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 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.
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I will be strolling thru the lovely Black Forest Inn on Nicollet ave just south of downtown Mpls for three Friday evenings in December. On the 6th, 13th, and 20th from 5:30 to 8pm.
I'll be playing for New Years Eve December 31st strolling thru the beautiful French Restaurant, Chloe by Vincent in downtown Mpls from 7 to 9:30pm. Great food, ambiance, and prices!
I'll be playing at Bachman's on Lyndale ave in South Mpls for the "Music in the Greenhouse" events on January 5th and March 30th from 1pm to 3pm.
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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.
Hohner Camilo I LMM $1,500
Here is a lovely accordion made by Hohner in Germany. It is a midsize 120 bass accordion with a 17" keyboard. It is a 3/4 reed accordion in a very useful LMM configuration. It has the unusual construction of have a body made out of aluminum, rather than the traditional wood. This makes it lightweight and brightens up the sound. I've done extensive work on this one to make it function as it should. I've included various photos of it apart to show what I've done. I've re-waxed all the reeds and replaced leathers as needed. I rebuilt both the treble and bass action, replacing all padding, and adjusting perfectly. I then retuned the accordion to A440 with the sharp middle bank set to 20 cents sharp at the bottom of the range, progressively to 12 cents on the highest notes for a fairly wet tuning. The accordion does have a dent from a previous owner. It does not effect the playability, or sound at all, but I've reduced the price from what it would be to reflect this.
It is a great sounding and playing accordion in a lightweight, easy to handle package, at a great price.
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.
Monarch Italian MM 12 bass $700
Here is a very sweet looking and sounding Italian made 12 bass accordion. Perfect for someone just starting out on their accordion journey or someone looking for a very lightweight instrument.
Work I've done on it includes a full rewax of all reeds and leathers as needed. I disassembled the treble action and relined all pallets with new padding and replaced the attachment wax with new. I lowered the action a bit as well. I replaced bellows gaskets with new, and retuned the accordion to A442 with the sharp middle tunes to 13 cents sharp at the bottom of the range progressively to 11 cents at the top for a very pleasant light violin/musette.
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.
Baldoni 48 bass MM $2,200
Here is a beautiful looking and playing Baldoni 48 bass Combo 1 model. It is a recently made Italian accordion. Nice action and reeds in a very lightweight package. I disassembled the treble action, cleaned, and leveled the keys. I rewaxed all the reeds and replaced the leathers that needed replacement. I then tuned it to A440 with the sharp middle set at 22 cents sharp at the bottom of the range progressively to 16 cents at the top.
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..
Titano Standard LMM $1,900-SOLD
Here is a classic and handsome Titano ready for years of enjoyment. It has an almost full size 18 5/8" keyboard. Work I've done includes disassembling the bass machine and cleaning it, relining the pallets and replacing all the attachment wax with new. I also added bushings to the button rod pins to quiet the action down, reassembled and adjusted and replaced the bass strap with a nicely padded new one.
I disassembled the treble action, cleaned it a lowered it a little . I replaced all the reed wax with new and leather valves as needed, and then tuned it to A442 with the sharp middle tuned to a nice pleasant vibrato. The sharp middle is tuned to 12 cents sharp at the bottom to 8 cents at the top of the range. This accordion has a nice strong sound and is relatively light. It would make a nice strolling accordion.
Italian 12 bass MM $800
Here is a very sweet little 12 bass accordion. A classic Italian made machine from the 60s I'd say. I did pretty extensive work on this one. I replaced all the reed wax with new and most of the reed leathers. I rebuilt both the treble and bass side action with new pads and attachment wax. I then tuned the accordion to A442 with the sharp middle to a moderate musette. I set it at 19 cents at the bottom of the range to about 15 cents at the top.
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.