Busato Accordions (and banjos)!

MichaelHorowitz · April 2008

I've heard over the years that in addition to guitars, Busato produced Banjos and Accordions. I just did a little looking and found these interesting artifacts:

Model "reduced" the workshop BUSATO, Paris (circa 1950)
(un des plus petits accordéons du monde connu) (one of the smallest of the known world accordions)

So I guess he built BIG guitars and little accordions.....

Beautiful harmonéon the workshop BUSATO, Paris

CHEVIN Busato banjo guitar (mid 30's)

MichaelHorowitz · April 2008

and the "bling" on the harmoneon looks very familiar!

Stackabones · April 2008

I've never really wanted a 6-string banjo. I do now.

MichaelHorowitz · April 2008

more photos of the banjo....

Elliot · April 2008

Interesting how beautifully Art Nouveau these are, since by this time Art Deco was all the rage.

brandoneon · April 2008

Michael Horowitz wrote:

I've heard over the years that in addition to guitars, Busato produced Banjos and Accordions. I just did a little looking and found these interesting artifacts:

Beautiful pictures! The harmoneon is actually kind of an odd instrument, in that it has the same keyboard layout for both hands (and without chord buttons on the left hand). The link between Busato and accordion manufacturing is Pierre Monichon (recently deceased), who in 1948 invented the harmoneon so that single note melodies could be played with both hands in a classical concert setting (being that there was some disdain for the accordion and its ability to play chords with single buttons). Monichon was the accordion professor to Busato's 2 daughters, and after some time Busato's brother-in-law immigrated to Paris and was put in charge of building harmoneon prototypes.