One sold on ebay recently for 4550 euro. Lovely one too. Another sold in Dublin a few weeks ago again a grey four voice from the 50s for around the 5000 euro mark. The three voice are far more difficult to come by due to their desirable light weight.. I believe the price on this one is around the 8000 euro mark...good luck to the seller!
There's one thing with old accordions : they're a bit like old cars : after a certain time, you keep repairing them : the different materials they're made of get in age : the cardboard of the bellows get slack, the corners of the bellows dry up and break, the buttons get stuck, the reeds rusty... so I'm a bit like Free Reed : I find it a bit ridiculous to by an old instrument such a price. I used to look for old instruments, and I've had a few : nearly all of them worked quite well for a few months, then I had to start repairing them, retuning them all the time... so I bought a new one.
If you really want to buy an old one, try to get information on its history : has it been played a lot, for how long has it been in the shop and unplayed, has it been retuned and the reeds/bellows/button mechanics controlled... or you might have bad surprises... and regret the awesome amount of money you spent...
I do think accordions do not get better with age.... Playing a lot, and professionnally, I try to get a new box every ten years or so... and you get really good ones for cheaper than the prices aboves...
MAybe I am getting older, but I am inclined to agree with Nikita P.
One may have a 'warm spot' for an older instrument, but most instruments do not age well. Global Warming I suppose, or just the natural degeneration of natural materials.
It's nice to know my Susato plastic tin whistles will probably be excavated a million years from now by archaeologists studying this primitive mess in the 21st century, and still be quite playable-since they are entirely unbio-degradable.
sure an older instrument needs repairs rom time to time, try to find one that doesn't. But when you play a grey Paolo, that sound is just beyond belief. It's for that reason they sell for the cash that they do. The sound is simply worth a fortune (although I say 8000 euros is still steep)
There seems to be alot of enthusiastic testimonial in the ad....That always bothers me. Sound too sales pitchey.
Highlights the jubilee. The jubilee is a new look-alike box....not one of the old greys. I suppose it is a good box since the partnership has a reputable maker involved. But they are not old greys or made by people involved in making the old greys. Oddly even the few old greys I have seen have had new 'guts' with all the reeds replaced and mechanical improvements.
Just listen to Billy McComiskey playing the late Sean McGlynn's grey box or Joh Nolan playing his own, and you'll understand why these old Paolos are so treasured....none can compare!!!
Billy McComiskey's box doesn't sound like an old paolo anymore, it has been so gutted and replaced that it sounds like a new box. At least he didn't dry-tune it like the guy from solas. Sacrilege.
I saw Solas on their UK tour and could hardly hear the box at all so I guess it had been dried up too much or the sound man was out to lunch
I also bought the reunion DVD/CD and on them, McAuley seems to be plaing the same box I saw at the concert, but it's clearly audible and sounds somewhere near Hohner's swing tuning or a little dryer.
I rang the number out of curiousity and this guy told me that this price was a bargin because these boxes are going for £9000 STG in Nothern Ireland...Thats almost $14,000!!! obviously no recession up there.
Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Notice in London Magazine
Ring 07944895301
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by gooseinthenettles
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
One sold on ebay recently for 4550 euro. Lovely one too. Another sold in Dublin a few weeks ago again a grey four voice from the 50s for around the 5000 euro mark. The three voice are far more difficult to come by due to their desirable light weight.. I believe the price on this one is around the 8000 euro mark...good luck to the seller!
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by csparpd
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Maybe it's me but I find that sort of money for an old accordion ridiculous. It smacks of the 'King's New Clothes Syndrome'
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by Free Reed
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
There's one thing with old accordions : they're a bit like old cars : after a certain time, you keep repairing them : the different materials they're made of get in age : the cardboard of the bellows get slack, the corners of the bellows dry up and break, the buttons get stuck, the reeds rusty... so I'm a bit like Free Reed : I find it a bit ridiculous to by an old instrument such a price. I used to look for old instruments, and I've had a few : nearly all of them worked quite well for a few months, then I had to start repairing them, retuning them all the time... so I bought a new one.
If you really want to buy an old one, try to get information on its history : has it been played a lot, for how long has it been in the shop and unplayed, has it been retuned and the reeds/bellows/button mechanics controlled... or you might have bad surprises... and regret the awesome amount of money you spent...
I do think accordions do not get better with age.... Playing a lot, and professionnally, I try to get a new box every ten years or so... and you get really good ones for cheaper than the prices aboves...
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by Nikita Pfister
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
MAybe I am getting older, but I am inclined to agree with Nikita P.
One may have a 'warm spot' for an older instrument, but most instruments do not age well. Global Warming I suppose, or just the natural degeneration of natural materials.
It's nice to know my Susato plastic tin whistles will probably be excavated a million years from now by archaeologists studying this primitive mess in the 21st century, and still be quite playable-since they are entirely unbio-degradable.
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
sure an older instrument needs repairs rom time to time, try to find one that doesn't. But when you play a grey Paolo, that sound is just beyond belief. It's for that reason they sell for the cash that they do. The sound is simply worth a fortune (although I say 8000 euros is still steep)
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by hibbs21
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
So i'm guessing that with all the modern technology available the old Grey's sound couldn't quite be produced...
http://www.allaboutaccordions.com/psoprani_grey.htm
like the old ones had as the price of the old ones just keep going up.
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by upmine3
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Checked the link out of curiosity.
There seems to be alot of enthusiastic testimonial in the ad....That always bothers me. Sound too sales pitchey.
Highlights the jubilee. The jubilee is a new look-alike box....not one of the old greys. I suppose it is a good box since the partnership has a reputable maker involved. But they are not old greys or made by people involved in making the old greys. Oddly even the few old greys I have seen have had new 'guts' with all the reeds replaced and mechanical improvements.
At that point what's the purpose?
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Hibbs - I agree about the sound, yet a few years ago I came across a guy playing an old grey box and he had had it dry tuned.....beats me.
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by Free Reed
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Just listen to Billy McComiskey playing the late Sean McGlynn's grey box or Joh Nolan playing his own, and you'll understand why these old Paolos are so treasured....none can compare!!!
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by Ceolagusrince
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Billy McComiskey's box doesn't sound like an old paolo anymore, it has been so gutted and replaced that it sounds like a new box. At least he didn't dry-tune it like the guy from solas. Sacrilege.
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by kjay_bc_box
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
Sound sample of my old grey 3 voice
http://www.myspace.com/jonnyroche
Jonathan
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by Jonathan Roche
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
I didn't think that McAuley from Solas was playing a dry box. Dryer than its original tuning, maybe, but not as dry as someone like Sharon Shannon.
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
I saw Solas on their UK tour and could hardly hear the box at all so I guess it had been dried up too much or the sound man was out to lunch
I also bought the reunion DVD/CD and on them, McAuley seems to be plaing the same box I saw at the concert, but it's clearly audible and sounds somewhere near Hohner's swing tuning or a little dryer.
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: Old Grey B/C Paolo Soprani for sale London
I rang the number out of curiousity and this guy told me that this price was a bargin because these boxes are going for £9000 STG in Nothern Ireland...Thats almost $14,000!!! obviously no recession up there.
# Posted on November 26th 2008 by csparpd