Try contacting GREG MOUTON in Crowley Louisiana, just a little south of Eunice and Iota. Use link #3 above.

Greg has a music shop and builds high quality handmade Cajun accordions, but he also stocks factory made accordions that he has "tweaked" a bit to insure that they perform correctly. Greg's a GREAT guy!

John,
Try the above link,
or just type in Gabbanelli Accordions into your browser.
An improved alternate to the Chinese variety.
Still in your price range, I believe.
The problem is, you will spend your $ 300-500.00,
and you will have have a big fat "0-zero-0" resale value after your skills improve and you want to move up to an LA built box,
which you could have bought for
$ 1,500, and it retains it's value and sounds better.
Don't know your goals or situation; Just relating what happened to me.
JB

JB is correct dont waste your money on that cheap ****ttt they are very hard to play and you may get discourged. Spend the money and get a good box and you will be way better off in the end and if you do not like playing the resale value will hold a lot better than that chinese crap

I agree. Obviously you love the music and want to play. Get a good box and give yourself a chance to learn. If you find out it is not for you, you can put it for sale on this forum and pass it on to someone like yourself. That C handmade will be sold in a flash for close to what you paid for it if not more. Those Mouton boxes are BEAUTIFUL. And one other thing. Handmade LA boxes are truly works of art. They are the embodiment of a People and their culture. That's something to admire and preserve and you will be doing that. Even when you are not playing, you will get pleasure just by looking at it. If you have enough for an Ariette, just save a little longer and get the real deal. Good luck.