Soprani Accordion Serial Numbers

• Paolo Soprani Accordion Models
• Silvio Soprani Accordion Value
• Soprani Accordion History
• Soprani Accordion Serial Numbers List

FAQ #1: I have recently come into posession of/ inherited/ foundin my grandfather's attic an accordion, of brand XXX.Can you tell me what it's worth? And do you know where I couldsell it?

1. Question about Scandalli. Scandalli accordions are made in Italy. N427/54 is sort of a cryptic name and I'm guessing refers to the serial number. Track Builder 3 Serial there. Ed by Ed from Maine and South Carolina on. I have a1920 honhor button accordian with reads & spade in aridunal box top.
2. Serial Number Smadav Pro Terbaru Canon Mf Toolbox 4.9 Drivers For Mac Free Software Wallap Software Crack Works Synthesia Full Version Free Arcgis 10.1 Keygen Download Saints Row 3 Grafik Mod Soprani Accordion Serial Numbers How To Check Dmg Files Free Life Is Feudal Wont Launch.
3. Settimio Soprani Accordions, Paolo Soprani Accordions, HOHNER Piano Accordion Accordions with 120 Bass Keys, Button Accordion Paolo Soprani Accordions, HOHNER Accordions with 120 Bass Keys, Accordions with 48 Bass Keys, Accordions with 12 Bass Keys, Accordions with 80 Bass Keys, Accordions with 72 Bass Keys.

Button Accordion with C-Handle 96 Basses. Super Durall reed plates. Available immediately. Available immediately. This item is in stock.

The short answer is: not really. I can make a wild guess,but don't hold me to it...

The value of an accordion depends on a number of things:

Once you know those, you can estimate someballpark figures.Then you've got two options, of course:sellorlearn to play.Hopefully you decide for the second option!

The condition of the accordion

For second hand accordions, playability is valued higher than antiquity.Antiquity value would only start to kick in if it is _very old_,i.e. from the first half of the previous century; an accordionfrom 1829 by Cyrill Demian (that's the year it was invented, or patentedat least) would be worth quite a bit even if it was completely unplayable,but even for an instrument from around 1900 you couldn't count on that(unless it is a really nice mantle piece, of course).If the accordion is not in a good condition, one should probablydeduct the cost of the necessary repairs from the value of the accordion.If the bellows seem to be mouldy, that might be costly:In that case the reeds might be rusty and need replacement!To estimate how bad or how good it still is, have a look atan article aboutHow to check out the condition of an accordionorAdvice on Buying Used Squeezeboxes.

By itself the age doesn't matter, but for one thing: accordions have becomebetter over the years. But apart from maintenance and retuning,accordions can easily last 20 years.

The brand

Of course, apart from the condition, the value also depends on thebrand. There must be hundreds. Roughly speaking,Chinese and East-European accordions (Hero, Parrot, Delicia,Weltmeister/Bandmaster) are of lower quality and cheaper than German,Austrian or Italian instruments (Hohner, Zupan, Scandalli, Paolo Soprani,Fratelli Crosio, Pigini, Victoria..).(Zupan is Slovenian, though; and Weltmeister is 'West-European now.and it seems that their quality has improved).For some brands, the year in which the accordion was made is very important:for some, old accordions are ok, but newer ones have been 'cost-optimised',resulting in a lesser quality. Then again, for others brands the qualityhas increased over the years.

Hohner is huge, and spans the whole price range. Its top instrument isthe Hohner Gola. After that comes the Morino. At the other end ofthe spectrum, Hohner has imported cheap Chinese instruments, and relabeledthem; they might have used a separate B-brand name for that(different from Hohner), though.

US American accordions usually are Italian accordions, either importeddirectly or imported in parts and assembled in the US.An example is Titano; Titano is a good brand by the way(and so is Pancordion).And Italian accordions are (were) almost without exception made in thetown of Castelfidardo.

For diatonic accordions (with usually two rows of buttons both leftand right), 'good brands' are Castagnari and Saltarelle.

For concertinas, Wheatstone and Lachenal are 'good' brands.Bastari/Stagi/Hohner/Gremlin/Titano etc. concertinas are factory-made Italianconcertinas - closer in internal construction to accordions than realconcertinas - and have little resale value compared to a vintagehandmade concertina of English manufacture.Collin Dipper's instruments are quiteok again: he's got a waiting list of about two years!

As for bandoneons, I am not really familar with those; _the_ brandseems to be Alfredo Arnold, and then specifically the ones thatwere made around 1925. The first name is important: his sons/nephews/etc.also made bandoneons. Oh, and it should be a full size instruments,of course.

Size and possibilities

Finally, the value depends on the size and the possibilitiesof the accordion. A diatonic accordion is usually worth less thana piano accordion, and small piano accordions are worth less thanlarge piano accordions. That does not seem to be true for diatonicaccordions, though: there, as long as the number of buttonsand registers is the same, the smaller the box, the more expensive it is.Also, concertinas might be small, but that doesn't mean they are cheap.Don Nichols once said that his Wheatstone concertina was more expensivethan his pickup truck!

For piano accordions, the thing you need to know is the number of bassbuttons, and the number of registers in the treble and in the bass,and the number of voices on each side, i.e. how many reeds are maximallycoupled to one button/key.

A full size accordion has 120 bass buttons, 6 rows of 20. If it hasmore buttons, it is probably a free bass instrument (a.k.a. Manual III,a.k.a. bariton basses), and that is moreexpensive. But usually owners of free bass instruments know what theyhave, so you won't find that one in the back of your attic;also, apart from a few early models they were invented/ developedonly around 1960 (a later innovationis the converter, in which you can switch between the standard'Stradella' basses and free basses; that saves on buttons and weight).If it has less than 32 bass buttons, it is a toy, basically;if it has got 32 or 48 bass buttons, it is probably a (cheapish)student model. 'Professional' models start at 60 bass buttons, although someprofessional 'high octane' players play 48 bass instruments on stage:they are easier to run around with...

Apart from the number of basses, what is the number of registers?i.e. what is the number of switches on the right hand side?Often switches are duplicated (for easier access), so look for thenumber of switches with different names/dot patterns.Some cheaper instruments have two voices (two reeds per key) and noregisters; for (fairly modern) instruments you can easily figureout the number of voices from the register switches: they will showa number of dots, each representing voices that will be turned onfor that particular switch, so the number of voices is the maximumnumber of dots on one switch. That switch is the master switch.Does the instruments have chin registers (buttons on the top of the keyboard)and/or thumb/wrist registers as well (behind the keyboard)?In that case, the instrument will be nearer to the top of the range

On the bass side, the number of voices is harder to guess.If the right hand side has to or three voices, the bass side willprobably have four voices; if the right hand has four, the bass mighthave four or five.

So now some figures, please

120 bass piano accordions in good condition start at about USD 300,but you might find old, 2-voice instruments for about USD 100;on the other hand, full size, 3/4, 3/5 or 4/5 reeds, 120 bassinstruments of a good brand are a bit more expensive.Also, refurbished, guaranteed instruments will be more expensivethan 'as is' instruments, of course.

I paid about USD 150 (after conversion) for my 32 bass Hohner Student,and USD 400 for my 80 bass Parrot. That is in the Netherlands, though;prices might differ per country.

The high end of the range is pretty high:I've seen second hand Hohner Gola 404-s advertised foraround DEM 20 000 (ca. USD 10 000).And _the_ top of the line instrument is the Pigini/Yupiter Super Bayan,Friedrich Lips plays one of those.I believe that (new) that one retails for around USD 50 000!Unfortunately, these are never the ones you find in the attic :-)

To get a better idea, have a look at my list ofshops,some of them sell second hand accordions, and have a second handcatalog on-line. In particular,The House of Musical Traditions,ElderlyandThe Button Box,andErnest Deffner, Inc.do. All pages but the last list prices.

Of course, you could try to find a local shop;The Accordion Yellow Pages,lists addresses of (amongst others) manufacturers and retailers, and repairers.

If that fails, you could ask your question on the newsgrouprec.music.makers.squeezebox,giving as detailed information as possible. It is easier to make anestimate if one knows the number of bass buttons etc;especially if you want to know more about your obscure brand, that couldhelp. It doesn't always, though: some brands are so obscure thatnoone knows them anymore; also, to estimate the value of the condition,it is vital to know its condition, and for that you would really haveto see the instrument.

If you need an exact answer, some companies will do an official appraisal,based on physical inspection of the instruments;for instanceErnest Deffner, Inc.(for USD 30.- or thereabout).

I'd like to take the money and run

Value and demand are independent variables, and in fact it may be avery long time before a buyer appears who is willing to pay what theinstrument is officially worth. If you want to sell it quickly, planon selling it to a dealer and/or getting a lower price.

If you want to sell it, you could try to find a local shop or try tosell it via a mail order shop, see theprevious section;also, you couldsubmit a sell ad at the Accordion Yellow Pages.

I'd rather keep it

Excellent! Then you might be interested in the short introductionthat I wrote onhow to play the accordion

History

In 1900 Silvio Scandalli started to produce accordions with the help of his family. In a few years, between 1915 and 1921, out of a small workshop in Camerano a small company was created which was to become an industrial force, which in 1941 employed over 700 workers.

After the end of the Second World War, the accordion became hugely popular in the USA and the factory of the Scandalli brothers was amongst the most well-known and prestigious.

Thanks to the genius of Silvio and his many inventions and patents which were applied to his accordions, the Scandalli brand became synonymous with quality and a bench mark for other instruments.

In 1946 to meet the challenges and opportunities of new markets, Fratelli Scandalli of Camerano and Settimio Soprani of Castelfidardo combined to form Farfisa (from Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche). This company in turn was to become one of the world's biggest musical instrument factories and at that time produced 180 accordions a day. The impetus of this new company led to the formation of the CDMI (Centro Didattico Musicale Italiano) and many famous composers wrote pieces for the accordion and teaching methods for the Edizioni Musicali Farfisa. The music magazine Fisarmonica was founded that today has become the Strumenti&Musica.

During the early 1950's Silvio Scandalli commenced an ambitious project. Using the company’s finest technicians he created an instrument of unparalleled quality which in a short space of time became the dream of all great accordionists: the Scandalli SUPER VI. Even today it remains unsurpassed, an instrument born from the passion of an innovative artisan.

In 1964 a new factory at Aspio Terme was added to those of Camerano and Castelfidardo for a total of 42.000 square meters of production capacity.

Paolo Soprani Accordion Models

At this time Silvio Scandalli and Settimio Soprani were heads of a company that produced and distributed guitars, pianos, organs and amplifiers, as well as accordions.

In 1984 Farfisa ceased to exist as a multi-product company and began to divide itself into the various product sectors. The Scandalli brand, under the direction of Mirco Patarini, Leonardo Menghini and Luciano Menghini, returned to stand for accordions only.

The Scandalli brand is an icon for many because of its long, distinguished history of innovation, prestige and quality. Today the objective of Scandalli Accordions remains the same as it always was: to provide instruments of the highest standard and uncompromising quality.

Production

The hands of artisans guarantee the absolute quality of each single instrument.

A good accordion is judged by its sound quality, airtightness, smoothness, quietness of its keyboard and bass mechanism and perfect general operation. You may judge a Scandalli accordion on all these points.

Silvio Soprani Accordion Value

The Scandalli badge: an object of inestimable value!

Soprani Accordion History

Standard

A concert artist needs the finest reeds in his instrument in order to reflect his brilliant interpretations. The dynamics are so important. Scandalli chooses genuine handmade reeds made of the highest quality aluminium and steel.

Converter

From the first encounter a Scandalli displays the fundamental qualities of a great accordion. Touch it: the keys and buttons are finely balanced, quiet in action and fast too; the bellows open and close with an easy and natural movement; the reeds are responsive and the sound is clear and resonant. These important, fundamental features apply to all the models.

The moment of truth arrives when the accordion is used with other instruments. Its sound quality blends perfectly and helps to enhance the ensemble sound. A Scandalli is ideal of course, for its responsive reeds will play quietly or forcefully, whatever is required in fact. Listen to a Scandalli tone chamber: this special chamber adds a unique quality of sound to the treble and helps to create that magical, perfect, Scandalli Sound.

Mission

For over 100 years the Scandalli name has been internationally prominent among leading accordionists everywhere, whatever their style of performance. It is the famous name of an accordion that today, is still crafted with understanding, experience and skill.

Soprani Accordion Serial Numbers List

The modern Scandalli accordion is made to be suitable for the needs of the student starting their musical adventure and also to meet the exacting demands of the professional musician.