Weltmeister Accordion Review?

[antonista]

Does anybody have any comment on the quality, sound etc. of
Weltmeister accordions? I am thinking of buying one, but am new to the
sport.

thanks!

[Bernie Schenkler]

Post by antonista
Does anybody have any comment on the quality, sound etc. of
Weltmeister accordions? I am thinking of buying one, but am new to the
sport.
thanks!

I have the Weltmeister Achat which is a 72 bass piano accordion. I
also have a Borsini K-9 about which I commented in another post
earlier.

The newer (last 10 years?) Weltmeisters are allegedly better built
than the earlier East German models, having absorbed some of the
former Hohner craftsmen when Hohner left for China. Opening up the
accordion, you will see much of it is made of plastic including reed
blocks. Comparing it to the interior of the Borsini is a shock, since
the Borsini has beautiful wood craftsmanship. But the plastic reduces
the weight and the cost of production, and presumably makes for
uniformity of construction by the factories.

I understand the Achat to be better built than the 48 bass Rubin or 60
bass Perle. The treble side is decent. Nice tremelo. MML
configuration. Keys are slightly smaller than a full-size accordion.
The negative is the bass since there is only the master (no other
registers) which is somewhat overpowering. But it is light and easily
carried and sounds OK.

The Hohner Amica received a relatively favorable review in the June
2004 Keyboard magazine. Other possiblities include the Parrot
(chinese), sometimes in a rebadged version such as produced by Iorio
in New Jersey. It is probable that a used accordion from a reputable
dealer would give you more bang for the buck. The best option is to
see if you can get hands-on at a dealer to experience the sound and
the feel.

Bernie Schenkler

[antonista]

Post by Bernie Schenkler

Post by antonista
Does anybody have any comment on the quality, sound etc. of
Weltmeister accordions? I am thinking of buying one, but am new to the
sport.
thanks!

I have the Weltmeister Achat which is a 72 bass piano accordion. I
also have a Borsini K-9 about which I commented in another post
earlier.
The newer (last 10 years?) Weltmeisters are allegedly better built
than the earlier East German models, having absorbed some of the
former Hohner craftsmen when Hohner left for China. Opening up the
accordion, you will see much of it is made of plastic including reed
blocks. Comparing it to the interior of the Borsini is a shock, since
the Borsini has beautiful wood craftsmanship. But the plastic reduces
the weight and the cost of production, and presumably makes for
uniformity of construction by the factories.
I understand the Achat to be better built than the 48 bass Rubin or 60
bass Perle. The treble side is decent. Nice tremelo. MML
configuration. Keys are slightly smaller than a full-size accordion.
The negative is the bass since there is only the master (no other
registers) which is somewhat overpowering. But it is light and easily
carried and sounds OK.
The Hohner Amica received a relatively favorable review in the June
2004 Keyboard magazine. Other possiblities include the Parrot
(chinese), sometimes in a rebadged version such as produced by Iorio
in New Jersey. It is probable that a used accordion from a reputable
dealer would give you more bang for the buck. The best option is to
see if you can get hands-on at a dealer to experience the sound and
the feel.
Bernie Schenkler

Thanks for the info. I am looking at buying a used weltmeister
chromatic accordion, 96 bass. It is supposedly less than 10 years old.
price is $1000.

[John Moppett]

I recently bought an 80 bass on Ebay for £200, because I wanted more
flexibility than I had with my 48 or 72 bass boxes.
I bought it as a trial, but am currently hanging on to it. The sound is
not as bright as I would like - my favourite is my Italian 48bass, but I
can live with it.
It has 5 treble registers, which are fine, plus 3 bass. As Bernie said,
build quality could be an issue -lots of plastic! However the only real
problem that I have is the keyboard. Keys work round a peg, which means
that the action gets heavier if you move in to play more black notes.
Otherwise, for £200 I am happy enough.

John

Post by antonista
Does anybody have any comment on the quality, sound etc. of
Weltmeister accordions? I am thinking of buying one, but am new to the
sport.
thanks!