Russian Bayan Factory

This just one of many wonderful pictures of a Russian Bayan Factory on the blog of Sergei Mukhamedova.

http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/177743.html

The page is in Russian but can be translated by Google Translator.
Now, keep in mind not all translators are equal (some are much funnier than others); Google Translator claims the factory as founded in 1930 and residing in Tula, which may well be accurate.

Shelves of Accordions

I've been asked many times how many accordions I own. At one time, when I had my studio/store open I would have said 200 or so as I had a nice stock of new and used instruments for sale. Now the answer is four. A Titano Bass accordion (for ensembles) that I personally rarely get a chance to play, a Pigini B-system chromatic 4/5 reed musette that I adore playing and use in teaching, a Titano Cochran Emperor 4/7 with free bass, pedal tones and extended right hand for concert work, and the work horse of my team a Titano Grand 3/5 from the early 60's - no frills - just a hefty reed sound great for folk music. If I had my way and money be of no object I'd have more instruments to choose from.

The picture to the above is from the Pigini accordion factory, the instruments on the shelves are not complete but waiting for their bellows and bass sections. Oh, to have a private shelf of completed accordions to choose from!

Accordion factory - Pigini

How an accordion is made is fascinating to me, these pictures are from a visit to the Pigini accordion factory. The man in the left hand picture is working on a keyboard, the person below may be working on the bass section of an accordion. Note the reed blocks in the lower right hand corner of the picture, each reed was hand tuned and waxed into place.