DAN TURPENING'S
ACCORDION SHOPPE
REPAIR SERVICES
REED WORK / TUNING
Reed work including waxing, leathers, and tuning
BELLOWS
ACTION
Repair of metal corners, gussets, and tape
Rebuilding of treble and bass action and mechanisms including free bass
ABOUT ME AND MY
SHOPPE
It seems I've always had a wrench in my hand from a very early age, starting on old Italian cars before I could drive.
Then I fell in love with accordions after seeing an old Italian film. I then found myself in Duluth putting my love of repair and accordions together and attended the Accordion Repair and Technicians School under the direction of Dr Helmi Harrington, graduating in 95'.
Fast forward to 99' and I found NE Mpls and the historic Thorpe Building. On a whim, my sister and I rented a studio there to make art. Life happened, and before long the art studio became the accordion repair shop. I've been there ever since, repairing accordions for clients locally and all across the country, giving lessons, and performing myself at weddings, birthdays, puppet shows, and other events for over 20 years.
Please let me know if I can help you.
This summer on Saturday July 12th from noon to 4pm I'll be strolling thru the beautiful Art at St Kates Fair on the grounds of The College of St Catherine in St Paul. I've been doi g this event for years and always look forward to it.
Also this summer I'll be accompanying puppet shows again with the Open Eye Theatre all thru out the Twin Cities and beyond. It's their "Driveway Tour" and runs June thru August.
Public Performances
ACCORDIONS FOR SALE
I have refurbished all accordions and concertinas listed. All are guaranteed for 2 years and come with quality straps and a hard case.
Note there is a restocking fee of 20% for returns.
Mengascini "C" system 96 bass $4,200
Here is a beautiful and unusual Italian made Mengascini C system 4 row made in the traditional French style. It is a 3 reed LMM on the treble section with 4 sets of reeds in the bass. It is a fairly recent build, using hand made reeds and using the traditional French method of eschewing reed wax in favor of pining the reeds over a cork gasket on the wood reed blocks. Another traditional feature is that it trades the diminished row of chords for a minor counter bass, to help facilitate bass runs. The bass section reeds go to a very deep low E below normal C. The smooth and quiet treble action has a very wide range. All buttons are functional. It ranges from a low D# below normal F on a piano accordion to C# above the normal A for a range of nearly 4 octaves. The reed blocks are arranged in 3 groups. One for each row, taking into account the duplicate row. It didn't need alot of work, I worked on the action and went over the tuning. It is set at A440 with the sharp middle ranging from 24 cents sharp, progressively to 9 cents at the top of the range. The accordion comes with it's original hard case.
Titano LM 2/4 reed $1,400
Here is a lovely Titano piano accordion. It has a small 15 7/8" keyboard. Perfect for those of smaller stature who want a small accordion, but don't want to compromise on the amount of keys and chords. It is Italian made, from the late 50's or early 60s I'd say. I did extensive work on it including replacing all the reed wax and leather valves as needed with new, disassembled and rebuilt the treble action with new pads and attachment wax. I disassembled the bass machine, cleaned it, and replaced the bass strap with new. I then retuned it to an accordion standard A442. It's a great little accordion to enjoy.
Italian 120 bass 2/4 reed full size $1,600
Here is a beautiful looking and playing accordion. It is Italian made from the 60s I'd say. It is unusual being a close to full sized keyboard accordion. As a result it's both comfortable to play for those with larger hands and light. I did extensive work on this one. I replaced all the reed leathers and boosters with new and replaced all the reed wax. I rebuilt the treble action and replaced all the padding. I disassembled and cleaned the bass machine. I then tuned it to A442. Come on over and try it!
Cajun style Hohner key of C $650
Get your Cajun music dreams started! Here is a nice starter Cajun one row. Tuned at A440. It is a LMMH reed arrangement. I replaced the reed wax with new and sorted a few minor issues. Plays really well. Nice action, decent reeds and excellent bellows compression.
Italian 2 row Anglo-Hex Concertina $375
Here is a very sweet looking and sounding 2 row Concertina in the keys of G/C. In refurbishing this instrument I removed all the reeds and replaced all the wax and leather valves with new, using better than 2 row standard Italian reed valves and boosters. I rebuilt the action with new rubber bushings, replaced the bellows gaskets, and I tuned it to A441.This does not come with a case. It does come with my standard 2 year warranty however.
Stop on by to try it out!
Petosa SM 400 LM $1,700
Here is a beautiful smaller accordion that has a much larger sound than one would think. It has a 16 3/4" keyboard. It features beautiful hand finished reeds and high quality workmanship thru out. Made by the Petosa company in Italy. It is a more modern accordion and thus required less work to refurbish. That said, I replaced all the reed wax with new and a few leather valves. I disassembled the treble action and cleaned it. I also replaced the back pad with new. I then retuned the accordion to A442.
Titano Stroller LMH $2,900
Here is professional quality Titano Standard. It is a LMH reed configuration with a mid sized 17 3/4" keyboard. It features hand made reeds and the Titano split blocks for long term stability. It has a excellent action, powerful responsive reeds, and great balance. The work I've done includes rewaxing all reeds and releathering reeds as needed. I then went over the tuning and set it at A442. The keyboard action has also has been disassembled and cleaned and a new back pad installed. The name says it all. This instrument is a solid well built partner for the strolling accordionist who needs a responsive instrument to capture all the subtlety you instill in your music.
Titan (Titano) 48 bass LM $1,500
Here is a beautiful little accordion. It's a Titan, made by Titano in Italy in the 60s I'd say. I have done extensive work on it including the following.. I rebuilt both the treble and bass action with all new pads and attachment wax and installing a new Italian made bass strap I replaced all the reed wax, leather valves, and boosters with new. I then retuned the accordion to A442. Come and try this sweet sounding and lightweight instrument.
Titano Standard LMH 17" $1,900
Here is a lovely and well constructed Titano Standard. This is the LMH version with three banks of reeds in the treble and four banks in the bass section. It has a mid-sized 17" keyboard to keep size and weight down. It has nice hand finished reeds and quiet, even action on the treble and bass side. The work I've done includes re-waxing all reeds with new wax, and replacing most of the reed leathers. I rebuilt the treble action with new attachment wax and new padding. I disassembled the bass machinery, cleaned, reassembled, and adjusted. I also replaced the bass strap with new. Once completed, I found the tuning closest to A441, so that what I went with. I tuned the accordion to A441, so if you're in a band situation it would blend well with the other members, but also shine ever so slightly higher. Try this sweet little accordion on for size..
Italian made 17" LM $1,200
Here is a sweet little high quality starter accordion for someone. It is Italian made, from the 60's, or maybe 70's. It has a nice smaller 17" keyboard and the full range of 120 buttons on the left hand side. I've done extensive work on this to make it last the ages. I've rebuilt both the treble and bass action/ machinery. In doing so, I replaced all pads with new and the pallet attachment wax with new. I replaced all reed wax and about half the reed leathers with new. I also replaced two sides of bellows with new. I then tuned the accordion to A441.
Morbidoni Midget LM $1,700
Here we have a lovely and very clean Morbidoni Midget 120 bass. It was made in the 60s I'd say. It was made in Italy by the Morbidoni company. These are always a pleasure to refurbish as even their entry level accordions were built with pride, care, and a remarkable attention to detail. I rewaxed all the reeds of this instrument and the reed leathers as needed, cleaned the action, and tuned it to A442.
This one has a smaller keyboard size. Perfect for people of smaller builds and those looking for a lightweight accordion, but without sacrificing the range of notes. It has lovely little hand riveted reeds, excellent action, and is a very balanced little accordion. It plays beautifully. Come on by to try it out.
Universal 19 1/4" 3/5 reed LMH $2,900
Here is a lovely and very classy Universal accordion. It is from the 60s I'd estimate, It is beautifully crafted of the finest woods and has powerful and responsive hand finished reeds. It also features a beautifully crafted and very effective grill mute to expand the tonal options. It has a full size 19 1/4" keyboard. Felted bass buttons and padded action pipes make for a quiet bass machine so as not to distract from the sound of those lovely reeds. Work I've done includes rewaxing of all reeds and leathers as needed. I also rebuilt the treble action with all new padding and attachment wax. The action is fast and quiet. I then went over the tuning and set it to A442. It's a beautifully playing accordion with quiet action combined with powerful, but balanced, and sensitive reeds. Plus the grill mute that works so well it's like having a tone chamber that one can switch in and out of at will. Come on over and give it a try..
Enrico Roselli 3/5 LMM $2,100
Here is a lovely smaller 120 bass Italian made accordion. It has the 3 sets of reeds in the treble section and 5 in the bass. The treble reed configuration is LMM. I did extensive work on this one including installing a custom Italian made bellows with new gaskets. Other work includes replacing all reed wax with new and the majority of reed leathers. I rebuilt both the treble and bass action with new padding and attachment wax. It has a new bass strap as well. I then retuned the accordion to A442. On this accordion as it was made the sharp middle is actually tuned flat. This is uncommon, but not that unusual. I kept that as I tuned and settled on 11 cents flat at the bottom to 4 cents at the top. It has a nice pleasant vibrato as a result. Give me a call to try out this sweet and nicely playing instrument.
Titano Parade LMMH $3,100-SOLD
Up for sale I have a very high quality Titano Parade model from the classic era. It has powerful and well balanced hand finished reeds. And it has a compact 17 1/2" keyboard and 4 sets of reeds in the treble and 5 sets in the bass section. Perfect for those wanting a slightly smaller accordion and lighter, comparatively. The work I've done includes replacing all the reed wax with new and leather valves as needed. I rebuilt the treble action and replaced all pads and under key felt with new as well as attachment wax. It is smooth, fast, and very quiet. I took the bass machine apart, cleaned, reassembled, and adjusted so it so it's just right, and replaced the bass strap with new. I then tuned the accordion to A442 and tuned the sharp middle to a very pleasing light vibrato, at 8 cents sharp at the bottom of the range progressively to 4 cents sharp at the top. The octaves between the bassoon, clarinet, and piccolo banks are tuned dry. This a lovely instrument to look at as well as play.
Regoletta 3 row G/C Anglo Concertina $850
Here we have a lovely Italian built 3 row Anglo-Hex concertina. The work I've done includes rebuilding the button action with new bushings. I replaced all reed leathers with new and added boosters where useful. I replaced the bellows gaskets with new. I then retuned the concertina to A440. It comes with the original hard case.
FIND ME
HOURS:
By appointment only - please call.