Hebert nice to see your still part of this group

"That ole time sound"? It's no secret, and I know exactly what it is and how it is produced. You have to understand the difference between the "old" reeds and the new ones, and, there is the "age" factor. So here it is: Back in the day, they called them "blue steel reeds". They were made in Germany. They were mounted on some type of heavy metal plates, not like the light aluminum plates of today. They didn't quite have the tight fit between the reed tung and the slot in the plate. This gave a very slight "hissing" to the sound, due to the air by-pass. The reed tung itself was not as "heavy-duty" as the new Italian reeds of today. This is one factor of the "ole time sound" The last factor would be, that back then, they didn't have the modern "Strobe" tuners that we enjoy today. Therefore, they had to cut the reeds more to get they in tune. This caused the reed tung to be "thinner". It's the combination of the "smaller", "thinner" reed tung, along with the slight air by-pass, and the heavy plate, and the "not so air tight" instrument, that gave it "that sound".
"I've seen reeds from these old instruments that were "cut" so much and were so thin, the the very end of the reed tung actually was curling up slightly. THAT'S where "that sound" is coming from!
The closest I've ever heard to one of these old Sterlings or Monarchs would be Hohner reeds, or, Ray Abshires "C" that has Salpa #2 reeds that have been cut several times by Randy, just to get close to "that" sound.

There you have it!!

Thanks Jude. Well Said!

Hey Randy, been ok? Its accordion season again. I'm stirring out of hybernation. Pulling them out from under my bed to see how they fared the summer.

Jude, thanks for that breakdown. I can't imagine the amount of time and effort it took for you to first ask the question, then find the answer to the mystery of the old timey sound! Very attentive of you and honorable to want to share the information for free.

And to think, when they made those old sterlings and reeds, they probably never gave a second thought as to how people would come to think of them as "sought after" or "valuable" in the future to come, when players would be searching for accordions with a "soul" so to speak.

I had a D accordion made in Scott with Salpa #2s. It was loud but had a sterile sound, nothing like the accordion posted. Sold it...

Those reeds have to be broken in to reach their potential. Also, the tuning is probably important. I have a C and D with Salpas and like the sound. The Binci has more bass. Its a matter of taste. I prefer Salpa or Hohner over Binci. The Hohner seems to go out of tune faster. Nathan Abshire used Hohner.

Jude, thank you for that insider explanation, very cool to understand more about the sounds we come to love.