Wednesday, April 1, 2009

New accordion?

I am in the process of "upgrading" to another accordion. (I first typed in "better" but that is not fair to my first accordion, who has been a good faithful instrument.) This is NOT an April Fool's Day joke, honest. In my house there are now TWO accordions, my increasingly tamer accordion, Silvano, and the New Kid in Town - possibly - yet-to-be-named (YTBN).

You all know Silvano. He's black and silver and has two sets of reeds and slightly smaller than standard keys but 120 bass buttons. YTBN is white - well, actually cream, and her keys are backwards. Her "white" keys are black and her "black" keys are white!!! I bet that was the height of cutting edge when she was first assembled! Her keys are about the same size as Silvano's but YTBN has THREE sets of reeds, 120 bass buttons and a built in microphone in case I want to deafen half of Northside Bethlehem some time.

I love Silvano. I know Silvano very well but.... for expressive dynamics - well, he lacks poetry, if you know what I mean. YTBN on the other hand, sigh.....I am getting a superior accordion crush on YTBN. Her bellows respond so well to changes in pressure. Whew...she's a beauty.

YTBN has a problem though. Bellows odor. Yes, YTBN has BO. I suspect that she has just recovered from being locked away - for years - somewhere musty and possibly damp and the stiff material from which her bellows are made has absorbed a strong smell, like old stone walls. It is this problem that has me waiting a week before committing to purchasing her. A liberal sprinkling of a carpet deodorizer has lessened the damp wall smell but not removed it.

YTBN and I have a lot in common. We're probably the same age. We are both women of character and attractive in unconventional ways. I think, we could have a long, serious and mutually beneficial relationship - if we can conquer the BO problem.

If you have a fool proof way of removing musty smells from items that can't get wet, please let me know.

I will try to get photos up of both of these accordions. I hope Silvano isn't jealous. Sibling rivalry among accordions... He has a much nicer case. That should count for something.

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