The History of the Excelsior Accordions

The Excelsior brand is legendary in accordion circles. The height of its popularity occurred after World War II, and the Excelsior line is associated with the big band sound. Some accordion greats who are Excelsior players include Charles Magnante, Art Van Damme, and Pietro Deiro Jr.

The Founding of the Excelsior Accordion Company

• The Excelsior Accordion company was founded in 1924 in New York by Italian immigrant brothers Egisto and Roberto Pancotti. Later on the brothers would have a falling out. Egisto continued with the Excelsior Company, and after his death, his younger brother Mario took over the company.

Moving to Italy

• Castelfidardo, Italy has long been the global center of accordion production. Originally all of Excelsior's accordions were manufactured in New York by highly trained Italian immigrant craftsmen, but as these men retired or passed away, the Excelsior company did not have enough skilled laborers to build their accordions in the United States. They set up a new plant in Castelfidardo, Italy in 1948.

Excelsior Models

• Numerous models of Excelsior accordions have been produced over the years. Two models in particular have remained popular over the years. These are Excelsior's Standard and Super models. Both are professional grade accordions and not designed for students. Other models of Excelsior accordions include the Acadia, the Arena, and the 8B series. Excelsior also makes a MIDI accordion and a Diatonic accordion.