American Made
EXCELSIOR SYMPHONY SN 11247
This is the original,
the legendary Excelsior Symphony from the Golden Age, nicely restored
for another 50 years of soul enriching music. The accordion has the
original hand-made Excelsior reeds. What a sound ...
I
serviced the instrument in July-August 2020:
- Overhauled the keyboard
- Re-waxed the reeds as needed and optimized the response
- Tuned treble and bass reeds to original specifications
- New shoulder straps
- New bass strap
- New bellows protector
- Removed the old microphones (not working)
The accordion is very clean. All reeds produce the typical Excelsior
clear and ringing sound. The tonal blend between treble and bass is
perfect. The effect of the Tone Modulator is dramatic. If you have
played the 1950s Symphony you know what to expect. For those of you
who haven't experienced the beauty of the American made Excelsior I can
tell you this is like owning two different accordions - a bright and
projecting one with the modulator in open position and a warm and mellow
one with the modulator closed. The compression is excellent. The reeds
use very little air and playing this accordion is a true pleasure.
- Serial N: 11247
- Hand-made reeds
- Tone modulator
- 4 treble sets of reeds - LMMH
- Concert tuned with only a few
cents added to the M2 reeds for the magic and alive American Excelsior
sound
- 5 sets of bass reeds
- 41 keys, 19.25" American walnut keyboard
- 10 treble switches - Bassoon (L), Accordion
(LMM), Harmonium (LMMH), Melodion (LM), Organ (LH), Oboe (M), Musette (MMH), Violin (MM),
Clarinet (MH), and Piccolo (H).
- Palm Master switch (LMMH)
- 22 different treble sounds
with the Tone Modulator in open and close position
- 120 bass
- 3 bass switches
- 17-fold bellows, clean and air-tight
- New bellow protector
- Professional quality new shoulder AND bass straps
- Excellent compression and efficiency, a real pleasure to play
- 24 lb
- Original Excelsior case in good condition
Here is a link to a sound demo.
Please, listed with headphone to fully appreciate the tonal quality of
the accordion:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r9ca1qlk34c6odu/excelsior-symphony-11247.wav?dl=0
American made
Symphony accordions in this condition and not easy to find. Offered
with a full year warranty serviced at the Accordion Gallery in
Landing, NJ.
Call
973-770-6877 with any questions or to schedule your visit to the
Accordion Gallery.
The
microphones have been removed. I kept the Volume/Tone knobs on the grill
for aesthetic purposes.
If new
microphones are installed one can use the same grill locations for the
potentiometers.
New
bellows protector, shoulder straps, and bass strap.
Cleaned
the key bed, replaced the felt along the edge of the keyboard, cleaned
all keys,
optimized the pressure on each valve, leveled the keys and optimized
the action ...
Rewaxed
all reed blocks ...
The
interior looks fabulous after the proper service...
Restoring these American made Excelsiors is challenging but very
rewarding. There is so much presence in the sound,
beautiful overtones, lots of character. I love them. It feels great to
have given another fine instrument a new life!
