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13 things
you should be sure to check and know before buying a Bandoneon.
1) The keyboard disposition: The system used in Argentina is the
diatonic (also called bisonoric) bandoneon of 71 buttons (142
voices) It must have at least 71 buttons in total, and it does
not have to be chromatic. A slightly different version of the
same layout is the so called 152 tone bandoneon. This is
basically a 142 bandoneon with 5 added buttons (2 at discaint, 3
at basses). The diameter of the heaviest buttons is 11
millimeters and the finest 10mm. Look that the inclination of
the keyboard and the general height are coherent. When a button
is much upper or lower than other, it could be that the button
was wear down by the use, that the cover of the button was
changed for another, or that there is some problem inside with
the metal axis of the wood pivot where the button is supported.
The original buttons were made of Galatita (an old
plastic that was used to imitate ivory) and look like smooth
marble. They have to remain the same color over time, although
they may get a little darker depending on the use. Bright white
buttons are cheap polyester plastic replacements. You cannot
find spare buttons unless you take it away from other bandoneon.
When removing the cover, check the state of pressure and the
traction springs and all springs of button cases; they must not
have oxide or any type of corrosion, and must not be twisted.
The buttons must be downwards all in the same direction
increasing to the front and decreasing to the back in both
keyboards.
2) Wood: It should not have suffered the action of liquids (any
type of liquid), must not have cracks, parts stuck with plastic
glues, nor other synthetic adhesives. The original internal wood
must be of a clear and uniform color, in pine wood or Haya wood.
Before, check in a carpenter´s workshop or ask to a carpenter of
trust about wood; so you have a basic idea of the types and you
can distinguish them, the color does not always say much,
because a fine craftsman makes quite good fakes with very clear
dyes. The important things to be considered are the direction,
the density and the weight (influences the sound) of the wood
veins. If the harmonic boxes have the lateral wood ears that
support the machine against the box of resonance broken, means
that the bandoneon fell to the floor. Look at the external
aspect, especially if there are any esthetically different parts
or some aggregate, or any marks in the outside, if there are
present all the lyres in the corners and if they are equal to
each other. If the outside has small fissures, it means that it
has been exposed to abrupt changes of temperature.
3) The instrument must not leak or make noises when moving it:
So, in order to check it, place the bandoneon over your legs,
soak your lips and with the hands in the straps, pass near your
mouth throughout the bellows in all the unions (without the
mouth touches the bellows!). If there is some spilt or leak you
are going to feel an airflow in the mouth when pressing or
stretching the bellows. If the leaking exist at the central wood
frames it is very probable that the instrument has fallen to the
floor, has been mistreated or the cardboard bellows were exposed
to the humidity and had consequences on the inside. The air
valve system must not leak (where the plate with the name of the
instrument goes). In order to detect
any leak, do with the air hole the same thing that you did for
the bellows. If there are airflows it is because the draught
excluder leather is wore down and will be necessary to change
it, or it can be due to a problem with the internal support, or
lack of pressure of the springs, etc.
4) Bellows: It has to be compact when you close it, must not
have any inflation points, if it does not close good, can be due
to a patch inside of the bellows or because the cardboard has
been curved by the humidity. The 60 metal corners located over
the bellows must be all of the same height and equals when you
close it. The strips must be of the same color and material
(generally black) and the external paper must not have marks or
cracks, if the bellows have rods, look that they are equal and
if the teeth of each metal bar are broken on the bellows. The
cardboard of the bellows does not have to be too heavy, because
it absorbs part of the sound. The unions on the inside and the
outside must have the same color and material. The original
cardboard of the bellows by the side of inside wears a cellulose
layer to reduce the friction. The internal rods only act to
extinguish the sound, thus the sound does not bounce or make
echo within the bellow.
5)
Lateral Spilling: At the sides is where the sound leaves;
if there are air leaks is because the cover fits in some way the
internal machine and lets the air pass. Also it must not have
leaks below the contour edges. If there is a leak in the
internal side of the wood frames, is because the bellows have
been taken off the box, and if there are leaks in those of the
external side is because the draught excluder of the resonance
box is wore down, broken or directly is not there.
6)
Look at the machine: They must not have vertical nails
that hold parts; some make fixings over the machine badly and
place nails so that the woods do not move towards the sides. The
diatonic model that we use in Argentina has a total of 14 reed
plates; 6 at bass side and 8 at treble side. With
the whole instrument,
test ALL the buttons opening and closing bellows in both
keyboards are working well and check the hardness of the
buttons.
7)
Plates:
If the bandoneon is marked Premier or AA (Alfred Arnold) pre-war
the plates are always of Zn (Zinc). If the bandoneon is of those
brands and has aluminum reeds is because they have been changed
or someone is deceiving you vilely. If it is an AA and it has
aluminum reeds it is because is a postwar bandoneon . The
aluminum reeds came in two types soft and hard, those of soft
aluminum are not very stable and they are considerably affected
by changes of temperature. The hard aluminum was used in pos-war
bandoneons, but the sound is also different. Both aluminum
plates are gleaming and they have generally engraved the letters
"NA". The Zinc plates are heavier; a bit opaque, (although it is
possible to polish them) and in most cases
do not have engraved the letters NA. NA means Normal
Tuning =
435Hz. Because the reed plates of Zn were required
in South America for the sharp sound of the tango (Range from
440Hz to 442Hz) rarely exist in Argentina Zn models tuned in NA.
When a bandoneon is sharpened outside factory values, the
letters NA lose sense
Another way to perceive the difference of zinc or aluminum it is
by touching with your fingers and perceiving the metal
temperature. The perception of aluminum is that it has normal,
ambient temperature, while the Zinc plates you have the feeling
that is colder than air temperature.
8)
The voices: The voices that go over the plates are
fixed with rivets.
Every plate hole should have a voice. The voices must not be
rusty, very scraped, nor doubled, must not have different size
rivets, the leather valves that go in to the plates must be flat
or at the most a little raised, but never crooked or curled.
Some of the high notes (the shortest/thinnest steel) do not need
leathers, but all the others do. Remember that when you raise
the instrument and turn it over, the voices that you actually
see are the voices that sound when closing the bellows. To see
the voices that sound opening bellows: remove the plates turning
the hooks of the plates. But I advise you to do it, only if you
are with somebody with practice.
9)
Abuses: If the owner does not want to show the inside of
the instrument, probably it is because there is something
uncommon. Generally they give excuses like: “The instrument will
lose the original tune” It is not true. The serial
numbers that are in the interior of bandoneon are not such that
the numbers in the outside. These numbers do not indicate
anything to the user, the year can not be determined from them,
since that the numeration fluctuated according to the demand of
the factory; the final word is the sound. The letter B next to
the serial number and the letter D next to the serial number,
only indicates the side of bandoneon (Bass to the left and
Discant to the right) does not comprise the numeration. Some
salesmen say that, according to the serial number, it is
possible to know if it is a good instrument. It is not certain;
the number stayed simply as anecdotal data, does not indicate
standard of quality. There are instruments with very different
quality with consecutive numerations. The outer decoration does
not indicate sonorous quality It is simple an esthetic detail
10)
The wood must be free of glue spots: Some adhesives are
not resistant to humidity or to impacts and although they can
hold the pieces, with the use, the parts can loose themselves.
See if all the parts are united with hot carpenter
glue.
11)
Tune:
If the bandoneon has never been tuned, then it would have to be
refined below 440Hz (from factory the prewar diatonic model came
lower: 435Hz). This can be a problem when you play next to
another bandoneon that is in the general tune (440,441 or 442
Hz); you will have to spend more money to tune it, so the final
cost of the instrument can be discussed. If the bandoneon has
been tuned before, look if there is a sort of stamp of the
person that made the work. The bandoneon of 71 buttons used to
come with a lower “G” and a lower “A” opening the keyboard from
the basses, there were agrees to change them to lower “F” and
lower “E” of the next octave, with the purpose of having a more
complete and coherent keyboard. You will usually receive an
affirmative answer when asking if the bandoneon is tuned. Unless
you have a very well trained ear, the only way to precisely
check the tuning of a bandoneon is to check each note (opening
and closing) with a chromatic tuner. The sound does
not have to be drowned, it would imply that the wood was
sandpapered or the cardboard bellows were replaced by coarser
and heavier other, of smaller quality. If it exists something
odd in the sound of determined notes, review if all reed plates
are of the same color and have the same design. They generally
have a factory numeration written in pencil in one of the sides,
but it is a very falsifiable data. The voices do not have to be
very scraped, the useful life of the steel voices are 5 well
done tunings and they only can rise or only lower in order of
third; beyond that the notes will broken with the normal use.
12)
The bellows leather corners: The leather unions between
the cardboard folds should not have voids or holes, because it
means you will have to change them. Also, watch closely each
leather union, they do not have to be dry if not they will broke
with the movement.
13) Finally: The brand is not synonymous of
sonorous quality, only of social prestige. There are very good
and excellent instruments beyond the Alfred Arnold brand. The
precise search is preferable, although it delays. Do not hurry
to buy an instrument. In the case of finding one of interest,
offer a cash sign to the proprietor so that he keeps the
instrument during 24Hs until you are certain and talk with a
specialized person.
Benjamin Szvalb
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