Welcome to old and new friends who are interested in discussing Cajun and other diatonic accordions, along with some occasional lagniappe....



CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

General Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
le Capitaine

Craig;

I am considering a D box from Danny. He has done some fine repair work on a used C Lee Begnaud that I have.

My other box is a C Acadian.

Perhaps you could give us all a report on the performance of your le Capitaine now that you have some 'miles' on it.

Peace,
Griff

Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Well, with all the talk about price increases,
I guess I need to go up too......
Jude

Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Jude..do you have a webpage for your accordions?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

No, I guess I'm not famous enough to have a web site yet.
Seriously, I only build a limited number of instruments in a year. I just can't justify the added cost of maintaining a web site.
Hey, maybe that's why those other guys charge so much. they have to pay for their web sites ???
( Sorry, I forgot I was being serious ).
Jude

Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

There/s more talk on this forum about mitered corners than the outrageous price of accordions. Almost $2000 for a box!I'm glad I didn't have to buy a Steinway when my kids decided to learn the piano.
What's in the alchemy of reed= and= bellow= making that prevents us from duplicating what "Sterling" and "Monarch" were doiing almost a century ago m(in Europe)..
how about an American-made bellow and reed. That would be a real cost-effective contribution.
Jean-Pierre

Re: Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

ya know...thats what i been wondering also...why cant we make these bellows and reeds?...its not like they are rocket science or very complicated pieces of machinery....so they been making them for hundreds of years?....your telling me an american engineer cant figure it out?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Of course, you guys can build bellows, what with some tutoring, from your cousins from Quebec (Montmagny), where the local 1 row box builders fabricate their own bellows,and everything else, except for the reeds, and you could also be learning some French in the process .
You will also as a bonus be the recipient of a really great hospitality!.

C.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Yes guys there are enginers who can duplicate the machinery but all those dies and presses cost money and you can't recoup your investment fast enough in such a small market.

Re: Acadian price increase

$800 when? new? year?

LA Gear, Rebock, Nike.... then there is Walmart ... what's up here?

While I don't know Mark Savoy from the man in the you know what... I have read some of his articles. Frankly, I sorta think he is out there somewhere in a zone that excludes many that buy his accordion, as an icon stature sorta thing. Zone? Heck, I am in my own zone .. and you? Well you got your zone, whether you know you gotta a zone or not. Mr. Mark has your zone dialed in if you think you gotta have his Arcadian squeeze box, or else your little world is gonna crumble down around the lower levels of the social arena. Ha Zone! Yep everyones got one.

Ironically, Mr. S provides quite an overview of all matters being heritage and roots etc. while he has gone on to produce some cheap versions of a foriegn made accordion on the affordable end of matters, perhaps that was then, and just a whim. Granted, he does produce a Lousiana hand made and is considered an authority on that end of musical matters. But there is a bigger picture here that I sense, for what I call shrewd white socks salesmanship. Not uncommon as a trait within the Cajun French culture, not at all.

Because I dont know this purvior of all matters dealing with accordion Acadian (Mark Savoy), I do admire his ability to apply his psychological edge of convincing the universal public that would like a hand made accordion, that his accordion is the "go to squeeze box." Convince ? (you may wonder) Of course convince.. it is clever and he is a salesman personified.

As a younger man I wore top of the line Tony Lama boots and designer jeans to accentuate those babies!
Well folks somewhere along the line, I guess I grew up and decided that I did not walk any better as a result. Now, I go for the comfort of what ever grabs me from Walmart or others places beyond the high end... as for the jeans?... If they are on a hanger and not in the hamper... they are clean and fair game regardless of BRAND.

So what's in a BRAND?
I suppose it is bragging material in some odd ball estimation. Perhaps it is what that psychological marketing tool has us believe (the vulnerable side of the human consumer market). Frankly, I think that there are more squeezers that sit on the porch and dilly dally with an accordion, than there are those that jump up on a stage and flash that Arcadian Brand for all to see.
Ironically, to extend this a bit further.. I would guess there are more accordions being sold to sincere folks outside of Louisiana at that high dollar figure, than there are enternal to the fine state of Louisiana. Shucks we could break down the economics, but why?

Whats the point (you may wonder)??
There are many brands of hand made being built today.
I walk just as comfortable in a pair of ropers that are all leather with a lesser brand name, and, my jeans are my way without that designer logo thing being the ruler of my consumer purchase. I believe some of the finest built machines (accordions) came from a man who passed on (Pointe Noir - Dick Richard) and I have yet to hear anyone mention his brand with all this stuff.

Personally, I doubt an Arcadian accordion holds any Gris Gris that is gonna make you a better player beyond what your given tallent would provide you on the essence of that long haul practice and personalized devotion to learning.

Hail to the Little Guys (builders of hand made accordions) where comfort, price and personalized service comes into focus to a mature consumer market!
Hail to the sheep that dont always follow the flock where accordions are a subject. Hail to porch squeezers . Ah hell what the heck anyhow.

This book is brought to you by .... Nonc D

Re: Acadian price increase

See my previous post. I will make quality reeds and see what can be done about making bellows. I paid $890 for a new Le Capitaine, custom built, in a case, shipped from La to MD. It took a year, but I practiced on a $150 box. It built up some muscles!
I orderd it 11/03 and received it 1/05. It is holding up without flaw. There's a picture of it over at the yahoo picture gallery or I can send you one. I hang my head, it has butt joints. It plays and sounds great!

Re: Acadian price increase

It is ACADIAN not ARCADIAN, and I am a Larry Miller man, BON CAJUN. Marc has been building since 1960. I guess thats why his name come up so much. I have an Acadian, but I prefer my BON CAJUN.

Re: Re: Acadian price increase

I love Larry's boxes.. well made and superb prices ( like Jude's ).. .. I know other players and builders who don't share my opinion, but that doesn't matter .

Marc's name comes up because he taught several other major builders.. generously sharing his blueprints and secrets... There are equally good or better accordions now. I found a newly made poly coated ( not varnish ) Acadian once which I thought was far inferior to the older boxes in many ways.

Oh.. I think that Arcadian spelling was no error.. just irony..

G.

butt joints

i don;t care about joints, but it;s funny
i was just looking at my larry miller
bon cajun and my dick richard/point noir -
they both have BUTT JOINTS!

there should be a song about that..

the butt thang

too late actually
check horace trahan;s zydeco cd
great cd too

wle.

Re: Acadian price increase

I guess as long as it makes great sounding Authentic, Cajun music, it shouldn't matter what it looks like or who built it.

Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Ecellent observations.

I mean it could be an HA114,or a Regal, or even an Ariette, that is if you're playing by yourself,and if your tuning is dead on Cajun, but you would not go on stage with any one of those,would you?, that would not be authentic enough .

C.

Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

I agree that tuning, reed quality ( and quantity ) as well as playing ability go way beyond the brand name game or "looks" in making Cajun music .

Any comments about piano accordion Cajun music then ??..

Glenn

Re: Re: Re: Re: Acadian price increase

ultimately, seems like the title of that country gospel song hits the nail on the head: "The touch of the master's hand". Doesnt' matter how fine the instrument if you don't know how to make it sing; and it doesn't matter how low grade -- if you know what you doing you'll make it sing. Of course,if you combine a quality instrument with quality hands....

Re: Re: Acadian price increase

Cajungreeneyes,

Do you really prefer your Bon Cajun to the Acadian? That really surprises me. I'm really partial to the keyboard and sound of my Acadian C box, though I understand that every box -- regardless of the builder -- has its own feel.

I don't want to gush too much over my own "brand", but I've always thought of Marc as a true innovator in the art of accordion-building. His boxes have a playability that I find unmatched elsewhere.

Granted, "feel" is very subjective, but I think that the reputation of Acadians as being the "standard" is very well deserved.

The quality of Quebecois boxes is also extremely high, particularly in terms of craftsmanship, but their keyboards have a very different feel (more of an Irish style).



Jamey Hall's most excellent Cajun Accordion Music Theory

Brett's all new Cajun Accordion Music Theory for all keys!

LFR1.gif - 1092 Bytes The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week

augusta.gif - 6841 Bytes

Listen to Some GREAT Music While You Surf the Net!!
The BEST Radio Station on the Planet!