The Loose Acoustic Trio -- based in Sacramento -- play what they describe as “good time music.” It is reminiscent, but not identical, to the old fashioned jug band. It carries you back to your great grandparents’ days. But there is also something distinctly modern in their tunes.

Earlier Gearwire spoke to Ken Cooper about his bedpandolin (a resonator mandolin made, in part, with a metal bedpan). Next on the hit parade is Richie Lawrence on accordion. We hope to speak to Steve O’Neill, the bassist, soon.

Lawrence uses a Hohner accordion -- at least part time.

“They are well known accordion makers. There are different sizes you distinguish by number of bass buttons on left side,” he says. “Mine is the typical 'big honker' accordion I used it sparingly.”

But more often you will see him using the Czech-assembled, New York-based Main Squeeze accordion. Prices start at $250 and go up to $3,000.

These accordions are the brain child of Walter Kuhr who learned the squeeze box in his native Germany as a six year old. He is a member of the Jazz band The Last of the International Playboys. The accordion outlet is located on the Lower East Side. It opened in 1996.

"I like it because it has a variety of sounds and is light weight. It has full sized keys,” says Lawrence. "I like the Hohner but it is too heavy on stage. Outside, live, it is too hard on the back. I carried it on tour and it got to be too much.”

The Main Squeeze is small with two octaves on the right hand and 26 keys, Lawrence says it has a great sound, weighs only 15 pounds and works well live.

But how do you record an accordion?

"Usually with a large diaphragm condenser on one or each side -- for left hand bass section then on right hand for treble,” says Lawrence. “At the time {recording their new CD} I tried to record the accordion and vocal at the same time but it is challenging because of bleed."

Lawrence says the two mics are usually kept pretty equal in the mix with panning in the studio field.

Live the Main Squeeze accordion shows its benefits again.

“I stand in front of an SM57 or whatever,” says Lawrence. “The Main Squeeze has a condenser inside -- two on the treble side and one on the bass side with a small battery. It is better, in general, standing in front of directional mic but I lose the left hand. The internal mics give a more complex sound.”

The Loose Acoustic Trio’s latest CD, Sorrow Be Gone is available now on Big Book Records.