[Binyomin]

Oh wow! Thank you!

[Binyomin]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for sharing that link. It is my listing and I am happy to answer any questions people might have about the instrument. I was intending to post the link here, but you beat me to it.

[Binyomin]

I was able to obtain spare reeds from Martin Maurer in Germany. When I spoke to Binci, they said they wouldn’t sell retail and Victoria has no interest in helping, despite the fact that they made the instrument.

[Binyomin]

OK, so I have this. I didn’t buy it, but it was included in the Best Services Accordion collection I bought for a project. (You’ll be able to hear that on a forthcoming Netflix episode. 😉 I’ve compared it with my vibrandoneon and the tone is the same. However, it is sampled, so each note has an attack, and so it is not as expressive as the vibrandoneon. I imagine the same would apply to a MIDI wind controller.

[Binyomin]

Thanks for posting about these. They look interesting! Are these available yet?

[Binyomin]

I’m intrigued by your bandonina and would love to know more about it. The links posted above don’t work for me, excepting to your instrument page on Facebook. The pics look great!

[Binyomin]

Last Thursday, I ran the Hammond 44 through it into the house system at the venue. No amp

The distortion can add a nice flavor, kind of like a blues harmonica through a mic/amp. Haven’t spent a lot of time with the distortion, but I can definitely see some uses for it.

[Binyomin]

Just a quick follow-up…

I checked out the API at AES and it is simply too huge and heavy for my purposes, so I didn’t even try it. I’d heard good things about the Keeley Clean Boost from guitarist friends and in researching it online came across the Keeley Tone Workstation which is three pedals in one and includes the clean boost, a compressor, and a distortion. (You can turn the clean boost off and have two different distortions instead.) I tried it on a gig last Thursday for the first time and I’m quite pleased with how it sounded. I still want to play around with different distortion settings, but using the clean boost/compressor combo worked out very nicely. I’ve posted a video clip on my facebook page.

[Binyomin]

Thanks, Lowboy! Very much appreciated.

[Binyomin]

Thanks for the kind words, guys! Really appreciated.

[Binyomin]

Not sure why my link didn’t appear in that last post, but here’s the track I mentioned above.
Asur Lehityaesh – with bass melodion

[Binyomin]

I have a Suzuki bass which I use with my six-piece band on some tunes, but I don’t use it instead of bass. Here’s an example. There are actually a lot of low instruments on this track.

I also use it occasionally in an acoustic quartet format with acoustic guitar, violin, and upright bass, but I don’t have any recordings of that group I can share.

The Suzuki takes a lot of air, especially the lower notes and has a slower response too, so playing faster melodies or basslines is a challenge. The range is limited as well, depending on what keys you might need to play in.

[Binyomin]

Thanks for this, Mel. That API looks sweet for bass too… Naturally, it’s expensive, but I just may bite the bullet.I’ll look at all of these. At least it gives me a direction to check out. Do you use the compressor on your melodicas?

[Binyomin]

D Cook, I play klezmer on the melodica. You can play klezmer on pretty much any melodica, depending on the sound you’re looking for. I mainly use the Hammond 44 and Hammond 44 HP for this purpose, as well as a Suzuki Pro37V2 at times.

In general, I think the “warmer” sounding melodicas like the original Hammond 44 (not the HP) or perhaps something like the Yamaha P37D are “fuller” sounding choices, especially for solo/small group playing,but it really depends on the sound you’re going for and the band you’re playing with. I find the Hammond 44 HP often cuts through better when I play klezmer with my rock/ska/reggae/world fusion project.

[Binyomin]

Hi Nathan! Your research masters topic sounds intriguing. Will it be public when completed? I’d love to see it.

I’d be happy to answer some questions about how I’m using melodicas in an (I think) unusual context. I play vibrandoneon and various Hammond melodions including bass melodion with my Breslov Bar Band project. Not so much original composition (aside from intros/interludes/riffs/improvisation) as exploring the sound including layering it with various other reed instruments like clarinet, bass clarinet and/or baritone sax. (You can get a surprisingly effective funk reed section with melodica, clarinet, and baritone sax.) Klezmer and Middle/Eastern music meets rock, ska, reggae, punk

You can find more info including audio samples and contact me through the Breslov Bar Band website

[Author]

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