You are welcome. You can call me Jesse if you want.

The best all-around character... well, in my opinion, there is no "best" as each have different jobs.
A Mage makes the best weller in my book, and many would agree with me on this. (unless you have 10kFG to buy hybrid gear, a Mage is the best choice)
For simply climbing the ladder, I prefer melee, but that is only because I have invested in a sword set that lets me climb somewhat fast.
In short, I would make a mage for welling, then make a fighter/barbarian or some type of melee character for climbing, and also supplying the mage with stuff to well.
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This might help you:
Nev's Guide to Softcore Welling (written by our very own leader!)
Also, if you have aol instant messenger, you can message me on there. (my AIM is the same as my JSP)