Hello, I've recently been gifted this accordian by my father, as it was his mother's (my grandma) and he never learned to play it. I just wanted to know if it was quality and if it was good to learn on.

I've come into possession of an accordion that has unfortunately been gutted... No reed racks. Keyboard intact and functioning, bellow in good shape. Had a pickup at one point with what appears to me to be a mono jack (looks a little smaller than an rca jack and has that phenolic brown color).

It has no bass buttons at all, just 41 piano keys, and two 'switches' that seem to serve to open a second set of openings to the reed racks alongside the first.

What was the likely setup on this? Two low or bassoon racks, or one bassoon and one middle?

Is there any chance I (pretty handy) could make this into a functioning instrument by finding one or more reed racks that could fit over the openings from the keyboard mechanism?

Thanks for any help you can provide and apologies for lack of knowledge and terminology.

EDIT: SOLVED!! Thank you so much for the suggestions, I would have never known to do this as a newbie u/Unlikely_Read3437 Although.. there is a large new scuff on the bass side which wasn't there when I sent it and that makes me think it was dropped before they shipped it off and that is what unseated the bass mechanism.

TL;DR - Bought a new accordion that had some QA issues, sent it into KHS under manufacturer warranty and it was returned even more broken. Only got to play it for 2-3 weeks and am now going on week 10 of my 12 week warranty window.

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Hello everyone, after lurking for a long time I decided to buy an accordion! I'd been saving up for a while with the intention of learning a new instrument and accordion just really jumped out at me. I decided to go with a Hohner Bravo III 96 piano style accordion, I went through some back and forth with Liberty Bellows to find the right one and I really loved this model.

I love playing it, it sounded beautiful and I was learning songs I love to listen to and found a teacher. About 2.5 weeks of playing after I got it brand new I had started to notice some of the tenor keys sticking (it stayed in a climate controlled room and no drops or misuse in the time I had it) so after taking it to a local shop they said it had some quality issues in the tenor key mechanism and that it'd be best for me to utilize the manufacturer warranty while I was still within the window, Liberty Bellows said the same thing. QA issues happen sometimes I suppose. KHS had a pretty straightforward process for getting it registered in their system as a return, they gave me the return number and I shipped it off on my own dime.

After 3 weeks of waiting, I finally got it back! I was happy to feel the tenor keys were fixed and no longer sticking so I put my straps back on and went to play a song and the entire bass side was just flat against the body. None of the chord buttons work now, was the bass mechanism not reconnected or did they break it? There's also now a new huge scuff on the corner of the bass side case that was absolutely not there when I sent it off.

I'm thousands of dollars in and have barely been able to play it, the entire process has just made me think I should just try to get my money back and quit. Does anyone have suggestions or advice? I've already sent an email and left a voicemail to KHS about this, but depending on how long it takes I won't be in the warranty window anymore, only 3 weeks left of their 3 month warranty. I was just wondering if anyone had suggestions or advice? More of a rant than anything.

Anyway, thanks for reading, hopefully no one else has had to deal with stuff like this.

Hey everyone!

I recently picked up a Hagström Granesso at a secondhand store for the sweet price of 10 bucks, which obviously implies something is wrong with it. I have never played accordion in my life, but I’ve always wanted to. And at that price, how could I go wrong?

The biggest problem was the piano keys jamming and staying down and not bouncing up, which is extremely infuriating. When I got home, I opened up the thing and freestyled the entire process of fixing it (which I probably shouldn’t have done, but I figured out how a piano accordion worked without any help at least)

I meticulously fiddled and filed everything to my best degree and got it to a much more playable state. Despite all of my work, the keys still sometimes jam and don’t bounce up, which is obviously a huge pain in the ass. I would take a video demonstrating this, but I’m away from home right now

I feel a slight friction of the jammed keys going into the side of the accordion case. This accordion is obviously not brand new, so I suspect the wood has swollen over time and caused this friction.

Would sanding down the side of the accordion fix this? And do you guys have any other tips to prevent this jamming from happening?

Excuse some errors in b section

Hey everyone! 👋

For over a year now, I’ve been uploading video tutorials on jazz accordion. I’ve put together a playlist with 36 videos covering solos, accompaniment, and technique step by step.

Check out the playlist and channel here:

👉 https://youtu.be/sO98LmajZlI?si=NfeHaMVrVjIAl3Rh&list=PLtSVA_jCdzwPUZq7HDjgDJGuNgCrvpFHt

The Accordion Studio Youtube channel is constantly growing, and on October 30th, I’m releasing my first workbook for accordionists: Jazz Accordion Workbook, Vol. 1 "Do The Basics" - more on: www.accordioncourse.com

Feel free to subscribe so you don't miss it, and let me know what you think in the comments!

Arek

Hi, I’ve wanted to learn the accordion for as long as I can remember. I’ve finally set myself a goal to start but have no idea how. I’m looking for advice on the right instrument to buy for an absolute beginner. Do I buy a piano or button accordion? I have no expectations or particular goals, I’ll be happy just to get the basics and learn simple tunes for now so don’t want to overwhelm myself with anything over complicated. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Whoa mama she’s beautiful but them rusty screws make it hard to help with sticky keys. I just got it tonight. It was $160, about 95 years old, and I have an impulse spending problem. Also a missing key. How the hell do I even get them screws loose without destroying the whole thing? The case is completely busted as well.
There is a dead spider in the case oh my god I just checked what
I’ll probably throw out the case Jesus Christ it’s disgusting.

I am roving Natascha Pierre and the great Comet of 1812 soon, ans the sound guy and I are unsure where to point the mic to. Should he mic Bass or Discant, or somewhere else?

I got an old Parrot with Stradella, which i primarily use for downbeat bass. While i play Polkalike upbeats (as well as some melodic stuff) in the dicant.

I sadly dont have an in inbuild mic

I've never played the accordion, I don't even know how they work. I was at my local thrift store and I spotted this beautiful looking accordion for just $250. I bought it. However, it seems to play a drone(?) whenever I squeeze it, regardless if I am pressing something or not. The note is D. What is the problem and is it something I could fix myself? I can seriously see myself getting into this. Also, I don't want an appraisal or anything, I am aware this would break rule 1.

Update: I FIXED IT!! The button on the base side that I showed in the comments was bent. It seems like someone had tried to fix it but put it back together wrong. Thank you for everyone who commented!

I'm looking for sheet music for polkas by Alois Strohmayer. Anybody have any leads on that? In particular, I'm looking for the Zepperl Polka:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KLqqS7cv0

It wasn't written for accordion, but I'm not sure where else to ask this question.

I removed the bass mechanism from a Weltmeister Serino Deluxe and can't get it back in—any tips?

Please help.

Bought a 4 bass 10 treble button accordion and have literally no idea what I’m doing or where to start. My main goal is to learn songs from Vladimir oidupaa which idk if that’s even possible since he played a much larger one. I just need some tips on what to start with.

I got an accordion as a gift but it comes with these knobs and I’m unsure of what they do. It’s a 34 button accordion on the side of the buttons, if it helps

Hi all! I picked up this old Hohner for 50 bucks the other day. Anyone know what year this could be from? Online resources are saying 50-60. I couldn't find a serial.

It plays great immediately, only a few reeds slightly out of tune and a little dirty. Im debating cleaning the inside but im too scared since it works great now.

Thanks!!

20th anniversary of this video tomorrow - I happened to have two identical accordions lying around and thought what if I put the two piano halves together. Was surprisingly ok to play, but hard to pull because of the lack of the LH strap. Could have added a strap, but sadly I lost interest and one of the halves long ago. Do these exist in the wild somewhere? Or a double bass accordion?

And if not, any guidance would be appreciated. I have heard Liberty Bellows to be a reputable used online retailer and have done the research and understand the pros and cons of (in this case) 80 vs 48 bass but would like additional advice and help. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m a software developer, but first and foremost, I’m an accordionist. When I switched layouts (from system B to C), I found it incredibly frustrating to memorize the button geometry.

Since there was no good tool on the market, I built AccoDrive: https://accodrive.com

Initially, it was just a personal tool for right-hand scales, but I wanted to make it a complete learning solution. So I just rolled out a major upgrade adding full song practice and left-hand support.

You can try it directly in your browser: https://accodrive.com

What it does now:

* "Songs" Learning Mode: Move beyond scales. You can now learn complete pieces, starting with "The House of the Rising Sun" (6/8 meter, A minor).

* Both-Hands Recognition: Train your Right Hand (melody), Left Hand (Stradella bass & chords), or Both Hands together with interactive microphone tracking.

* Smooth Auto-Scroll: The musical stave smoothly scrolls along as you play, keeping your active measure front and center.

* Notation Upgrades: Full support for slurs and tied notes across barlines without false re-trigger warnings.

* Ergonomic Fingerings: Updated and refined fingering guides for C-System, B-System, and Piano accordions.

The app is 100% free, runs directly in the browser (desktop/tablet/mobile), has no ads, and requires no account or registration.

*Experimental Android App:* I have also wrapped this into an early, experimental Android version (you can find it in Google Play Store by searching for "accodrive"). If you prefer practicing on a phone/tablet through an app rather than a browser, you can find the link directly on the website. I’d love to hear how it performs on different devices.

What's next?

My main focus now is extending the song catalog for future updates. Instead of guessing, I want to ask you directly:

Which melodies or traditional pieces would you appreciate the most on AccoDrive? What specific songs would help your daily practice?

Give it a try at https://accodrive.com and let me know your thoughts and song proposals in the comments!

P.S. If you want to see more features and quick video demos, you can check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/@Accodrive

A genuinely fun guy and also very talented player from Norrbotten region (Finnish-Sweden)

Enjoy my friends playing with me - Waltz of the Little Girls - guitar, accordion, hammered dulcimer, penny whistle, cello, mandolin and bodhran.

Hello.
I am thinking of buying a accordion.
I'm torn between buying the 41/120 or the 37/96.
With a 41/120 model, I can play almost any song, but the weight and size are issues.
What size accordion do you all play? Have you ever regretted not buying a 41/120 model?

I would like to try playing things like game music, Irish music, and movie soundtracks. I also hope to try jazz someday.

Please give me some advice. Thank you in advance.

Background: I’m pretty new to accordion but really enjoying it. I’m borrowing a 12 bass from my teacher but it’s already high time to upgrade. (Piano accordions to be clear)

Honestly, I believe a 72 (or maybe 96) bass is what I’d like. I’m planning to do a lot of simpler folk and polka as well as playing in a polka band with my brothers for fun. Classical doesn’t interest me as much (yet).

The problem is that I cannot find a 72 bass used for sale that is a normal price. I see 120 bass everywhere, but no 72 or 96. I’m in North America, Midwest.

Is the 120 bass that much heavier and more cumbersome? I’m a 6 foot (184cm) male and pretty well built / strong and in shape. Will I be good holding that thing for 2 hours standing or will I wish I had the 72 bass?

Also what kind of money do you think I should be spending? I’m no longer a penny less student but I’m by no means rich. I feel like a budget of 1,000-1,500USD is the max I should go but I’m honestly not sure. I’d like a quality instrument that won’t make me want to upgrade within a few years.

Thanks!