Nate74
Member
Thanks to the help from some great folks here on this forum, I purchased my first accordion several months ago and have been really enjoying it. I play guitar and mandolin in an Irish folk group and have gradually been bringing in more accordion in that setting.
My first accordion was a Weltmeister 34 key, 48 Bass (LMM) starter model that I got off ebay from Bulgaria. I got the instrument for $230US shipped to the US, but then ended up paying a repairman another $150 to get it playable. Being a mechanical engineer by training, it didn't take long before I had it apart to understand as much about it's inner-workings as possible (also thanks to accordionrevival.com). I replaced a few of the worst valve leathers and adjusted the voicing on some of the lower bassoon notes that weren't sounding correctly. I like the way it plays, but know it needs all new leathers and will still just be a beginner instrument of sub-par quality.
About 2 weeks ago, the fiddle player in my band asked if I could look at his 41/120 Contello accordion (LM) that had a sticky key. The spindle was WAY easier to get out on the Contello than on my Weltmeister and I had it working perfectly in a day. I also replaced a missing reed valve and adjusted the voicing on a few of the bassoon reeds that weren't responding very well. While inside the instrument, I was struck with the higher quality of the design and the components of the Contello as compared to the Weltmeister.
I'd make him an offer on the Contello, but I'm fairly certain when I upgrade from the Weltmeister I want an LMM tuned instrument with a nice musette MM/Violin option, which seems to work well on many of the Irish folk tunes I'm doing.
I've seen a few LMH Contello accordions online and a LMMH as well, but no LMM versions. So I have a couple questions before I get to serious about my hunt for an upgrade.
Firstly, is an instrument like the Contello really an upgrade from my old Weltmeister or did I just find a poor example of the Welt and a nicer example of the Contello?
Secondly, since there doesn't seem to be a Contello in LMM, is there something compatible in both quality and hopefully price that I should be looking at? As a point of reference, the Contello LMMH I found online is going for $400US, but the seller doesn't seem interested in shipping to me.
I should note, I'm definitely looking used, but although I've now replaced reed valves and adjusted reed voicing, I'd prefer not to get a project, but an instrument that is at least close to being fully playable when I get it.
Thanks in advance for any guidance and input you can share!
My first accordion was a Weltmeister 34 key, 48 Bass (LMM) starter model that I got off ebay from Bulgaria. I got the instrument for $230US shipped to the US, but then ended up paying a repairman another $150 to get it playable. Being a mechanical engineer by training, it didn't take long before I had it apart to understand as much about it's inner-workings as possible (also thanks to accordionrevival.com). I replaced a few of the worst valve leathers and adjusted the voicing on some of the lower bassoon notes that weren't sounding correctly. I like the way it plays, but know it needs all new leathers and will still just be a beginner instrument of sub-par quality.
About 2 weeks ago, the fiddle player in my band asked if I could look at his 41/120 Contello accordion (LM) that had a sticky key. The spindle was WAY easier to get out on the Contello than on my Weltmeister and I had it working perfectly in a day. I also replaced a missing reed valve and adjusted the voicing on a few of the bassoon reeds that weren't responding very well. While inside the instrument, I was struck with the higher quality of the design and the components of the Contello as compared to the Weltmeister.
I'd make him an offer on the Contello, but I'm fairly certain when I upgrade from the Weltmeister I want an LMM tuned instrument with a nice musette MM/Violin option, which seems to work well on many of the Irish folk tunes I'm doing.
I've seen a few LMH Contello accordions online and a LMMH as well, but no LMM versions. So I have a couple questions before I get to serious about my hunt for an upgrade.
Firstly, is an instrument like the Contello really an upgrade from my old Weltmeister or did I just find a poor example of the Welt and a nicer example of the Contello?
Secondly, since there doesn't seem to be a Contello in LMM, is there something compatible in both quality and hopefully price that I should be looking at? As a point of reference, the Contello LMMH I found online is going for $400US, but the seller doesn't seem interested in shipping to me.
I should note, I'm definitely looking used, but although I've now replaced reed valves and adjusted reed voicing, I'd prefer not to get a project, but an instrument that is at least close to being fully playable when I get it.
Thanks in advance for any guidance and input you can share!
