Hello. I have inherited an echo 4 button accordion but can’t find any information about it.
Can anyone out there help?
I own one. A great box. What would you like to know?
Hi thanks for getting back to me.
I was given this box from my father in law. I don’t play the accordion and wanted to find out all I could about it but was amazed at the lack of information out there about this model. (even on the Honer site.) eg. What key is it in and other general information. Why is there so little information to be found on this model when there seems to be lots on other models…what is the value… should I insure it.
Any information would be helpful
Thanks
Walter
They are worth around £700. That’s if it is in good working condition. Like yourself, I wanted more information on the Hohner Echo IV so I asked Hohner themselves. They told me the only information they have is that it was in their assortment on the end of the 1920s which would make my and even your accordion fairly old. I am also part of a BCC# forum where I got a bit more information. Someone mentioned that Hohner Echo IV was advertised as a professional accordion alongside the holy grail of BCC# melodeon, the Hohner Shand Morino, (Jimmy Shand & Venanzio Morino custom design). As to why there is so little information on it is probably because it was too much of a leap from a BCC# Trichord at the time and by when Shand Morino came out, the Hohner Echo did not sell as much. That is just my speculation. I for one love this accordion and if yours is working fine, it is definitely worth insuring. If you require a certification for you accordion I believe there is a model number located somewhere on your accordion. You can send that to Hohner and they can give you the date as to when it was manufactured and sent. I believe there is a small fee involved.
Sorry for the long reply but hopefully that helps.
I got carried away and forgot to tell you the keys. On the treble side the furthest row from the body of the accordion is set in B major scale, middle row C major scale and row closest to body C sharp (C#) major scale. What this means is you can play in all 12 chromatic keys. Each button is diatonic meaning pushing in and pulling out on the same button gives you a different note. With a bit of practice you can play the same song in all 12 keys which is something you cannot do on a standard diatonic. Each note can trigger a maximum of 4 reeds to ring at the same time. In the back of your treble keyboard, there should be some knobs which you can pull up or down allowing you to trigger or mute the reeds. This gives you 4 different sounds to play with (M, LM, MMM, LMMM). In addition to that, you have 80 bass stradella system like a piano accordion. Push and pull on the bellows gives you the same notes (There are many stradella bass tutorial videos on YouTube that covers this). This allows you to play chromatically on both sides of the accordion, but getting used to the mechanics takes a lot of discipline. If you decide to sell it, I’m sure you would have a lot of interest in Scotland and Ireland as BCC# Melodeons (Also known as British Chromatic) are big on folk scenes in these areas and Hohner Echo IV is a rare find. If you decide to learn/master it, I wish you good luck and keep at it, as the results is beyond rewarding.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions about the echo iv. The information is comprehensive and very much appreciated. It sounds like my father in law has gifted me something quite special. He bought it from Clinkscales in Melrose and played it occasionally at home for his own amusement so it is in great condition.
Hopefully, when things change, I will be able to take some lessons and enjoy it. In the meantime I’ll keep it safe in its box and add it to my insurance. Thanks again for your help.