Opinion on chinese accordion

[Gail Seguin]

Just wondering what people think about the chinese made accordions?  Is it best to buy a vintage accordion or a new chinese accordion?

[Shelia Lee]

There are several makes that are OKAY. The hardest thing for the Chinese to get good is to make the left hand machine - function correctly. It is always real stiff and does not have the deep reeds.

The right hand is usually pretty good. I would suggest a Chinese accordion to a beginner only if you are on an extreme budget - with the intention of throwing it away one year later. It is impossible to find a repair person, impossible to find repair parts, and sincerely you get what you pay for.

There are so many used Italian and German piano accordions on the market. Just beware - some have sat for many years without being played. Please consult an accordion store or accordion expert when looking at a used one. There are plenty to choose from - if you choose wisely.

[Gail Seguin]

thanks, good advice

Shelia Lee said:

There are several makes that are OKAY. The hardest thing for the Chinese to get good is to make the left hand machine - function correctly. It is always real stiff and does not have the deep reeds.

The right hand is usually pretty good. I would suggest a Chinese accordion to a beginner only if you are on an extreme budget - with the intention of throwing it away one year later. It is impossible to find a repair person, impossible to find repair parts, and sincerely you get what you pay for.

There are so many used Italian and German piano accordions on the market. Just beware - some have sat for many years without being played. Please consult an accordion store or accordion expert when looking at a used one. There are plenty to choose from - if you choose wisely.

[Daniel Kott]

Hello

I or my organization owns many accordions of all kinds. We used to look down on the Japanese cameras, several decades later they are the best on the market. A lot of what we say is based on our feelings and not always logic. If we want more children playing, we have to compete with the school band markets. A student instrument ( violin, trumpet, etc. ) is about $400, and an upgrade in later high school is $800 to $1,200. Most parents will not pay over that for a beginner instrument. Also we have found when you start young children the weight of the accordion is important. We also have found that some of our players play a keyboard instrument like an accordion and also a school band instrument. The concept that you get what you pay for is not always valid as most professionals know that there is a marker known as the carriage market. Those that will pay for a name for the prestige. We have never thrown an accordion away, Chinese or European in over 20 years. It is best to try an accordion and find if it fits you needs. For example in the button accordion world you may need three three row diatonic accordions in different keys. ( low - flats, middle - C, F, G, high keys - sharps ). That can make for very expensive investment. Thanks for starting this discussion. it is important to hear from the sellers, the professionals, and the students.

[brian.berlin]

If I were buying a pro accordion new from the factory, I would consider a pro Chinese instrument. While there are lots of cheap options, I have also seen very good instruments. If you try to low-ball on price, you may not get the best instrument. But if you're willing to do your research and pay for quality, I thunk you will be very pleased AND save a thousand or two over modern Italian instruments. That's my $0.02.