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Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Thanks so much for all the information.

You're right that the pickings seem slim out there, though I can't figure out why. I heard Junior Martin saying he makes 100 boxes a year, Savoy must make quite a few as well, and their output combined with that of all the smaller makers has to total something like 400-500 accordions a year in the $2,000+ price range. Who's buying all these boxes?

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Europeans and Brits used to buy them when the exchange rate was in their favor.

Curious what your budget might be.


Personally, I'd buy a hand made box by the builder that purports to build them rather than the "high end" who do not necessarily ,entirely, make their accordeons. No individually builder is likely to make 100 boxes a year; example Martin.

I would much prefer a LaFleur or a Moreau or Doucet box.



Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

No real budget per se, though I would prefer not to get much over $2K.

I don't really buy the notion that a good accordion must be made "entirely" by the named builder. Lots of the components of an accordion are outsourced (bellows, reeds), and once volume reaches a certain level it makes sense for a builder to oversee one or more assistants in the building rather than to do it directly himself. As long as he really is overseeing the work (and none of these guys are producing at a level that would lead to neglect of their brand), I don't really see an issue. If anything, a builder may be tougher on an assistant than he would be on himself -- i.e., more willing to demand rework if something doesn't quite meet his standards.

And as I said in my original post, I'd be delighted to find an appropriately discounted used L'Anse Grise or Bon Temps. But for $2,200, I'd rather buy a used Martin than a new L'Anse Grise, not because I think the Martin is better (I don't), but because if I want or need to sell it sometime in the future, I can do so without taking a 25-30% hit (which in my experience is fairly typical -- and consistent with the figures Nedro provided).

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

You are correct when you buy from a named brand builder such as Martin you will not lose money. I purchased my first Martin at a pawn shop for $1250 this was many years ago and sold it 2 yrs later for $1650 so you will not lose money if you need to sell it. Martin is my choice and has always been just because of how Jr treats his customers.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Gat dam! Accordions cost that much now?!!! Glad Im done searching and spending. You guys just don't get it do ya? You're spending too much and missing the whole point and meaning of "The Simple Cajun Way". Get back to the basics and the original artist if you want to posess the key to the door that is locked.

THE OLD CAJUN MASTERS PLAYED ALL THAT AWESOME MUSIC AND LEARNED ALL THAT AWESOME TECHNIQUE ON $50 DOLLAR ACCORDIONS!!!!!!!!!! SOME OF THEM ORDERED FROM SEARS AND ROEBUCK. Geezus, wake up folks. You can't buy a lifestyle. You have to earn it.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Maybe those accordions cost only $50, but that was many decades ago, so your point is not valid.

You didn't mention any specific year for your hypothetical $50 accordion, but let's just say it was 1935. What would that same accordion cost in 2015?

It turns out that the rate of inflation between 1935 and 2015 is almost 2000%. Therefore, your $50 accordion would cost about $1000 in todays dollars.

That's a lot less than the handmade LA boxes of today, but the handmades are of significantly higher quality than the old imported boxes - particularly the reeds and bellows, which together represent a very significant portion of the cost of an accordion.

I would say that the best of of the old imports would be the Monarchs and the Sterlings. Did they cost $50 back then? I don't know. But I do know that there were many other brands back then which were pure crap. Were those the $50 accordions? I don't know.

I think the point you are trying to make is that maybe a beginner does not need to spend $2000 to get started. You can make a case for that. But, what would you get?

The choices are in 2 categories. First the el-cheapo Chinese crap boxes. I don't know what they sell for now - they used to be $300 and are probably still less than $500. But, they REALLY REALLY suck. They will slow you down and get in your way. They would be a major impediment in your learning process. Are they that bad? Yes, they are.

The second category would be boxes like the Gabanelli Cajun King, and the Hohner HA-114. These are vastly superior to the first group. I don't know the current cost, but the Cajun Kings sold for $600 to $800 range a few years ago. I would say that this group of accordions compares favorably to the best of the old imports. Also, the price range with inflation is about the same: $1000. These accordions are a much better choice for a beginner on a budget. My first accordion was in fact a Hohner HA-114. I played it hard for a year and then stepped up to my first Acadian.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Marc Savoy puts the price/wage ratio into perspective. His father was considering the purchase of an accordion at a young age. The accordion was $14 and his wages were $0.50 a day, and consequently his dad never saved up enough to buy a box.

If it took 28 days' wages to buy an accordion then, today's $2,600 (Martin) accordion would equate to $11.61 per hour. Add the overburden of statutory Social Security and Unemployment Compensation insurance that didn't exist in the $0.50/day wage era, the hourly rate is $12.81 per hour for a workin' hand. This indicates that values have remained fairly constant.

The main difference today is that the purchase price goes directly to the builder, as opposed to being divided among the dealers, distributors, importers, and German manufacturers in early times. Louisiana comes out on top, and the accordions are better than ever!


Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

My point remains valid. You don't need a golden accordion to become a master. What you need is a functional truely tuned accordion and a whole lot of time and practice..................................and the patience that would choke a camel. You all strive to play like the masters for a reason. Some of you unfortunates strive to play like Marc Savoy or Steve Riley, etc. But for the most part, every accordion player should try to accomplish what the masters accomplished. And that cannot be bought nor sold nor accomplished sooner than 25 years. Not only that, it takes time to hear as many different versions of songs as possible. You have to hear the originals, the versions of the later generations, and the versions of the modern day players. Then you have to choose then master the version you want to play. And try to make it your own instead of sounding like a freakin parokeet with no brain.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Dont forget, and burn it into your brains. Those ole imported reeds were german made I speculate on most of them. They are sought after to this day. I have said it before and I will say it again. The Benci reed is not all its said to be. On the price of modern day Louisiana made accordions, I would pay up to 1500, but with much hesitation and demands on the tuning, button and bellow action, weight, block sizes,and the overall looks. When a builder wants to charge me that much money, he better be more than willing to give up some trade secrets willingly and some information on his product that would help me to know what i'm purchasing. He also better be willing to retune it for free at least twice as my ear grows more sensitive in the search for the sound I want. As I see it, with experience, the serious player tends to want a certain sound and feel to the accordion that inspires play and that pulls on the heart and soul of both the player and the listener. He does not want the generic blazee' sound that the builder will try to pass off as the normal tuning. I've watched old masters grab an accordion and play it just a little bit and hand it back to the owner and not say much. Then, I've seen them grab another accordion on rare occasion, play a song, then turn to the owner and say, "I'll buy that accordion right now! How much you want for it?" because it had the feel and it had that sound. You charge me over 2000 for an accordion and it had better have that feel and that sound right off the assembly line got dammit! Hell, the dam thing ought to wake me up in the morning and have breakfast ready and waiting, and it ought to swallow for that price. And that is not usually the case for those of us in the know.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

"Hell, the dam thing ought to wake me up in the morning and have breakfast ready and waiting"

Always something else to strive for in building.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

...maybe a little lagniappe for the $1500 model? And while you're at it, maybe a bottle opener on the end plate.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

The Guy:

"Truely" is actually spelled truly.
"Benci" is Binci.
I would recommend getting the basics down.
The "desired" reeds of the early 20th century were DIX reeds.. the only current supplier costs more than a set of Binci Pros.

Here is my suggestion..
Build your own accordeon to the quality you expect others to build for $1500 and see if you would sell it for that, and if yours would measure up.

Other points, even the Saxon/Bohemian/German/Austrian accordeons of the early 1900s were hand made, even more-so than now.

On a point of agreement, great music has been made on inexpensive instruments.
I have own many one rows including teens cheapies, hand Made Cajun (they are not all made in LA, some are made elsewhere such as Texas)
Currently I play an Italian made Castagnari. I also have and play, three Hohner HA models 112,113,114 all dating from the 50s. My favorite of the bunch is my GGFs 1880 hand made 2 1/2 row 6 bass with leather bellows and pitched in D/G (rare) It is a daily player.

Prove your point.. get an HA 114, tweak it and go for it. Johnny Connolly has played Hohners for 60 years, no finer one row player. See if you can match his skill level. I believe he also owns and plays a Cajun made unit but he prefers the Hohners.. Check You Tube for examples of his playing.

Another point LaFleur and Moreau are not "new" builders and are at the top of my list for a true Cajun built instrument along with John Doucet.

Another point.. if you think that Martin and Savoy and Falcon are the pinnacle of accordion building, you need to get out more.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Well now The Guy..
No huevos to respond ?

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

When you see so fit as to correct my fk'n spelling right off the bat, I don't rate you as being worth much. So move on. You fail to recognize where I'm coming from and what I'm all about, therefore I see you as a one jump chump that got insulted by the truth I was putting down, and you needed to one up me or "get me back" in your own english teacher kind of way. Do you go to jam sessions to learn and contribute, or do you show up to jam sessions to dominate the local competition and show everyone who's the boss? You probably break out with some Steve Riley tunes you learned from his Tutorial DVD on the first songs dont ya? That's all I have for you there Gold Fingers. He corrected my fk'n spelling....geez.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

He's an angry elf!

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

I disagree.

He's a grandstanding, illiterate, ignorant, self absorbed, insulting individual intent on educating those who have seen other "The Guy" s come and go.

Check his posts in other threads.

You could do that but he has managed to have them eliminated. Stand up guy.

May I suggest going over to melodeon.net and see how long you last there.

Re: "Good" Prices on Used LA Boxes?

Pistol Pete. See ya around bub. Take care of them fingers ok? I want them nice and uninjured when I shake your hand. You'll know me by the handshake.



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