cancer – day 223

Last night we went to Cellspace and looked at a couple bandoneons. Mark got to play them, and the guy who’s going to teach him was also there and played them for us (it was amazing to sit two feet from an astounding professional bandoneon player with the instrument in his hands) and he told us his opinion regarding which would be a better instrument for Mark. The first one was newer and a little cheaper because it was made after WWII (they just don’t sound as good as the ones made in the 20s & 30s). It was black and in really good condition inside and out, and mechanically sound. The second one, a dark cherry wood, was made in the 30s and had a more resonate, richer sound compared to the black one, which had a brighter sound. Based on the sound and character of the instruments, I would have gone for the older, richer-sounding, more expensive bandoneon. But that one was also appreciably older, and while it had tons of character, it also had its signs of aging, and would be more difficult for Mark to learn on because the key tension varied fairly significantly. The newer one had very even key tension, and that was what ultimately convinced both of us that Mark should go with the newer one, which will be easier for him to learn on.

The guy who was selling them wasn’t pushy at all. He loves these instruments and he seemed to genuinely enjoy just having someone be so interested in seeing them and taking them apart and comparing them. When Mark told the guy he was interested in the black one, the guy told him he’d hold it for Mark for a month to give Mark time to think about it. I liked that, because I know Mark needed a week to move cash around to make the purchase (the higher priority and more pricey need right now being for Mark to get a car to replace the one that was stolen). But it turned Mark off that the guy didn’t push him for the sell, and now Mark’s being a bit waffly about the purchase. Interesting. Definitely not my approach, but then again, I wouldn’t go looking at them and opening them up to expose the insides to dust and such unless I were completely committed to buying one. I don’t know if he’s also questioning his decision to get a bandoneon, or if he is really only concerned that the guy wasn’t pushing him to buy one.