This may be a broad subject or a very narrow subject...

I've only been playing since 2002 and the handmades I have are from '02 forward.

I've played on many older Louisiana made accordions, but never long enough to put my finger on the differences.

Anyone notice the differences, changes, improvements?

Hope this isn't a worm can!

Yes but limited

The Savoy boxes of 20 plus years ago seem to have been made to a higher standard..
Some Quebec players use them..the old ones, and that is saying a lot because their style of play is very demanding.

However , like any other craft, the general level of quality improves with experience and competition

Yep, you've picked a tough question. I speak with authority because I live right there in the middle of all the local accordion makers of louisiana. I have spent 15 years of my life searching for that "sweet" accordion and never could get one from any of the accordion builders I've gone to. There is alot of smoke and mirrors involved. After all it's all about money these days. Some have forgotten about the musician and the music. I have put my hands on at least 30 accordions and only thought of about 3 of them as being of that special quality. They signify themselves by being easy to play meaning good button action (smooth and not clappy). Too soft of button tension is not good!!!! Also the instruments seems to sing to you. They are vibrant and have a sound that makes you smile when you hear it. Every body has there own taste when it comes to what an accordion should sound like. I think most of them have been mislead. If you want to have yourself a pretty good sounding accordion, one that might just make you stand out, you need to know something. Don't chase the accordion, chase a particular playing style. For god sakes, stay away from that more modern "honky tonk" style of playing. Concentrate on the oldest style of playing they've recorded. In this type music lies the secret. Forget about that stuff most Cajuns are playing now a days. They are copying the wrong style and have perverted our music with it. If a cajun song doesn't give you the goose bumps or doesn't make you want to cry, stay away from it. The reason most cajun music is recreated or copied over and over again is because these musicians are searching for something. Something that has been lost. Want a good example of a band that knows exactly what I'm talking about? Try to get recordings by the "Lost Bayou Ramblers" or go and see them live wherever you can find them. They play cajun "roots" music. They are a group of young accomplished musicians that have found the secret. No steel guitar, no electric anything, no base guitar, (they use a upright base), and there drummer uses brushes so as not to be too noisy. The sound they produce is awesome. Simplicity is the key, but knowledge of your instrument is the keyhole. Forget about all the extra instruments and the modern day sound. That stuff is for posers. If it isn't played and sang from the heart, it aint worth much as far as I'm concerned.

I have recently purchased a Gabernelli "KING" accordion. It's a cheap accordion but made pretty sturdy. The straps will need changing because they usually come in red and are dam ugly, not to mention stiff. Order one with no reeds in it. Then contact Hohner accordions and order yourself some (HA-114) reeds in the key of "C" or "D". Have them put in that accordion by an honest accordion maker ,"Greg Mouton" is one, and you my friend will have that sweet accordion. You can also have one built by a Louisana accordion maker and have these Hohner reeds put in it. They have an old, haunting, powerful, sound. Hohner has been making reeds for some time now and I think they have it down pact by now. You shouldn't have to pay more than $1,200.oo dollars for an accordion. Any more and you are getting ripped off. Plain and simple. My grand pa bought his first accordion for $20.oo back around 1950. They've blown these new prices way out of proportion. It's all hype, and you will probably get an accordion you are not fully satisfied with. Check out Iry Lejeune and his uncle Angelas Lejeune, Amedee Ardoin, Oscar "Slim Doucet, and any old player you can find. Type in Google (Hadacol) There is a website you should check out. It has a bunch of old recordings all in one place. This will also give you an idea of how some of these new bands found there success. They copied these old songs and styles and put them on CD! Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are a good example of that. I'm not knocking them, they had the right idea when they first started out and still carry on successfully even though they went off on a tangent some time back. Oh and also, Cajun music takes a lifetime to understand and effectively reproduce. It's not an overnight thing!! It also helps to speak Cajun french and live among the Cajuns. It really helps to have lived among the old farmer Cajuns that are almost all gone now. Good luck my friend. Hope I didn't discourage you. Some people in the music world where I live would be pretty ****** off to see what I've typed to you and they would say I'm wrong. I say, "I know what sound I like, and what they are producing, "aint it!!!

Yeah, you're right, I'm sure you got the short hairs on the back of some people's necks standing on end. But the way I see it, is it's all subjective.
Couple quick points:
I love lost Bayou Ramblers. But also love a love of the 'newer' sounding stuff as well - Pine Leak Boys, Travis Matte. But the argument reminds me of a lot of old hippies I know that think music stopped with the Doors. If that's all you like, fine, but it narrows your palette, and to me, that's death to any genre.
Anything over $1200 a rip off? If it is, blame the reed makers, the bellows makers, not the builders. Add it all together, the builders would have to work at a rate of about $6 an hour, which isn't bad if it was 1948.
I do think there can be some valid comparisons made between the old accordions and the new ones, but that water is riddled with opinion as fact, personal taste, old wife's tales, and bruised egos. Bellows improved, reed manufacturing improved. Anything else... well, it's what you like, no?

Steve (not enough coffee yet to get this philosophical)

Some people act as if stupidity were a virtue. Obviously R. Hebert has not ever done anything but run his mouth and does not know what work is.

Where you live doesnt give you any authority, only a different perspective. Like Steve says, it boils down to taste, for both music and the instruments. I also like the old style, but I would never presume to tell people that is what they should like. Anyone who has ever studied Cajun music knows it has never not been changing, just by the very nature of the way it has been blended together from so many sources. And if some musicians want to put their own twist and that twist is appealing enough to young folks to keep the genre going, I'm all for it. There will always be a core of us who prefer the old style.

And if you think hand mades are overpriced, I suggest you buy the materials for one and try to build it then make that statement. On top of that, would you accept wages from the 50's in your job?

Comments like yours dont upset me, they embarass me as a fellow Cajun.

Nice authoritative opinion. When you say you never could get an accordion from any of the accordion builders -- did they just refuse to sell you one? I've known builders to refuse some folks because they didn't play well, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

It's shocking that someone who loves hardcore Cajun music as much as you would prefer an Italian machine-made accordion with German reeds. I always thought the Gab King was an awesome zydeco box used by J. Paul Jr. and Chris Ardoin -- never coveted by traditional Cajun players...

But, to each their own.

You must be an excellent musican if you know so many keys to creating the best authentic Cajun music possible. Please let us know where we can purchase your music -- or point us to a website where we can sample your songwriting and playing. I bet it's incredible...

R!CK

I just acquired a 6 year old Le Capitaine made by Danny Dyson. I just had the pleasure of talking to him this weekend about how he came to make boxes etc. (taught himself). I love the box. Fabulous action, wonderful reed tone...one thing I like is the bass side is softer than others I have heard. It is kind of "in the background" and balances the treble side very very well. In short, the box immediately seemed to make me a better player...

Charles Thibodeaux and the Bayou Cajun Band based here in Austin play a wonderful old time style of Cajun music. I feel lucky to have them around to listen to. His favorite box is a Martin in D.

Glad I only paid $800 for a new Le Capitaine.(2004) Well worth the money.

Wow, those were some pretty strong opinions! I didn't think completely blow open a can o' worms!

I honestly think the Acadians I have (one made in '02 and one in '03) are excellent, sweet sounding accordions. Not to mention there is an improvement I think I have noticed.... They use less air than some older ones. I think he figured out a way for less bellows movement.

However, there is a D Acadian from the 60's I played that Wilson Savoy owns... it has a sound that is beyond any other accordion i've ever tried. I think it was made in the 60's, as it didn't have inlays, but had the black tape around the bellows wood.

Also, the Martin I had converted to E is among my favorite accordions I've ever played. I have a recording of it on my website...It pops!

I love all three my handmades, I wouldn't trade 'em for anything.

Hey Jim,

I think your're onto something with that Acadian accordion that Wilson has. Was it made by Marc Savoy? I do know that at one time Marc was importing some Italian made accordions and stamping the Acadian name on them. I believe they were all black. I know personally that he would make some adjustments to them and sell them for a small profit. They play and sound good. I have one at my home that belonged to a now deceased accordion player. It too has the black tape around the bellows. It was from this accordion that inspired me to try out the Gabernelli "Cajun" King. I am still experimenting with the two Kings I have. One is a "D" and one is a "C" The "D" came with a pretty good set of reeds that are vibrant, the "C" reeds are sort of muted. It is on the latter that I decided to put Hohner 114 "C" reeds into. Needless to say, I am done with my search for that certain sound. I found it with the Hohner reeds. The cost of the King is around $850.00. The cost of the 114 Hohner reeds was $176. The Kings jumped up in price within a year's time. That says something. I think they used to be around $500. I also have an Acadian built by Marc Savoy in 1986. It's body is the best I have put my hands to. The reeds are marked N.Binci. Almost extinct. I paid $800 for it. Wilson himself called my home to offer to buy it after I had went to Marc saying that I wasn't satisfied with its sound. It's got a harsh sound, but has the best action I have ever felt. No, I didn't sell it and am hanging onto it with hopes of learning more about the different types of reeds out there and different types of tunings so that I can improve its sound.

Have you ever thought about this?
Will an accordion maker make a better accordion for himself or a close friend or a member of his family as opposed to some guy off the street walking in to buy one? This is something to really think about. I wonder if Wilson Savoy has to pay for any adjustments to his accordions? I would imagine not. I'm am pretty sure that Marc would put maximum effort into Wilson's accordion in order to give his own son the best of the best, but a guy paying good money for a retuning or reed replacement wouldn't get the same attention. I know this much. There are 80 individual reeds in a Cajun accordion (4 rows of 10 with a reed on each side of each plate. 4x10=40x2=80. Now, will the accordion maker pay close attention to each and every reed or will he take some short cuts? Something to think about. This is also why I went with the Kings. I was tired of being "let down" by some of the local builders. It's almost as if they didn't have my best interest in mind. After about 13 years of playing and learning I went to Greg Mouton of Mouton Accordions. I had some experience under my belt and was willing to try again with an accordion builder I had never dealt with. Our first meeting could have been considered sort of hostile, but when Greg saw where I was coming from he became very open and honest with me and has done some of the best work I've paid for yet. LOL, he won't do it for free, but if he likes you he'll give you valuable, free information. There is predjudice out there, you just have to let them know what you know and exactly what you want so they don't try to take any shortcuts when it comes to your accordion and your dollar. Oh and it does help if you can play a little tune for them to show them that you know your instrument. I've seen a novice get treated like a novice and was refused the full attention of an accordion maker. I've seen it from a fiddle maker too. I guess they got their own problems and don't always have time for beginners that don't have a clue. Poor feller, his hopes were smashed before he even got started. My mission is to put an end to this sort of thing. I am willing to protect and help the beginning musician. All he has to do is have that look in his eye and that shakiness in his voice when he talks about playing Cajun music. Not for money, but the joy of it. That's the mark of someone with potential in my opinion. I may sound kind of opinionated and closeminded when it comes to Cajun music and accordions as it obviously sounded in that other post, but it comes from getting the run around alot. Believe me, there is a lot of "run around" in the Cajun music genre. Every once in a while though, you can come across someone who is on the right track if you try real hard.

Just to let you know, I have at home 2 Acadians "C", 1 Martin "Bb", 1 "Italian made" Acadian "D", and the 2 Kings I mentioned. I almost always grab for the 2 KINGS.

Quote: Just to let you know, I have at home 2 Acadians "C", 1 Martin "Bb", 1 "Italian made" Acadian "D", and the 2 Kings I mentioned. I almost always grab for the 2 KINGS

I just sold my "King" in C after getting the Le Capitaine...My personal opinion is that there are differences between them in playability, sound of the reeds, weight, action, buttons (the "Le Capitaine" has flat topped stainless buttons). The bass side is more in balance...in short, the "Le Capitaine" has made me a better player simply because I find it a better more responsive instrument. I'd buy another box from Danny in a heartbeat (especially after talking with him on the phone and in person this weekend). I'll probably never own another King. Just my humble, personal preference. If others love their "King"s, then wonderful! I think highly of Mike Gabbanelli and the people at Gabbanelli Accordions. They have always given me first rate service. I would always recommend a King over an Arietta or any other chinese manufactured box.

J

Interesting observations....

Many of the first "Cajun" built accordions were made with Hohner Parts, including reeds. And example would be Shine Mouton who used Hohner metal sliders.

A lot of good music has been made over the years using Hohners, Germans, Tex Mex Players, Quebecers and certainly Cajuns.

The Hohners have their particular sound and some folks like them
I have owned and do own Hohner boxes.. one of my favorites is an HA 112 2 reeder in A from the 50's..
well hammered, fun to play

I agree with R. Herbert that who you are can make a difference in the accordeon you get and the attention paid to your particular box. That is human nature; and not confined to the LA boxes. English players such as Jon Spiers don't have off the shelf instruments.... they have special reeds and special attention.. His Saltarelles do not have the stock Durall reeds but handmades...And then there is Sharon Shannon form Ireland.. don't tell me she gets the same reeds and reed work I do..

And as much as every owner of a Cajun built box would like to think his reeds are hand made #1 Bincis..
think again.. I would tell you a story but it would serve no purpose to denegrate an individuial or blow a myth.. That is not to say that all the builders have done this but .. but it has happened..
and not intentional in every case.. beware the reed supplier..

And #1 handmades are not always the best sound..

I further would challenge players to identify the make and quality of reeds in 10 boxes.. all in C all LA made but with varying brands and quality of reed..
One player behind a curtain.. plays the same tune on all of them
audience of the other players to select the brand and type of reed

The reed installer/tuner has a major effect on the reeds.. and who made the blocks.. and so on

It's a Pepsi/Coke test

Some strong opinions... but based on serious personal experience.. so there fore credible..

As to the cost of boxes...

It is my opinion they were always a bit on the low priced side for a quality box, note I said quality box.. Good ones are worth what you have to pay to get the sound you want.. And in R. Herbert's case.. he was willing to get and pay for Itallian quality chassis, install Hohner reeds.. he put his money where is mouth is. Not for everyone.. but for himit is the solution

I have gone another direction.. putting Italin reeds in Hohners.. some would say that uis a waste.. but they are cheap light fast straightforward boxes that with some tweaking a re great players.. another route.. but a personal choice.

In the last 5 years the price of reeds and bellows and the other Italian bits have doubled... not much can be done about that.

I believe parts would run about $500-700
Considering a handmade box... about 50 hours...
at $20 an hour that's $1000... then if you want bling bling.. add to that figure..
If a builder is willing to work for that.. ok
Or if he takes longer ...
It all adds up

I do however agree that the world needs a really good $1200 accordeon......



I have owned old and new boxes..
And I may have described my Great Grandfathers 2 1/2 row in D/G that he brought to the States from Bohemia in 1883..
Hand made Italian reeds in brass frames with the most complex action and sound box and double grilles and
material and workmanship not an economic possibility today..
And as R. Hebert has said.. there is a certain vibration that comes through an extraordinary box.. and this is one of them..
Made 125 years ago by a Bohemian.. the guys that were in part responsible for the many accordeons that came to the US.. the one rows that inspired "Cajun" accordions

This box has class and style..
design materials and workmanship no foo foo

Just as you don't have to be a Cajun to appreciate the music or play it... you don't have to be a Cajun to build a one row 10 button 4 stopper box

However you do need to be a Cajun to build a Cajun box...

And there is that "something" about a well made Cajun box that sets it apart from others.. Heberts Acadian as an example I'd like to see it...wonder if it is Italian ? : )

As to the preference in the music..
I am in the camp of the older the better

That goes for Cajun as well as Irish Trad and Tex Mex
and real rockabilly ( pre beatles)

It is good to hear from someone who walks the walk...

Hats off to you R. Hebert.

Bless You!! Jeff Hildreth. One of the most intelligent and generous statements I've read yet in this discussion room. You too sound like a man that can "Walk the Walk". Thank you for helping to save a generation, and a musical instrument. Sometimes it aint so bad to go against popular belief.

So you dont need to be cajun to sing or play the music but you do need to be cajun to build the instrument. A bit contradictory wouldnt you say?

No contradiction at all.

A Cajun tune is a Cajun tune no matter who or where it is sung or played, its origin was "Cajun"

A one row 10 button diatonic bisonoric aerophone with four reeds and four stops, two basses made by anyone other than a Cajun is a one row four stop four reed ten button accordeon, commonly known in many parts of the world as a melodeon.

For this same accordeon to be "Cajun" it needs to be made by a Cajun. That is the only way it becomes a "Cajun" accordeon.

Since the instrument was actually designed by an Armenian immigrant to Austria and developed by Germans
who exported it to the US and then and adopted by Italians who all have been making them for 100 ppus years... it is correct to Call these "Cajun" accordeons..
Particularly since the Cajuns copied the German made Sterlings and Monarchs
An dof course the Irish and Irish Americans who have been playing 4 stop one rows since the 20's at least

It is no different than Amish furniture. The Amish did not/do not have a specific design element. They borrowed form others; specifically the Shakers, Amana, Ebenezer, Germans and so on. What makes a piece of "Amish" furniture Amish , is that an Amish made the furniture.

I am a furniture maker, I cannot make "Amish" furniture as I am not Amish and there is no "Amish" design.. However, I can make Shaker furniture as Shaker implies a design originated by the Shakers
(in spite of the fact that most "Shaker" designs were predated by similar items made by Swedes 100 years prior.)

No incongruity at all.

This is getting very confusing.

What if I am not a Cajun, but I'm listening to Cajun music -- perhaps even singing along, eating a link of boudin, and I'm driving in my car -- a Japanese-made "automobile" that was patented by an American (Oliver Evans in 1789), when in fact, the first production of automobiles was by Karl Benz, a German, in 1888? Does that make me an American that sounds like a Cajun, but drives like he's from Tokyo -- or Stuttgart? To complicate matters, what if Ray Abshire was seen driving a Hyundai between Eunice and Opelousas and listening to Handel's Aria in F Major?

I'm trying hard to warp my mind around this. Yes, warp...

R!CK
Happy Friday!

It's quite simple

Only complex if you make it that way

Absurd analogies are just that

Facts always seem to create controvery,, why is that?

Wow, Seems like I have opened a can of worms out there with you guys. Funny to read some of the sarcastic comments geared towards my close minded opinions. I will humbly bow out and leave you fellers to find out on your own. Good luck and keep your noses to the grindstone. By the way, is Lafleur really a Cajun last name?

R Hebert

It's not Acadian; neither is Clark, Balfa, Mcgee, McCauley, Fontenot, Reed, Deshotels, Courville, Guillory, and even not all Heberts. The Cajun definition is debatable and will never be settled.

As my great grandfather the Mcgee once said "Mais yeah Mcgee is Cajun, every Mcgee I know talks Cajun".

Well you seem to have enough sense to admit that you are close minded which says a lot about you.

You should perhaps study the history of the Acadians as you will see that Cajuns can come with many non french sounding last names even Nova Scotia.

Yeah my sister's first husband SAID he was Cajun and his last name was Schneider! Nice guy.

He might of been. The definition of Cajun has becoem too blurry to be agreed on. To me the term has come to mean people from the south Louisiana French areas outside New Orleans. Cajun is slang for Acadian, and Acadians are the folks who got kicked out of Canada, but they blended with a bunch of French already in La, and the Germans, the Irish, the blacks, the Indians, and whatever else. All made a pretty good gumbo. You might have a guy with the name Schexneider and be mostly Acadian ancestry, and you might have a Thibodeaux that is mostly other stuff. Then there is the Evangeline parish area from Eunice northward to Mamou and Ville Platte that is mostly non Acadian French. The Balfa Brothers, Dennis Mcgee, Cheese Read, Isom Fontenot, and a bunch of others are mostly if not all of non Acadian descent, but their music, culture, and language is considered Cajun today. We share the music, food, culture, and lifestyle, the lines are now too blurry to differentiate. Just stir the pot, it's all good gumbo. As I always say, labels dont work in Louisiana.

Right on, Bryan. Then you've got Kool-Aid drinkers like myself that have been initiated for years into the cult of The Pelican State. Not Cajun or Creole and never will be, but have savored the good and have swallowed the bad -- for better or for worse.

Louisiana culture has spread to my marrow and will always be part of me as a source of inspiration and enlightenment -- whether I'm accepted by the native generations or not. I'm proud to be who I am -- a meandering Texas mutt that strays across the Sabine every chance I can get.

The way I see it is; if there's a Cajun or Creole that can't appreciate [that] level of admiration and respect from an outlander, then they are standing too close to the mirror.

R!CK

incouragable

I think Mr Hebert may have had a bit of a rough ride here. I've re-read his first post twice and, except for the talk about accordion prices, can't find much to get upset about. He is only stating his opinions and offering advice, even if it does come over a little forcefully. I found the King/ Hohner stuff an interesting fresh angle. I don't think I'd go with it, but plenty of people have said in posts, how much they like their HA 114s.

To Mr Hebert I'd say don't be too hard on the people who are playing Cajun music in a way you don't like. It may be what draws some folks into the culture when they first hear it, and then they'll discover the real stuff later.

A whole generation of us on both sides of the Atlantic might never have heard the likes of Robert Johnson if it hadn't been for the Rolling Stones, Animals etc.

We've all got opinions and, as long as we realize that that is all they are - our own opinions - there should be room for us all on here.

Hope I didn't say anything inflammatory!

BJ

Thank you BJ, you sound like a good person. I was feeling a little "ganged" up upon. I appreciate you stepping back and looking at it from the angle you did. I've been up against this sort of thing often. The way I come off scares, worries, or upsets people sometime. I'll work on that. I guess sometimes people aren't quite ready for certain types of information. It's probably because I tend to look a little deeper into our Cajun music and culture than just the "hunky dory" side of it. I'm concerned about its future. Some people have actually said that it's making a comeback and that's pretty positive. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here wondering what it will come back as. I have experienced the way it once was. The good times, good music, and good food when I was a young boy and I didn't pay 20-50 dollars to experience it at a well prepared festival. It was at my grandparents home back in the 70's. Imagine 3 to 5 old timers sitting around the living room playing some "real" good Cajun music while their wives cooked and talked in the kitchen (all in French). This was usually in the fall after a good rice crop was brought in and the weather was cool and comfortable. Most times, this was the happiest time of year, that's if the crop was good and the machines didn't break down too much and the farmers made a small profit. It was a way of life, not something for sale like so much of our culture is today. My grand father didn't charge me money to sit right next to him and watch them perform their music. I didn't have to pay for any lessons to learn how to play an accordion or a fiddle. He would have been proud to teach me for free, not the thirty to fifty dollars an hour some are charging out there?!!! LOL, charging somebody to teach them how to play any Cajun music back then would have been like an insult in the culture I once knew. It would have seemed like this to the student. "Oh you want to learn from me because you think I play good? Well boy, I don't have much time for you and I don't know you from Adam, so if you want to learn anything from me, you're gonna have to dish out some money you novice!! Things like this just weren't done amongst Cajuns. Thirty dollars an hour?!! LOL, I don't even think Dr.'s made that much in them days. The only cost would have been hard work and dedication on the beginners part, and he may have had to cut his teachers grass once a month or something like that. He could have gotten his instrument for almost nothing. Remember, in the 70's Cajun wasn't cool. You could hardly give away your instruments. No body wanted them!! Some "so called Cajuns" even hated Cajun music. Now imagine that if you will. It was the age of Rock N Roll. Who in his right mind had any time for that stupid Cajun Hick music??

Well, I hope this little bit of info doesn't get anybody all worked up against me again. It's just to give the perspective of an actual Cajun that so happens to have grown up in a place and time where at least one person in the extended family knew how to play accordion or fiddle or both in my Grand pa's case and knew how to butcher a pig and make a meal out of it if they got a notion to. Hell, invite the neighbors over, "and don't charge them no "chere"!!

By the way, my first 2 students came to me because of the way I play accordion. I did not go to them. When I saw their interest in playing Cajun music, I offered my knowledge to them for free. I let them decide where to get their accordions, because each of them had his own idea about who made the best accordions. There was no arguing with them because it was ,after all, their money that would be spent on the accordion of their choice. "It was like watching your own son get into his first fight and not being able to help him out." I was relieved when both of them chose 2 different, well known and reputable Louisiana accordion makers to make their first accordions. To make a long story short, both were dissatisfied with their accordions after they paid over $1000. The first hint I got from them that they were dissatisfied was when they stated that their accordions didn't play as easily nor sound as good as mine did.

They hadn't listened to me when I had told them how much trouble and money I had to go through to make my accordions sound and play like they did. Remember, I grew up listening to Regals, Crowns, Imperials, Sidney Browns, Sterlings, and Magnolias. There were even some accordions with no name brands on them. They were called "Petit Noirs" by the Cajuns if I'm not mistaken. "Little Blacks" because they were smaller and had only 9 buttons and were black in color. These accordions were either made in another country (Germany) or were copies of foreign (German)made accordions. These old "reliables" or "non-reliables" were what I wanted my accordions to sound like. Not what you're being sold today almost 80% of the time. Most all of these accordions had German reeds in them or old Hohner reeds taken out of Hohner accordions. I do not believe Italian reeds like "Binci" were really in play back then. You guys need to look at who was responsible for the "Binci" reeds used in accordions made in Louisiana. Marc Savoy if I'm not mistaken. He established contact with the Binci family and made some business deals. At least that's what he told me one day in his music store. As a matter of fact, it was the same day I brought my Acadian accordion back to him and told him I didn't like the way it sounded. Now, where did most all of the current accordion builders in Louisiana learn how to build and repair accordions? From Marc Savoy! This is according to so many recent "Cajun" accordion articles and the very words straight out of Louisiana accordion builders own mouths!. Something to think about.

Those that don't like the way I say things or what I say do not have to listen to me, but at least put it in the back of your mind and be aware of what you might be up against when you're looking into getting your own accordion. I've got a ton of information like this because of my own experience. I can save people a lot of time and maybe money too. Some may not agree with me and that is their right. Sort of like the right those 2 students had when they went and bought their 1st accordions on their own without listening to my advice. I'm trying to be on the accordion player's side here so we can properly sway the way accordion makers think. MORE in our favor instead of toward their own. Then again, I might scare the hell out of all of the accordion makers and there won't be an accordion to be had from here to China!! LOL, but I'm sure they will still make those trashy "Arriettes" for us to buy. Chinese Arriettes, in my opinion should only be used for firewood at best.

Mr. Hebert, first, you have quite an interesting set of points my friend... Second, as someone who is similar to you, growing up in Lafayette, playing for 15+ years, I can relate to the whole "kids in their first fight theory", but as someone who has recently started building accordions, I must say that I find it hard to agree with you on the "King" subject. I have played many different makes of cajun accordions, whether it be LA made, TX made, old world or new world imports, and I am having a hard time believing that a "King" is better than an hand made box. Never the less, don't take this as ganging up, just stating my pov. On the subject of builders not making the accordions "up to par" for the not so talented players, I look at it as though today it may be someone who can't play the radio, tomorrow it may be Steve Riley, Dirk Powell, Cory McCauley, etc. playing that same box. I am glad to see you make that challenge for builders but know that there is definitley someone out there who is always up for a challenge !

Bless you too Rusty!! I will be keeping an eye on your post. Now I know there is at least one more accordion builder out there with more than money on his mind. Keep up that reputation, and I'm sure they will be beating down your door. Have you thought of what your "trade mark" will be? Make it a noble one. One that will stand the test of time.

On the "King Thing". It was my way of getting what I wanted. I may have gotten lucky. Remember, I bought 2 Kings. One sounded perfect right out the chute. The other I had decided to get some Hohner reeds for. The construction of the body was something to be desired when it came to the top stoppers, and the screw in buttons on the base side, and the strap job. I fixed some of that myself and had new straps put on. The top stoppers I left alone. They are not made of wood and don't look too Cajun. I figured , "with a little bit of tweeking" if I can prove (through my playing) that you don't need wooden stopper pegs and a well built box to make an accordion play good Cajun music then people might open up to new ideas. From there, all I have to do is wait for accordion builders like you to get going so I can buy one and have it done right the first time!!
No more bringing it back and literally "begging" the builder to give me the sound and feel "I" want.

I like accordions, particularly the way it is played in louisiana and parts of Texas. Call it what you want.

They call it folk music, because folks play it.-Pete Seeger.

If you like the sound of what you are playing, you are playng it right. Those who do not think it is "correct" will be dead in 100 years but the tune will still be there.

I am sure Bach had his critics also.