I'm getting closer to ordering a Gab Cajun King in Bb. For reeds, they use "cagnoni dural or salpa tipo a mano". However, you can upgrade to Binci reeds for a resonable nominal fee. Does anyone know about the quality of Cagnoni or Salpa Tipo a mano reeds?
Maz

Hi Maz...

Cagnoni were the standard reeds in all Gabbanellis for many many years.. and in some of the best years of Gabb production.. they are fine reeds.

Salpas too are good..and in Cajun boxes.. some prefer them..

I think ANY brand which is tipo a mano or a mano is worth having.

Honestly to have the fat BINCI handmade sound in a Gabbanelli Cajun box.. would be like fuel injecting an economy car..

Personally I see the KING as an entry level accordion..or road box.. to toss in the truck and not worry about... and would want standard factory reeds in it.

But that is just me ! .. If I could play like you I would want a LA box ! : ))

G.

I'm enjoying my Gabb C box and feel it is the equal of most, but I'm beginning to feel that Glen may be right when it comes to someone with real skill. The price of a LA box is just not that much more (unless you go for a Falcon or Point Noir which may be command real premiums). Now, if you want a Bd box or some other key that you won't be playing as much as your C box, then go for the Gabb and why not put Binci reeds in it?

It's like when I think of my cameras...my Leica M's have no equal and their exquisite craftmanship makes photography so intuitive and instinctual that it is difficult to describe. My guess is that a highly skilled player will immediately be able to tell the difference between a Gabb and a fine LA box. Someone who is still in the learning process may not notice any difference. That is what Marc Savoy told me when I went to him to buy my first accordion. He told me not to get one of his custom boxes to learn on, but to get a Hohner 114 instead. He was right. Now that I have progressed, I do find the Gabb has helped me gain skill, however the subtlties of an Acadian or its equal would probably still be wasted on me at this point. Give me two or three years and I'll get me one. As for you...? That is your decision.

I do think Gabbanelli makes very nice instruments.

I totally agree with you ( and Marc's ) judements..on the quality of box ( and materials ) matching the purpose and skills of the player..( my talent is wasted on both LA boxes and Leicas for sure ).

I don't totally agree that the Gabb is a "quality" accordion per se. I do think it wholly serves its purposes and .. I can't objectively say it is worth the money.

Lots of people are happy with them.. others ( as echoed n this forum over the years ) have issues with them.

The issue of purpose and ability is not one of those issues. The issue of comparison of quality to price and some questionable advertising claims that surfaced some time ago..did become issues.

Most of that has blown over by now..and I think all of us are more into the music than dissing brands. Our accordion "thang" keeps us comparing and judging.. but we all know that it is not always rationally based..and mostly a question of taste.. like most "thangs" in life..

Grab our Gabbs and fly our Falcons.. in the end it is the music which counts..

Amen..

G.

Bien dit neg.

You must be involved into linguistics .

Claude.

Now I am definitely going to get a good LA box someday. In the mean time, i'll enjoy listening to the music and playing it (as best I can) on my Gabb. The music is indeed why we are all here...

Thanks guys for the input. I had the chance to try out a Gab Cajun King in Bb a few months ago and get a good feel for it. Assuming you can get a Gab all in for about $1K and a LA-made all in for about $2K, I say on the quality/price ratio, you're getting about 75% of the quality at 50% of the cost. That's a pretty good compromise to me. My Acadian is in D and my Bon Cajun in C. This Bb would be a third box that I would acquire (exluding my initial Ariette which I am still holding), and not my main key. Besides, if I spend $2K, I'm in for some serious discussions with my better half (wife), and I always try to avoid that...
All things considered, I think I will go with the Cajun King Bb with regular reeds... The additional cost for Binci reeds would be $175... Based on Glenn's input, I'm comfortable with that. That's my final answer...

I say, if Chris Ardoin and J.Paul use 'em, the Gabs don't suck at all. A buddy of mine has two of 'em and they sound and play decent. Hold yer own, Maz!

R!CK
(Falcon & Martin snob)

For what it's worth I have a Gabb in A that is internally miced. I brought it in for a minor repair at Alex Accordions on 48th St. in NYC and he loved the sound of the reeds. Un miced it is a little anemic but plugged in it is fine. You will enjoy it. And, I like the aluminum slides instead of wood. JMHO.

Could some one please post a picture of the Gabbenelli Cajun King. I am curious about this accordion, not having seen one. Thanks.

Here's pic on link #3. It's from a post of a few days ago. There's also link #2. Not bad looking.

The Gabb would make a good option for a key you rarely play in and you want a better than Ariette box.. so yes, good value for the money. They are certainly cheaper to build. I think they would make a good "road box" for gigging where you don't want to worry about your accordion being stolen or damaged..

The main contentions with the Gabbs were with some bloated claims about materials and craftmanship.. these are assembly line accordions and would not like to venture into where they are built.

They remain a step above an Ariette..but are no where close to an LA box .. functional is the right word and easier on your wallet.

G.

They're also available in several different colors.

Also, if you do change the plastic stops for wooden ones, and replace the plastic caps ( at both ends of the treble board) for brass or wooden ones, you would have a pretty good facsimile Cajun box. Well, not far off anyways.

I'm sure Jr, would sell you 4 wooden stops and the end metalor wooden blocks you can make yourself.

Just a though.

No mitters though.

Plastic stops??? My Gabb King has brass stops. I think the plastic pearl buttons and the plastic pearl end covers look pretty good.

The King does not come with strap brackets, but Mike will put them on for about $10.

Dare I admit that I got mine from Mike off ebay, direct from the factory and paid only $675.00 plus shipping ?

mmm that's a very good price you got...

Quite right, the stops are metal.

Also, your Gabb, has some attributes that most LA boxes don't have namely:
Despite the "absence" of mitters, John, judiciously, or I think it was his deceased dad whom asked his builders to use corner brackets wide enough to "cover" the butt joints offending cross grain on the all the frame corners,
Also, the "logo" design on the end plates is not partially "hidden" as it's the case on most LA built boxes, that is the decorative floral motif beeing somewhat "buried" beind the treble board thickness.
And "finally" I just love the fact that the long " dadoed" grooves on the sides of the frames , STOP before each corners.

Why, do I love it, well, for the only reason, that the metal corners don't show any space under them, they rest as they should on a flat surface, not "bumpy"
Cosmetics, like hell, good design, off course.
That's why I love "Falcon" boxes.

Would I buy a Gabb, ,yes as a second or distant second, if I was say into Zydeco music heavily, and needed something different, "funky" like.

But would I show up at one of Marc Savoy sporting a colored Gabb, not a chance, not withstanding the fact, that i'm probably because of my views on box building "personna non grata" there:)

But if I can spring some 700 bucks for a Gabb, I "know" that I can eventually find the rest to buy an LA made one.

SoI would try to buy an LA box before that with off course some "attributes" I like.

Claude.

I used to be into fine woodworking (Used to be?...hey a guy can't do everything) and I do appreciate the details in hand work of every kind. That is one of the reasons I use Leica cameras. I take all of your comments about the Gabbanelli to heart, Claude, and plan on saving my pennies to eventually buy an LA box. In the mean time, I needed something "better" than a Hohner 114 to learn with and happened to get a great deal on the Gabbanelli. I doubt I would have paid the full retail for one. Because I know that I could have found a used Acadian, Miller, Bon Ton, or (prayers come true) a Point Noir for not too much more. Hell, I have a Leica asperical 24mm lens that cost me $2400 used! I am not reluctant to pay for quality.

You think the people at the Saturday morning jam at Savoy Music would turn me away with my Gabb? Hmmm. Maybe I need to talk to Mr. Martin.

They wouldn't turn you away, me they will, fer shure .

That would be silly and snobish.