That is a nice looking accordion. Curious...What does the price amount to in U.S. $ ??

Dave

. . . I think the Gabb Cajuns are overrated lately here.. great beginner box ( but you can find them cheaper )..great road box.. but NOT an LA box at all.

I feel this hybrid Italo-Acadian is the same thing, I had one years ago and sold it immediately.. the only thing Cajun about it was the name..it was a huge disappointment.

G.

$750 euros would be $1030 or so. I agree that this box is probably equivalent to a Gabb "King". It is priced just about equal to one.

Personally, I think the Cajun King is much more than a beginner's box. I have heard accusations that the volume of a King is weak, the reeds are not good, the construction is cheap, etc etc. Maybe these problems, if they really existed, have been addressed. I don't see it in mine. True, it is a factory made instrument, but it is far from cheap. It is a well made middle quality accordion that should serve anyone well. I have compared it side by side with a Martin and it holds up well.

I think that there are others on the forum who will support your claims..and others who disdain the Gab.

I am somewhere in the middle..it has its place and serves the needs of all who purchase it.

On the other hand a very detailed look into cost of materials and production and performance..and I will vouch for any LA brand box at any price.

G.

I accept your wisdom and experience in the matter. A decent factory box like a Gabb is better than no box at all, that's for sure.

I agree totally.

the best box for sure is the one you can afford, and the one you are playing the most..and the one you are playing right now..

G.

Glenn, I dont think Marc farmed out work for his ACADIAN to anyone in Italy. I think this is a copy of one of MARC's boxes or they took one of Marc's boxes and put their own hardware on it.

FWIW ..

I think that this topic had been brought up previously,
leading to a similar conclusion.

I suppose that one could just phone Mark & ask him ..

But I recall the consensus being that these units are
not a Mark Savoy product :-)

--Big

I had heard rumours ( perhaps unfounded ) that there was a period when a basic model was being made and that it was made to specs in italy.

I have no idea whether true or not.

G

Yes, Marc did have an arrangement with an Italian company , to manufacture instruments using the "Acadian" name. It's no big secrect. If I remember correctly, I was told that Marc did this in an effort to offer a lower selling price on his "Acadian" instrument. Kind of like a "B",line if you will. The few that I've seen, seemed to be a good playing and sounding accordion. Supposedly, they were to be built on Marc's specs for the keyboard and reed block configuration.
Jude Moreau

Then just as I thought, a decent lower cost alternative to a hand-built box that can be delivered immediately...no 6 month wait (and they are worth the wait). I'd love someone to compare this "Acadian" with a Gabb "Cajun King". It may be a better box for about the same price.

I have had a Acadian C box, clearly marked "Made In Italy", for many years. I took it by Marc's on a Louisiana trip a few years ago, and he said he had contracted with an Italian accordion maker to produce them in an attempt to reduce production costs. Apparently that didn't work out long-term as the costs to produce in Italy increased. I'm no accordion construction expert (I can't even remember if the corners are mitred), but do know the reed blocks are configured a bit differently than most LA accordions - all upright (perpendicular to the faceplate) rather than two banks flat against the faceplate. I think that reduces the volume a bit.

Quite a few good players have tried it, and most say it's a pretty good box. Had it tuned at Jr's shop in April - grandson Joel thought the buttons were too low, but liked it otherwise.

I value, and frankly take better care of, my Martin D more, but the Italian box has quick action, fast bellows, and sounds OK to me with both internal and external mikes. It's well traveled, and I've been very well satisfied for the $800 bucks I spent on it many years ago.

All the boxes made in Italy have upright and removable reed blocks. This incluces the Gabs etc. However I don't see why that would reduce the volume of the box because the builders in Quebec use the same type reed blocks and their accordions are loud.

I've yet to find a European made Cajun box that compares in any way to an LA box. I know the builders here, I've seen them built.. there is just plain no comparison. I'll take an italian triple row any day..and an entry level Cajun box ( ahem.. I do suspect they are not built in Italy..and have heard some quotes on cost of building them.. and you can bet the profit margin is MUCH larger than on an LA box ).

As much as I love and defend italian accordions ( I've lived and worked with them here for 25 yrs. ).. they will never reach the quality of any of our LA / TX builders, even if the materials are Italian.. they are a different breed altogether.

I stand to be corrected I am sure.. but take any LA box and any Euro Cajun box and compare them ( not the price or wait, but the quality ).. and you will see that they do things differently in LA.

Italian boxes are strictly production line. Each LA box is different..but any is better than an Euro Cajun box.

G.

Didn't mean to step into the middle of a p***ing match here, just trying to provide factual info on the question way up above of whether an accordion with the "Acadian" trademark also marked "Made in Italy" is actually connected to Marc Savoy. Mine is, can't vouch for anything beyond that.

Is my Martin a better box? In most ways, clearly yes. But the C Italian/Acadian has been a good instrument, and paid for itself many times over through gigs and teaching.

It's all good, keep squeezin'.

My claims are not about Italian acadians..it is about Italian Cajun boxes ( Gabb , Saltarelle, and all the others )..

They serve their purpose and pay their way..

IMHO they don't come close to LA boxes.. ( I've owned most brands. ).. and the LA boxes are worth the money even if expensive.

G.

The adage that you do get what you pay for is oh so true in most cases and I am very much looking forward to buying my first LA box. My efforts with my Gabb will probably show when I do. I expect that the LA box will be a revelation in a year or so when my skills improve to a level where a hand made box will make a difference. In the mean time, I'm having a great time learning to play on my Gabb.

there are a few european cajun accordion builders, which make good accordions. But they are all different.(van der Leeuw, Eric Martin and don't forget our forum member from Finland (Crawfish; Although I never played one of his, but he can play on it like hell).
Even the Castagnari Max is being played (by Ron)well as a cajun instrument although I (since I had one myself) think it is better for Irish music. Plays fast, extremely responsive (good quality antonelli reeds) loud, but is a little too unstable. And there is more distance between the buttons (almost 10%).

Gus

I agree Gus. I was referring to economy and mid-range Cajun Euro models. The independent builders like Eric and Van der Leeuw.. I consider at least on par with LA builders. Yes, they are different.. not always what LA box players want.. tone, space, managebility, weight etc. I for one would never consider playing Cajun with a Castagnari but have alot of respect for them and the previously mentioned builders.

G.

Glenn,

I am very happy 'swapping' my castagnari for the acadian I got from you. Talking about playing Cajun, of course. It's just much more fun, especially when playing on the knee with the thumbstrap only. Then weight doesn't matter, rather have a heavier and more stable one, is my opinion.

See you in Saulieu?

Gus

See you in Saulieu.. you can give me lessons ! ..

I may have a couple interesting boxes with me.. an Acadian done "Sterling style".. and a Bb box.. depends on the wife's OK..

I mainly play triple row..

G

I am very happy with my two Castagnari Max.
They are both instruments of high quality and play very fine and also very loud.
The air-button is situated on another place, but I'm used to it and I have some trouble if I get a LA-box to play on.
The box is smaller than a LA-box, but the distances between the buttons are bigger!!! (Gus wrote)
Also the grip on the bass-side is bigger and not rounded.
Since they are tuned dry and cajun they sound a lot better.
The D-box plays lighter than my C-box.
I wonder if that's allways with a C and a D-box ?
When I'm lucky to play on a Savoy, Miller or Martin, I realize that the LA-boxes are different.
In the meantime, I keep on dreaming of having one myself.

THAT'S the ticket, Albert! He's right, guys. This is pretty funny...

hello sarah, welcome to the madness, lol Thank goodness for the good ole ACADIAN

I bought a D Acadian once... opened it up and was shocked to see " Re " written in Italian calligraphy inside. This Acadian, was much different than any I'd played or owned. I can't say it was Italian, and wouldn't support unproven claims of Italian Acadians..but I must admit the writing inside did come as a shock.

On a separate note: if you buy reedblocks for triple rows from Hohner, you'll see some pretty strange, non-native English calligraphy on the boxes indicating tone and serial numbers. My Chinese students write just like what I see on the boxes. The German calligraphy on the inspection tags is completely different.

CSI Italy . G:)))

. . . wanted to add, that I did not claim that Marc farmed out Acadians to Italy. I do know it has been a widespread rumour ( urban myth?? ) for many years now.

. . . I don't think it really matters. What would matter is if some Euro builder were cloning Acadians. If Marc did a deal with some builder, then, he must have known what he was doing.

G.( proud owner of two Acadians..: )))

proud collector/owner of two MARC SAVOY ACADIANS, ( one ten button, one nine button (lil red), one nine button BON CAJUN & one POINTE NOIR courtesy of larry( merci beaucoup mr. english )

Albert,

I particularly like the red Acadian 9 buttons, very pretty.

Looks like an oldie.

Claude.