does any one have any info on an accordion that steve plays that has 3 extra buttons on the keyboard? (brand? key or keys? manufacturer?) it has piqued my interest. MERCI
Shawn, I think you should just ignore that 13 button accordion which may not even exist. That amount of buttons is just bad luck, and possibly you'd have to have finger implants to be able to finger them all. What the hell, Steven didn't have enough with 10? Wanting a 13 button accordion is like marrying a girl with double DD's and offering to pay for her to get Tripple EEE's
Steve's was made by Eric Martin in France. The extra notes(I think), are G#/Bb, D#/C#, Bb/F#. I made a 13 button box with a slightly different layout. Fills in those missing flats and sharps from the musical scale, but as always with a diatonic accordion, the pushing and pulling creates limitations and compromises.
Pretty sure I saw and heard Bryan's 13-button box at Augusta last summer. Beautiful instrument, and in the hands of a skilled player (e.g., Chris Miller) it makes some wonderful sounds.
I don't know anything about a 13 button accordion owned by Steve Riley, but link #1 will lead you to a demonstration of the Canadian "Accordéon Bouchard", which has 14 buttons.
Note all the different keys you can play on that instrument.
Link#2 shows Steve with Doug Kershaw playing Lake Arthur Stomp.
I can't see or hear if he's using the three plus-buttons.
I heard the first time at the festival Saulieu 2013 that Eric was building an accordion like this.
It's discussed earlier here, so if you want to know more , search for it with Eric Martin.
Bryan's description of the layout of Steve's is correct. The one Bryan built for me is different, more chromatic. It also has 5 stops and another set of bass reeds to play in 3rd position. It's #29 on Bryan's L'Anse Grise Accordion web site. I've got a video of Chris Miller playing mine at Augusta, but no idea how to post it here.
These are accordeons made by and for professionals with mitered corners and exquisite workmanship. Less than the price of the average top 3 Louisiana made top three accordeons.