Ah yes, if there ever was a melodeon that exuded the essence of everything that I love about diatonic accordion, it was this one: "The Box." It was a Gaillard, 4-voice -- yes, 4-voice -- in D/G, tuned LM-MM+, with two switches behind the keyboard. What a pleasure for the senses!
Kind of like apples from this place: Shelburne Orchards.
Luckily, I still have access to the apples!
(I forgot to mention something in this post originally: If you call M. Gaillard today and ask him to build this box for you, he will decline. Why? Because he is actually not a "custom" builder -- he offers a fixed line of models and configurations, and if what you want is outside of his current parameters, he will not make it for you, even though he obviously made this accordion in the past!)
(I forgot to mention something in this post originally: If you call M. Gaillard today and ask him to build this box for you, he will decline. Why? Because he is actually not a "custom" builder -- he offers a fixed line of models and configurations, and if what you want is outside of his current parameters, he will not make it for you, even though he obviously made this accordion in the past!)
That's a beautiful thing,
ReplyDeleteIn my quest for "the last accordion I'll ever buy" I wonder if I need the three-row or 2 and a half row. Doesn't the 2 row do everything I need? Wouldn't a Tommy be perfect? Or one with more stops, maybe? But only two rows? But there's still that Handry at the Button Box ...
I am awash with indecision.
One of the problems with the melodeon is that if it is your "main" instrument, you can never have just one! Not only are the keys limited, but the voicings are so specific that it's hard to imagine having only one.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently doing well with only a GCF and a D one-row, but I'm also playing my bandmate's A/D on one tune.
Just like the simplicity of the one-row box is wonderful, there is also something to be said for really mastering the two-row box to make the most of what it can do. What appeals to me are the two-row boxes with the extra two "accidental" buttons -- in a more accessible position.