It was pretty easy to distinguish between the beginner and professional boxes though. Junior didn't put inlay on the beginners box (he used some sorta gold tape like Ortega used on his Master brand boxes). I can't remember the wood he used though...They were actually louder than his other boxes, though. He said it was attributed to not having the slides make the reed holes smaller.

John

Oh man! It is five years old and never been played. Bought by a man who died soon after the purchase. Key of C

Be careful though. remeber the saying: "if it sounds too good to be true, then...."

not sure what you're getting at. i own one exactly like it that i bought from mr. junior himself last year and it was less than what they are asking, but they do exist. and honestly it doesn't sound much different than the "full on" version. my buddy just got one made a couple months ago and he paid 3 times as much as me. if you don't use the stops (which most cajun songs don't) there's no real difference. just my 2 cents.

Jared,
I don't think anyone is questioning the quality of Junior's workmanship. I think, though, that there are some warning signs that I'd have to ask about before I made a serious bid on that box.

1) Storage. Where has it been stored? Under what conditions? Has it been stored under good conditions for all 5 years?

2) Owner. Who is the owner? The seller says that he does not have access to the instrument to take more pictures. Okay, then, where is it? Who has it?

3) Condition. There are no pictures of the back of the instrument or of the bellows extended. And the pictures that are available are taken in low light. Plus, the seller doesn't have access to the instrument so how does he/she know it is in playable condition?

Maybe I'm being paranoid. I don't know. But I would certainly ask these questions before making a serious bid.

JtO

good points. i wasn't speaking of the quality, that speaks for itself. i was just replying to "if it's to good to be true" comment and the legitimacy of the auction was questioned at the beginning. all i was saying is that style does exist and i got mine for less than that

My comment about "if it sounds to goood to be true" was regarding the fact that the picture quality is poor, the SELLER "does not have access to the accordion" and it is 5 years old and an "old man who died owned it". I did not say the auction is not legit; I only implied to be careful if you are bidding on it. I emailed the seller with questions and extra photos. His reply was he "would post more photos in a couple of days", but the auction ends in ONE day! Oh..and he did not answer the questions I asked regarding this accordion.

Don

CAVEAT EMPTOR if the stops are in a fixed position, that is entirely too much money. whoever is interested in buying needs to ask for pictures of the inside of the keyboard.

the stops appear to work looking at a picture. if the stops work and the reeds are italian(any brand) anyone looking for a bargain best grab it. my collection is looking for a Martin. I am waiting on feedback from the seller to confirm the type of reeds