Welcome to melodeon.net - where melodeon (box,squeezebox) players can find out all they need to know on:  melodeons, diatonic accordions, accordeon diatonique, boxes, squeezeboxes, melodeon (box) players, melodeon (squeezebox) keyboard layouts, melodeon (box) models such as the hohner pokerwork vienna melodeon, castagnari lilly, tommy, mory, studio, saltarelle le bouebe, nuage, epsilon, connemara 2 and 3, mengascini, oakwood, hyde, bompezzo, delicia, weltmeister etc.  melodeon players such as John Kirkpatrick, Andy Cutting, John Spiers, Kepa Junkera. Melodeon styles like English, english country dance, ceilidh, irish, cajun, tex-mex, french canadian (acadian, acadien), french and other melodeon (box, squeezebox) styles.

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melodeon.net is completely independant and free to use, it is designed as a resource for players of melodeons and diatonic accordions everywhere, focussing strongly on the English and European styles of playing but encompassing all other styles.  Our aim is purely to increase the knowledge base and communication between players so we can all get better.

Maintained and run by John Spiers e-mail me

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times since 23/06/2004

Saltarelle Connemara II
2½ rows (23+4), 12 bass, 2 voice, 1 bass stop to remove thirds
List Price (UK Nov 04) £1699



This was my first posh instrument (left) after playing a Hohner for about 3 years, it is in D/G.  I bought it second hand via an advert in fRoots magazine for quite a bit less than the new price.  I had it "nearly dry" tuned soon after.

This instrument has been absolutely marvellous over the years - I've had it since 1996 and it has served me so well.  I liked it so much that I bought another one (right) in C/F.

Reliability: despite the fact that I play it really hard and nearly every night - the only major problem is that I needed the bellows replaced last year.  I have never blown a reed and it has only had 2 full tunings since I got it - it is still in good tune now.  The bass buttons have gone a little wobbly in recent years (as they are wont to do on Saltarelles) but still play fine.  I have also replaced several broken springs.

Playability:  this is where the box comes in to it's own.  The Saltarelle flat keyboard is really fast once it's well played in as are the reeds.  The 12 bass layout is really useful giving an extra F natural and F# minor pair and then G (pull) and A (push) which makes playing in D much easier.  The layout I have is not the factory standard (it was like that when I bought it) but was so good that I applied it to the new one too!  Another great thing about this box is that it's only 3.2kg - very light for a 2½ row and the small bellows make it really punchy without bending reeds.  I really throw this instrument about and it takes it well.  Also owning a Connemara III - the model II is so much lighter and easier to play.

I would recommend this box to anyone looking for a small 2.5 row instrument.

Saltarelle Melodeon Reviews

Saltarelle Nuage
2 row, 23 button, 3 voice (3 treble stops), 2 bass stops to remove thirds and low bass reeds. List Price (UK Nov 04) £1799



I bought this box because my 10 year old Castagnari Tommy was
getting a bit past its sell by date and because I liked the sound I was hearing from the likes of Brian Peters, Tim Edey etc. It has the following advantages over most equivalent price boxes:

Three stops in the treble end, I like the L+M sound particularly and find it useful for song accompaniment to give depth without volume.
It has two stops in the bass, I love the sound of the bass chords with the third out and the removal of the low bass gives a good bass sound without too much volume. Of course if you switch everything on its one hell of a loud box so good for Morris.

It has a 23 button treble to give both low notes and accidentals. Somemight find the accidentals a bit of a stretch but as my Tommy had been modified with the same layout I had no problems.

The flat keyboard took a small amount of getting used to but now I find the stepped keyboards awkward and slower. The finish is a little bit flakey up against Castagnari but the cost is commensurately lower and it in no way affects the playability or the sound.

I've only had it two months and expect that there is still some playing in to come, some of the higher octave reeds are a little slow to speak or a little quiet sometimes. If this does not sort itself in the next few months I will get it looked at by the supplier (Music Room Cleckheaton, a very nice bunch of people).

So overall a very good value for money box with a really good sound.

Saltarelle Ocean
3 row, 33 button, 3 voice (5 fingerboard couplers), 3 bass coupler buttons to remove thirds and low bass reeds
List Price (UK Nov 04) £2599



I have now had this 3 row for three years, it has proved to
be a great box for just about everything other than playing for the
morris. It is  A/D/G 33 treble and 12 bass, 3 voices controlled by
couplers behind the fingerboard.

I found it very heavy when I first bought it, but now I have got used to the weight of it. The weight is what stops being a great morris box. That's where the hohner comes in. The Saltarelle is best for accompanying singers, as the reeds can be controlled to give a great sound. Its a bit expensive- but you pays your money, you takes your choice!

Streb eMelodeon (2 row model)
2 row, 8 bass.  Full midi melodeon, 128 synthesised sounds, 5 programmable patches, 1 bass switch to remove thirds.  Outputs: midi, left and right jack output (+stereo), headphone socket.
List Price (UK Nov 04) £750


I have been playing the Melodeon for many years now and I know what I like. I have owned and played several models from Hohners to Castagnaris and most others in between. Mostly you will find me using a Castganari in my role as country dance musician here in Wales and in the pub near my little cottage in county Kerry. You couldn't find a more traditional player. That is until now.

I read an article about Steve Rouse and his electronic Melodeon, the eMelodeon. I just couldn't resist and recently took delivery of Steve's 7th instrument.

Steve has come up with an astonishing instrument. It's astonishing in three main ways, firstly its amazeiningly versatile, secondly its fantastic to play and thirdly its unbelievably good value. Steve has used mainly Hohner parts and his own wooden pallets to create this instrument. He has no need for the reeds and traditional components and the two pallets are crammed with state of the art electronics.

The instrument is astonishing in three main ways. Its versatile, easy to play and use and extremely good value. The electronics allow the player to pick from a huge variety of sounds and different octaves. These sounds can then be played in different diatonic or chromatic tunings at the touch of a button. Arrangements for the low buttons and the bass buttons offers all the major variations and also some you've never seen. The instrument is self contained and has excellent battery powered speakers built in.This allows the player to play just as normal like any other melodeon player, to use PA systems or to even use headphones and practice silently. The response from the bellows, volume, reverb and chorus can all be set individually and the action is out of this world. In fact I have had to slow it down considerably as it can play faster than I could ever. The permutations are exciting and endless. In terms of value? It's a first rate piece of professional kit at a budget price.

Criticisms? Very few. The case is perhaps a little too simple and plain and the accordion sound is one of the least convincing.

Steve intends to offer an update providing more accordion sounds which I have my name down for already. He also intends to provide a mains adapter to save batteries which will be useful.

Pull this instrument out at a session, on stage or out in the open and other players heads will turn. It's great!

Streb Melodeon Reviews