​I have been listening to Saltarelle accordions for a long time, ever since I bought my first Sharon Shanon cassette tape as a teenager.   Many great piano accordionists also play their instruments.
​

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the Clifden is how light it is. You hardly know it's there!  6.7Kg.  The wood finished body is beautiful.   Clifden is a coastal town in the region of Connemara, Ireland and referred to as the "capital" of the county of Connemara, where this accordion takes its name.  It surely was designed with Traditional Irish music in mind.   The sound is very distinct, and with only two reed sets, it is surprisingly loud for such a small accordion.  The reeds are hand made and have a lovely dynamic to them. 
The treble keyboard has 35 keys.  But there is a difference here from other accordions that is worth pointing out.  The lowest note on the keyboard is an extra note that is low D and it's there for an Irish musical reason.   Not an F as you might assume by looking.  Think of it as a 34 keyboard with a bonus note if you like. 
The intricate details and quality are evident in the aesthetic of the finish.  The keys are easy to play with light and fast action. The bellows move effortlessly and have subtle compression.  Another striking point that is often overlooked in the accordion making business is the case.  Saltarelle provides its own branded hard case at an extra cost. A quality case and worth the little bit extra.   
People on the market for a lightweight accordion to play and travel will be very, very happy with this accordion.

The Clifden is available only in 60 basses.
The basses do away with the diminished row and run up to F# on the bass. There are no registers on the left hand, and the subtle arrangements of the reeds are suited to most tunes.  
Visit the product Page for Saltarelle Clifden 

Accordion Cloud is proud to help sponsor this event in raising money to help the less fortunate in Aberdeen this Christmas.    If you are in the Aberdeen area or are looking for a good excuse for a great night out for a good cause, or just want to escape the Mad Friday chaos please book tickets now using the link above and come along and enjoy yourself.  A Vignoni Ravel 2BX with Musisctech midi and internal microphones will be leading the band.

Cracking new accordion just in, waiting for a good home.  A Vignoni Ravel 2, 34 keys and 96 basses in a small 72 sized frame.  Light weight at just over 8KG. This one has full decoration and fantastic hand made reeds.  Buy it now in my accordion store or make an order by email for a new one to your own spec.

Here is a tune I wrote a number of years ago for Marcello Gorgoni of Italy who makes a great staircase.  If you like it and would like to play it then you can download the sheet music for this tune here. I'm sorry there's a £1 charge for it but it's just to go some way to covering the cost of hosting the download.  If you don't want to pay I will send it to you for free if you email me. I'd be happy to hear anyone play it, that would be payment enough!  It's played on a Vignoni Ravel 2 accordion with hand made reeds. This particluar one is brand new and is for sale now in the accordion store.

This lovely Ravel 2 Vignoni accordion was just picked up by a very happy lady from Edinburgh.  The ravel 2 now has 96 basses in a 72 size accordion, 34 standard size keys and has been finished with a blue pearl and full decoration.  It took 3 months to produce but was well worth the wait!  A beautiful instrument to play and to look at.

Here's a clip of the Oslo Waltz being played on the fantastic new Vignoni Compact 3+1 that I have for sale. It's a special model with nailed, high quality hand made reeds, tastefully decorated.  I only have the one available so it's first come first served, others can be made to order.

I made this video after a recent trip to Castelfidardo. Italcinte are the first company that comes to mind when I think of Accordion straps. I've used them for years. They make hand made accessories for musical instruments, mainly the accordions being based in Castelfidardo. I sell a wide range of their products in my online store and also to be custom made if you have anything in specific in mind.
There are a lot of different types of straps available but I think Italcinte's ones are the business. 
The video shows some of the different manufacturing stages for accordion straps and the people who make them.
A genuine 'made in Italy' product, made by hand combining traditional methods and modern tools.