Dear accordion friends,
I have played the Parrot and Hohnica and also now play a wonderful Zero
Sette, and hey - now I am even a recording artist!! - hey!! hey!! ho ho
- so maybe you might like to hear what I noticed about how the Parrot
and Hohnica accordions compare to eachother... Plus...
If someone is putting off buying their first accordion to save up for a
top notch or even middle price range brand, I'm not so sure it's the
best idea - but it does sound like a good way to put off having to put
ones self thru the time consuming and sometimes frustrating (but always
rewarding) process of beginning to learn to play.
;-)
I always say I started off with a Parrot, but actually I keep forgetting
that my first accordions were actually very good ones - a very well
maintained like new vintage Petromillis 120 bass that my dad found for
me back in the land of Frankie Yankovic, and I also had a couple of
vintage button boxes (one of them cost a lot of money to tune and both
were very special antiques). However, I learned to play on none of these
really good accordions!
Only after I bought what I could tell would FIT did I get a foothold on
playing. And, I bought the most economical accordion I could find, but
not the bottom of the Chinese line (although some might disparage that
they are all lower than the bottom - ha!). Also, only after starting to
"play out" as part of our group did I have enough motivation to practice
enough.
So, I have now said in a very long fashion that I think you should not
wait to get an accordion just because you think you might not get a
great one first time out of the gate. I have heard many smart people in
this group say to just get one that will work and that is economical,
and then after you grow out of it, sell it. That is what worked for me,
and I recommend it as well. But, now about those accordions and the
differences...
I found that the Hohnica is not all that different from the Parrot,
because a funny thing happened as I was thinking of selling my Parrot. I
got a great deal on a like new (really like new) Hohnica on ebay,
because I decided to have an economical accordion for playing in
situations where I did not want to take my new 07, and was actually
surprised to see Made In Shanghai on it!
I had a Hohnica and Parrot to compare side by side, and can tell you
that there really is not much different about the two and it was like a
toin coss (coin toss) to decide between the two. But there are some
little differences you might like to know about. The Hohnica keyboard
naturally lays vertical and the Parrot tipped a few degrees toward the
left. (Note that I recently noticed an expensive Saltarelle being played
on a video clip, and it was tipped more than the Parrot, so some
expensive accordions or accordionists tip them too I guess.) The
keyboards both feel the same when playing. They both have a longer
"travel" to the keys and compared to the expensive keyboard, I feel as
if I must "manhandle" the 2 Chinese accordions in order to play them.
But, so what. Neither Parrot or Hohnica keyboards felt different from
eachother. Regarding the sound, the Parrot was a very teeny slight bit
off of 440 tuning but it was evenly off for all keys and it was not out
of tune. I don't know if this is wet or dry or whatever, but it was fine
and I think caused a little extra musette sound. The Hohnica however is
tuned right spot on. The difference was not discernible except for on
the tuning meter. It was impossible to say one was better than the
other. (I got compliments on the sound of both accordions!) The cases
were of comparable quality. So, there, not much difference really. Oh,
lastly, the bellows were more stiff than the 07 of course, but neither
bellows was stiffer than the other, and I played for hours at a time and
did not get sore. Both accordions did get less stiff over time and yes
they were stiffer than the expensive accordion.
So, I am still glad that when I bought the Parrot as a beginner, because
money mattered and I chose the $200 cheaper Parrot instead of the
Hohnica. However, I guess I decided to sell my Parrot and keep the
Hohnica for playing in crowds (with swinging bagpiper drummers and
people close to me etc...) probably because I like the vertically
balanced keyboard and used to tape the Parrot to get it to lay vertical
(which it did).
The keyboard on the 07, on the other hand, has less travel in the keys,
and they play with a much lighter touch. That does not mean you need
such a keyboard in order to learn to play! My old Petromillis was like
this, and I did not learn much on it. But, comparing the good keyboard
to an economical one, - - well - - It's like having a match trigger on
your rifle as opposed to a heavy pulling trigger. It takes more finesse
to play the 07, but I play that Hohnica once a month in the crowd and
get used to it right away.
I also think that a person should get something inexpensive to start,
learn to play, then go for it and buy the top of the line and don't even
bother with middle priced or middle quality items. (But, that preference
is probably due to a personality trait, rather than "sound science.")
;-)
Hope this "Survey of Comparative Chinese Accordion 101" helps you. I
would have liked to have read a post like this when I was trying to
decide what to get. But, figured it out anyway and am having a great
time.
My only disclaimer is that I am not playing solo classical accordion in
a symphonic or competition setting, and have no interest in that kind of
music. But, we make a good tune and - hey - hear it now
http://Aufrance.com/gairin/ - Celtic Music - Click on the Demo CD to
download our playing Just for Fun!
Hugs to all you accordion news group people,
Mary Kay
Post by bouzoukiPost by bouzoukiWhats with all this chinese crap? Does anyone know what Hohner
accordions and squeeze boxs are NOT MADE IN CHINA? I hear that the
Panther, the Double Ray and even the Corona II and III are slugged out
there.
Thanks again for all your help and straight answers. I guess I will be
saving for something Italian made.