If you want to play bandonion and you are in search for an instrument, probably you will read in some blogs or forums that the only way to get THAT sound is to buy a 142 bisonoric instrument, and no other versions of the bandonion's layout can provide you such a colourful sound.
Well, right this summer I attended a music stage with french bandoneon master Olivier Manoury. He plays chromatic bandonion, and hearing him I realized that a chromatic bandonion sounds great exactly as a diatonic one, when you are good enough to play bandonion.
So, do not give too much attention to those who say you have to buy a 142 Rheinische bandoneon OR you will not have that sound and you will never play real tango or real bandonion. Everyone feathers one's own nest. Chromatic bandoneon sounds great exactly as any other 142 bandoneon, if you are able enough to handle it giving expression with bellows and weight pressure. You should decide with which layout playing according to instrument availability, budget, experience and your personal attitude.
And what about 144 bandonions?
Generally these instruments were built for German Folk music, and thanks to a third reeds row they are tuned with "vibrato". But you can silence the third row and tune the remaining 2 reeds at perfect octave, et voilà you have a 142 bandoneon sound like.
