Post by David Gordon Burke on Nov 29, 2004 9:40:10 GMT -5
So as I mentioned about a month ago in the old AA forum, the new line of accordions endorsed by Ramon Ayala and produced in conjuntion with Hermes music has been unveiled. I received a photo from Karlos of Karlitos Way accordions last week. (Blurry photo so I won't post it here) They are called Cantabella accordions.
In my opinion there is a positive and a negative here. The positive is that competition is always good. The more quality brands that are out there, the better the chance that the price will go down all the way around.
But what I was afraid of has happened. These boxes are in the $1795 to $3395 price range. So what is that all about?
From reliable sources I have been told that these boxes are built in two steps. First the parts are constructed at a factory in the main accordion region in Italy. Funny thing, this factory supplies parts for most if not all the accordion manufacturers in Italy. (Ranco, Italian Gabby, Excalibur, Excelsior etc.)
Then the box is put together at the individual factory. At this point they add their little touches and of course the variety and quality of parts that they choose to go into their boxes is the determining factor in the overall quality of the accordion.
What I am wondering about is if Ranco, who gets their parts from the same place as the parts for the Cantabella accordion can offer their accordions, also with Mano or tipo a Mano reeds, for between $1500 to $2000, (Max quoted me $2000 for a two tone Zorro model) what are the extras that the Cantabella offers to justify in some cases almost double the price?
It will be intersting to see how well they do with this line of accordions. I see one of two possibilities. 1. They don't do so well with them due to the price or 2. The price for their accordion and all the other brands might go down in the next little while. Could be a good time to hold on to your money, cause if these guys start to sell, maybe the other brands decide to cut their prices to give them a little competition. Who knows?
Stoney
In my opinion there is a positive and a negative here. The positive is that competition is always good. The more quality brands that are out there, the better the chance that the price will go down all the way around.
But what I was afraid of has happened. These boxes are in the $1795 to $3395 price range. So what is that all about?
From reliable sources I have been told that these boxes are built in two steps. First the parts are constructed at a factory in the main accordion region in Italy. Funny thing, this factory supplies parts for most if not all the accordion manufacturers in Italy. (Ranco, Italian Gabby, Excalibur, Excelsior etc.)
Then the box is put together at the individual factory. At this point they add their little touches and of course the variety and quality of parts that they choose to go into their boxes is the determining factor in the overall quality of the accordion.
What I am wondering about is if Ranco, who gets their parts from the same place as the parts for the Cantabella accordion can offer their accordions, also with Mano or tipo a Mano reeds, for between $1500 to $2000, (Max quoted me $2000 for a two tone Zorro model) what are the extras that the Cantabella offers to justify in some cases almost double the price?
It will be intersting to see how well they do with this line of accordions. I see one of two possibilities. 1. They don't do so well with them due to the price or 2. The price for their accordion and all the other brands might go down in the next little while. Could be a good time to hold on to your money, cause if these guys start to sell, maybe the other brands decide to cut their prices to give them a little competition. Who knows?
Stoney
