I got it for $1500. As I understand it, they are normally made in C and D, and sell for about $2500. But there is an unknown extra charge for other keys.

The one I got is used, but in excellent condition, so it seems to be a great deal.

Congrats David. I hope we can count on you to post recordings with that box when you get it. My experience in the accordion world is limited, but I've heard nothing but good about those boxes.

John in Oregon

If you open it up.. the date of manufacture is usually stamped on the reede blocks.

There is no upcharge for other keys. Reeds are reeds.

I have owned 54 accordeons.. of that 14 have been Castagnaris including three of the Melodeons.. That is what the single row 10 button Castagnari is called.

One English importer called it the MAX and you will often see it referred to by many players.

I havbe owned mnay one rows, Custom made Quebec boxes, off brands, custom made "Cajun" boxes and Castagnaris. Castagnaris are my favorites, I currently own a D box. I have owned two others including a "C".

The majority of Cajin made boxes are "folk art" compared to a Castagnari... in spite of the insistence of using Binci reeds and therefore an attempt at escalating their worth and value.

Castagnari continues to use TAM reeds from Armoniche and their offshoots.

Congratulations in upgrading. Fine box and a very good deal.

Worth $2k on the open market presuming excellent condition.

BTW there were two different sizes of Castagnari Melodeons over the years..small then a large and then back to the original smaller size.

Somewhere I have saved a photo of them side by side.

Silence says it all.

Question for the tribe at large:

How many of you own,or have played, a Castagnari one row ?

Question two:

How many of you have said, or posted, there is no single row 10 button accorde(i)on as good as an LA hand made,but have never played a Castagnari?

Observation:

I have played quite a few "hand made" LA boxes, including the two most revered,(though not necessarily made by the brand builder) and I have owned and played Texas made boxes. There are boxes made in Louisiana and Texas that rival if not exceed, the quality and value of the "hand made LA boxes" by the famous makers.

Jude Moreau and John Doucet come to mind.

I have offered to send my Castagnari to a couple builders, (my expense),
to date, no takers.

No offense..

but this is my vision of Cajun culture at large... like Mormons and Catholics..no exposure to the outside to preserve "purity". and defend the status quo.


Over the years I have been rather generous with information.

My conclusion is that .. this is considered an intrusion and endangers "mediocrity" as the standard.

I love folk art.,. I am a folk artist. definition on request.. and I am a devotee of tradition and history and culture, .but c'mon...

The one row accordion was invented by an Armenian immigrant to Austria in 1829 and ripped off by Hohner, and Monarch and others and imported by the tens of thousands and mass marketed by catalogues and became "Cajun"... ?

Castagnari started building these in 1914.

There is a difference between 60 years experience and one year's experience times 60.

I know someone who has thought real hard and often about that offer of looking at it.

I started with a Castagnari in C and later I bought one in D and you're absolutely right about the quality, playability, sound .........
Funny is that the buttons on the right side are further from eachother and the box is smaller. If you open the box you only see craftmanship inside just like the outside. All reeds are standing up in two reedblocks and that's a different with the LA-boxes which have the same reeds configuration as the old Monarch, Globe, Regal and Sterling boxes. People who have any knowledge of this instrument says that the sound of the Castagnari is a bit different than that from the boxes from LA. I play a Junior Martin(C) and a Falcon(D) and I prefer them. I own my Castagnari (D) still and I can't say any negative about it and Peer is right about the use in other styles of music and for the two and three rows it's the same quality. But they costs some money, but you get a lot for it.
Evil Emil and the King Kong Cobra's play only Castagnari with an internal mike. Link#2

Never heard of Evil Emil before - a most excellent Zydeco groove!