affect the sound.

Once you've gotten an acceptable instrument, the next challenge is to find someone to maintain it. Where I live, there's only one guy who everyone knows and he's like and hour and a half away. He isn't cheap, and it takes a long time to get your box back. I've been there and seen his shop. It's an amazing business. Rumor has it that he is going to move to Tennessee (if he hasn't already).

Anyway - good luck and may you find your musical muse without any strings attached.