Is there really such thing as a bad Accordion builder, as far as Hand made goes. And who would you all advise to watch out for. . . If it is safe to ask this question. And also is there anyone in this room that is From St. Martins Parish, La.


Daniel

Not from St. Martin Parish but spent ALOT of time there, my grandparents lived about 5 minutes from the parish line on the Bayou Teche

Sure there is... Here's ten I've heard to steer clear of:

1. "Bozeux Accordions" - Noah Riddle, Forked Lake, LA
2. "Tee Crot Accordions" - Jack Dupp, Ossun, LA
3. "Merdé Accordians" - Seymour Hynee, DeQuincy, LA
4. "Turkey Creek Squeezeboxes" - Marty Graw, Turkey Creek, LA
5. "Sichuan Brand Accrodeans" - Pem Peng Ho, Houston, TX/Taiwan PROC
6. "Al Abama Accordions" - Makolik Fahtid & Lef DaRoum de Bastid, Demopolis, AL
7. "Pansy Brand" - Gabe Barr, New Orleans, LA
8. "Bland Accordions" - Justin Sane, Shreveport, LA
9. "Mongolian Bran Box" - Phun E. Nam, Lufkin, TX
10. "Prudent Accordians" - Wal Mardt, La Place, LA

R!CK

Richard Reid!

Shame on you!

Poor man ax a simple question tryin to protect hisself from unscrupulous mitred corner cutters
and winds up gettin both barrels of satire from
your creative albeit twisted little mind.

Made me laugh my posterior off, cuzzin.

JB

Hey Rick, quite a collection you got there, but you forgot www.crappordiola.be!. and yes, there are more around, but not all are meant to played as well as this one is here: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbuIZ-5-8o;
try that one Zydeco style ....... nout

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Replying to:

Sure there is... Here's ten I've heard to steer clear of:

1. "Bozeux Accordions" - Noah Riddle, Forked Lake, LA
2. "Tee Crot Accordions" - Jack Dupp, Ossun, LA
3. "Merdé Accordians" - Seymour Hynee, DeQuincy, LA
4. "Turkey Creek Squeezeboxes" - Marty Graw, Turkey Creek, LA
5. "Sichuan Brand Accrodeans" - Pem Peng Ho, Houston, TX/Taiwan PROC
6. "Al Abama Accordions" - Makolik Fahtid & Lef DaRoum de Bastid, Demopolis, AL
7. "Pansy Brand" - Gabe Barr, New Orleans, LA
8. "Bland Accordions" - Justin Sane, Shreveport, LA
9. "Mongolian Bran Box" - Phun E. Nam, Lufkin, TX
10. "Prudent Accordians" - Wal Mardt, La Place, LA

R!CK

I am from St. martin parish. What can i dp for you?

I heard that Errol Verret (a boat builer) who played acoridon with Al Berard from Cecilia, La) is from St. Martinville (St. Martin Parish).

I was wanting to know about St. Martin Parish, for Geneological reasons. Wondering If they kept good Records From the past. My whole Paternal side is from Arnaudville... Besides me and my parents being born in Texas, Our whole family is from S.W. Louisiana. 100% Creole. lol So i have been doing research and try to get what I can.

Daniel

The name you hear over and over, they've built a reputation, and you'd be hard pressed calling any of those name 'bad'. There are a few accordions built by people who may have only built a one, two, or a handful of boxes. If you search through the posts, you'll see some opinions on a few of those.
The reality is, there is a limited market for cajun accordions, which means ant builder that put out a bad product, wouldn't last.
By the way, I define 'bad' as poorly constructed, sloppy work, reeds that fall out, bellows that leak, etc. All that other stuff is too subjective and a matter of personal taste. ie feel of the bass side, b vs m joints, rounded s flat buttons, metal vs pearl.

Steve

I concur wholeheartedly with Steve. Jokes aside, I believe you would be hard-pressed to find a handmade accordion that is shoddy or measurably inferior to any alternative.

Most non-rookie players have their preferences that they will swear by. Some builders have biased opinions about the work of their competition, too. You have to take these factors with a grain of salt and truly decide for yourself. Honestly, in all the hullaballoo that goes on between us on this board, I can tell you that I've never met a handmade I didn't like. Sure, I can find cosmetic things that one builder will feature over another, but that's just icing on the cake.

For me, it's sound over aesthetics. This is directly related to the responsiveness of the box as well as its manipulation and efficiency of air use. Beyond that, developing a relationship with a builder is extremely important. They're ability to help you out on a moment's notice with advice or service is paramount.

R!CK

I agree, but it's also important that "new" rookie builders get a chance to expand their experience in the craft by getting new orders .. f.i. i've been promoting mandolins from an UK maker & friend since in the past, by ordering new instruments, and showing and retailing them in Europe at folk and bluegrass festivals, gigs etc. Of course he had help from other musicians too .... and by now he is a pretty famous maker, mainly because he's really good at all sort of arch-top instruments like jazz guitars. nout

I was wanting to know about St. Martin Parish, for Geneological reasons. Wondering If they kept good Records From the past. My whole Paternal side is from Arnaudville... Besides me and my parents being born in Texas, Our whole family is from S.W. Louisiana. 100% Creole. lol So i have been doing research and try to get what I can.

ah, i can help you here...

Your task, which will save you a considerable amount of time, is the Rev. Hebert Catholic Church records. This man compiled a ton of records, listed by last name, from all the churches around Acadiana area between 1750 and 1910. His volumes are invaluable. Any library in SW Louisiana with a genealogy section will have these volumes. 80-90% of people use these to gather the majority of their genealogy down here.

http://www.acadian-cajun.com/hebpubl.htm

http://www.hebertpublications.com/

WF

Well, Hello, Cuz! I live in New Iberia, Iberia Parish (right next door to St. Martin Parish). I too was born in Arnaudville. My family's patriarch married his wife in St. Martinville, La. in 1786. All of my family comes from this union. I have copies of records of my families land and livestock "brand" records as well as other geneological information from the St. Martinville courthouse records. Also, as mentioned, the church records in Breaux Bridge, La. are very old and very well documented...Email me and maybe I can help you out.
CB

CB,
Did you get my E-mail

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Replying to:

Well, Hello, Cuz! I live in New Iberia, Iberia Parish (right next door to St. Martin Parish). I too was born in Arnaudville. My family's patriarch married his wife in St. Martinville, La. in 1786. All of my family comes from this union. I have copies of records of my families land and livestock "brand" records as well as other geneological information from the St. Martinville courthouse records. Also, as mentioned, the church records in Breaux Bridge, La. are very old and very well documented...Email me and maybe I can help you out.
CB