When I was down in Lafayette a month ago and visited Jr. Martins shop, I met his grandson, who is working with him, (he plays a mean accordion),and I was talking to him about the differances between the cheaper accordions (I have a Hohner 114) and the handmade accordions and his comment was that if you can learn to play on the Hohner, then it will be easy when you make the switch to a handmade LA accordion. The comment about everything being easier is very true. A friend lent me his BonCajun and it is so nice, that you don't have to fight the tight bellows and stiff keys. Now, I just have to practice enough to warrant a handmade LA accordion.