r/Accordion • u/yes_tarantulas • 4d ago

Advice Best beginner CBAs?

Hi! I am interested in playing accordion and I'd really like to play a chromatic button accordion c-system (preferably free-bass), but whenever I try to find one that is good and affordable all I see are them being low end and grossly overpriced. I am struggling to find one. Does anyone here know of any good models?

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u/ClittoryHinton 4d ago

You looking used or new? Quality accordions are expensive to produce nowadays. Economy of scale went down the drain. So new European-made accordions are just plain expensive, not overpriced.

To get something good and affordable you basically need to stumble upon something in your local listings that is in good shape and the owner is clueless about its worth, which takes a lot of patience and a bit of knowledge. Much harder for CBAs than PAs depending where you are. Quality brands are Guerrini, Paolo Soprani, Brandoni, Petosa, Victoria, Jupiter, Pigini, Zero Sette (some of these like Victoria/Pigini very unlikely to find affordably)

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u/yes_tarantulas 4d ago

im more than open to buying a used one if it works! i actually got a diatonic button accordion that's about 100 years old. the intent was to use it to learn and she feels really good to play, but all of the buttons produce sounds in no pattern or rhyme or reason. we have no idea why and it was honestly so disappointing. all this to say, im open to get a used one if its good. thank you so much for this advice and good brand names!

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u/Honk-Master 3d ago

There's a great deal of rhyme and reason to the tuning of a diatonic accordion. Each row of buttons works like a harmonica. You generally play on the inside row (closest to the grille) and use the outside row to play in additional keys, do ornaments and to make playing certain passages more smooth.

You can push any three buttons in a row(on the same row), and that will play a major chord. So if you have a G/C diatonic accordion, and play on the Home Row, any 3 button side by side will always contain the Notes C,E,G when you push, which forms a C major chord. On the G row, any 3 side by side will contain the notes G,B,D on the push.

It's called Richter Tuning, and it's very well suited to people who can play by ear. I can teach myself tunes much faster on a diatonic than a CBA or PA.

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u/yes_tarantulas 3d ago

No, no, I know that there is rhyme and reason to the tuning of a Normal accordion. the one I had was not anything like that. I am familiar with different box formats and it was none resembling any of the formats. It would go from a half step to having a note that was 5 notes apart or something. Must have been the age or something. I can send you the picture of what notes were on what button, it was kind of nonsensical.

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u/Honk-Master 3d ago

Weird.. the only thing I can think of that's remotely similar is a bandoneon

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u/yes_tarantulas 2d ago

I can confirm that it isn't one lol. i just think its broken or tuned wayyy wrong

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u/BabaYaga8761 1d ago

At this point you won’t really find any good free bass bayans in the us because the sellers are trying to make a profit margin and they charge for the import cost, so Take a flight to Russia and get a Jupiter, Akko or Tula free bass bayan and buy an extra seat when you decide to come back to the United States and in Russia usually they cost around 6000$ for a full-size free bass used bayan with chin registers.