Wondered if anyone here plays a Mouton.. I have one in Bb and find it louder than a Martin, and the scale a bit larger than other makes. Nice accordion all around..

Glenn,

I don't quite understand the part about a larger "scale".

The accordion, if it is like all the rest, has, I believe, 2 partial scales and one full scale in 3 keys, Bq being the full one.

Do you mean a larger keyboard? Buttons spaced more?

By the way, what other keys (reeds) are on a Bq accordion?
Eq and F?

JB

I own a Bb as well and you're right about the scale (fingerboard and button spacing) being a bit larger. Greg builds his accordions on what he calls the old Hohner pattern that he learned from Shine Mouton. He uses a bit more wood in the overall construction of the accordion than most other makers I know and he has the widest bass box design I've ever played on. It doesn't really bother me much because of my hands but I can see how someone with smaller hands might think its a bit too bulky for comfort.

He does really great work and everyone else I know that has a Mouton loves it.

John

John's right, Greg, Falcon and myself build mostly on a Hohner pattern, pretty much all of the other builders use the Sterling pattern, which is only 1/4" shorter overall in regards to button spacing on the fingerboard. It does make a difference to some, but I learned to play on a Mouton built by Shine, and have since played on Hohner pattern boxes, when I play a Sterling I don't find any difference at all, but that's me !! Where most people see it is when they play the #1 button at the top a lot, a tad easier to reach on the Sterling pattern.

I notice when I play on one with the metric spacing (Hohner) as apposed to the 3/4", I notice for the first few notes, then my fingers adjust and I am able to mangle the song equally.

Bryan the accordion is playing in the dvd I sent you is my old John Hebert,9 button, Hohner spacing accordion. To me every accordion plays and sounds different it just takes a little time to get acquanted.
Le Piquant

I went by Greg's shop when I was back there in February. I believe he told me he would adjust button spacing to the customers needs, on a box he was building new.

He was VERY amenable to trying to creative design options too. At one point we were starting to talk about turquoise powder inlay into openings in mesquite wood. I started it by starting to talk about turquoise accents on a box, and he started thinking about mesquite wood from New Mexico or something that someone had been talking to him about.

I have a Junior Martin and an Italian Castagnari and the Italian is much smaller than the Junior Martin, but the scale is longer. The Junior Martin is 30mm/1.18 inches higher and the scale of the Martin is 183 mm/7.204 inches and the scale of the Castagnari is 193 mm/7.598 inches. Measured from the outside of the first and the last button.

Why on earth would you own something other and an Louisiana hand-made box? Did you inherit the Castignari or something?

Why would you own a Louisiana made Cajun box when you could own a Texas made Cajun box..

The Castagnari can play Cajun music..mine is in C,
but it is better suited to other styles such as Quebec and Irish...

Measuring from the outside of the buttons demonstartes nothing, button sizes vary
Measure from center to center for a meaningful number.
The Castagnari is 21 mm (about 13/16ths) center to center and approx 183mm (about 7 1/8 th) center center of the outside buttons

And the reason the Shine Mouton and subsequent Mouton boxes use the "Hohner" scale (Euro for button spread)
yup... Shine Mouton had been known to use Hohner components. There is such a box locally.. Hohner aluminum slides. There is another with Hohner reeds.
Go Hohner. Again, glad to see they are being recognized and appreciated as an influence to Cajun box makers and players.

The buttons on both accordions have the same size, so the distance from center to center is also bigger by the Castagnari.
But it's remarkable that the distance on a much smaller accordion is bigger.

You're right Dwight, I also don't understand why I ever had bought those Italian accordion to play Cajun music. But it's not a bad instrument.

Ron putting aside the Italian box at least you were smart enough to purchase the finest LA box in the Jr. Martin brand.

Glenn, Is yours new ,or old and made be Shine Mouton..
Have you looked at the reeds and sliders?

What is the center to center scale button to button and outside button to outside button, center to center ?

Is the bellows size Hohner HA 114 ? or something else ?

It's an early 90's Mouton.. hefty.. VERY LOUD.. ( louder than any Martin I've owned and played ... and the Bb helps ).. amazing woodwork..( it is literally unplayed )..
but felt my hands had shrunk slightly and it was weightier than most ( maybe because of the wood.. "long pine ? ".. dark and light combo.. very pretty.

Certainly feels like the most expensively made Cajun accordion I've played. I owned a CAJUN brand once ( the JR builder not Doucet ).. done in Some Hawaiian wood with amazing details, rounded buttons..etc. Which was impressive as well.

As far as saying one brand is better.. I thing an individual accordion can be better or better for one or more players.. but I've seen substantial variation in most major brands.. ( not bad to good )..just different.. which I think accounts for tastes..

G.

Hve you looked at the reeds and the sliders
Are the sliders aluminum ?