I came across a Welty that is not new, but had never been used. I'm tuning it, and will put it up for sale. It's the first time I've had one in hand. I get a lot of sick pleasure from dissecting accordions for the first time.

The treble sound has a pretty decent sound, the response is very good, but not as loud and Italian reeds in a handmade. The removable reed blocks probably plays a part in this. But like many of the old German boxes, the base side sounds awesome. In fact, very tempted to take the base reeds out of the set of reeds I had set aside for me, and swapping them with this Welty.

Anyone know what kind of reeds Weltmeister used in their one rows?

I have only played two Welties in my life. Both excellent! They were German made, though. I'm not sure that they are still made in Germany. Anyway, the piano accordion that Chris plays is a Weltmeister. Sounds great!

Stand up blocks? I had a Chinese copy that had plywood reedblocks.

Yep, it has stand up removable blocks. Well made ones, not ply. It's a pretty decent accordion in several ways, but it's the base reeds I love.

From your experience, can you give a comparison of the Welty to a Cajun King? The questions of sound and quality always seem to rise about the mid-range instruments, and these names are usually in the mix.

Bubba Brown has high praises for the Welty. Cameron Dupuy cut his teeth on a Cajun King, and speaks well of it.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Well, not much experience here, I've only played one of each. I liked both, but I lean toward the Welty just because of the base side. Other than that, they seem pretty comparable to me. Neither as powerful as a handmade with good reeds, but nice mellow sounds, perfect for someone playing alone in the living room. Maybe not so good for an outside jam with some handmades. The Welty doesn't take as much pressure as a H114 to start the reeds, seems more responsive. If I was given the choice between a Welty and a 114, I take the Welty in a heartbeat.

I'm with Bryan on this 100%. I've played a few of both and my ears and fingers prefer the Welty, especially if you can get your hands on one of the older ones.

John

Nedro, I have played both the Weltmeister and the Gabbanelli and I definitely prefer the Gab. It is a little better built and uses a nice padded bass strap where the Welty uses a single piece of leather. The thumb rest is round on the Gab and therefore more comfortable whereas the Welty's thumb rest is flat and not as comfortable. I took my Gab to The Button Box and their tech Bob, took a look and said that it was an excellent box for the money. Doug said the same thing. The Gab is usually in stock and ships right away where as the Welty may be a long wait if it is not in stock at your local dealer. The Gab should be a little cheaper in price as well. Hope this helps.