Modern English Concertina Makers?

[Jeff Stallard]

I'm thinking of getting a nice English concertina, but the only two existing English makers I know of are Morse and Geuns-Wakker. Are they are other makers out there? I'm talking about quality instruments mind you, not the $99 Ebay specials.

 

Yes, I know there are vintage ones out there, but after owning a 1918 mandolin for a while, I had my fill of vintage ANYTHING.

[Henk van Aalten]

I'm thinking of getting a nice English concertina, but the only two existing English makers I know of are Morse and Geuns-Wakker.  Are they are other makers out there?  I'm talking about quality instruments mind you, not the $99 Ebay specials.

 

Yes, I know there are vintage ones out there, but after owning a 1918 mandolin for a while, I had my fill of vintage ANYTHING.

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Jeff

 

As far as I know, there is only Morse and Geuns-Wakker.

About vintage #1: I'm sure that Chris Algar has good vintage concertinas in store.

About vintage #2: what is your age??

Edited April 26, 2005 by Henk van Aalten

[Steven]

Suttner Concertinas also makes an English model. It's at the bottom of their list of models.

 

Steven

[Jeff Stallard]

Vintage instruments add too many variables to the equation. I don't want the responsibility of maintaining it. I watched, in horror, as my 1918 Vega mandolin developed a crack (too dry an environment I think). I promptly sold it and swore off vintage instruments. Expensive instruments (anything over $500 is expensive in my book) cause enough worry, so why do I want to throw in vintage "quirks" on top of that?! No thank you!

 

What is my age? I'm 30, but I don't see how that relates.

[Jeff Stallard]

Suttner Concertinas also makes an English model.

 

Thanks.

[Mark Evans]

Jeff, Norman used to advertise an English with accordion reeds...however...

 

You could not go wrong with either of the instruments you have mentioned.

 

I own a Morse, and it is F-I-N-E baby.

 

I understand you have a Jackie and there is an arrangement for the refund price of your student model towards a new instrument. Genus-Wakker is a bit more scratch than the Morse. It does have a full 48 note complement, but a bit heaver box than the Morse. I've never had the opportunity to play a Genus-Wakker (want to real bad).

 

I can say from experience that the folks at the Button Box bring a new box in right at 8 weeks (God willin' an' the creek don't rise).

 

Good luck!

[JimLucas]

I'm thinking of getting a nice English concertina, but the only two existing English makers I know of are Morse and Geuns-Wakker.  Are they are other makers out there?

There are definitely other makers, depending on your what you want, what you're willing to pay, and your willingness to wait. There are, of course, Steve Dickinson and Colin Dipper, with uncertainly long waiting times. I believe Holmwood is still making concertinas -- and only Englishes, -- but for some reason the C.net links page doesn't seem to have a link for them. And Jürgen Suttner also lists an English model in his catalog.

 

Yes, I know there are vintage ones out there, but after owning a 1918 mandolin for a while, I had my fill of vintage ANYTHING.

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One lemon, and you swear off all fruit?

[Peter Brook]

Andy Norman, 25 years concertina repair and manufacture experience, you probably can't buy better for the price - except that the exchange rate is so poor for you guys at the moment.

 

Waiting list was listed as about 9 months when I looked at his website last week.

[Chris Timson]

I believe Holmwood is still making concertinas --  and only Englishes, -- but for some reason the C.net links page doesn't seem to have a link for them.

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But the Concertina FAQ does have up-to-date contact information for them, as it does for all the makers mentioned.

 

No-one has mentioned Marcus Music yet. They are also making an accordion-reeded 37-button English concertina in the same price-and-quality range as Morse.

 

I think you are doing yourself a disservice if you ignore quality old concertinas. A good concertina does not age at all, to all intents and purpose, if well cared for. They just carry on making good music. Our oldest concertina is nearly 150 years old, and we have another English that is well over the century. They are nice, reliable instruments, both of them. We've had more problems with our Morses than we have with our Wheatstones!

 

Chris

[Stephen Chambers]

Vintage instruments add too many variables to the equation.  I don't want the responsibility of maintaining it.

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Is there such a thing as a musical instrument that doesn't need maintenance ?

 

 

I watched, in horror, as my 1918 Vega mandolin developed a crack (too dry an environment I think). I promptly sold it and swore off vintage instruments. Expensive instruments (anything over $500 is expensive in my book) cause enough worry, so why do I want to throw in vintage "quirks" on top of that?

I suspect that your mandolin might well have developed the same crack if it had been newly made of the same (good) materials. Problems like that are more to do with changes in atmospheric conditions affecting solid timber, rather than the age of the instrument. Cheaper modern instruments employ a lot of plywood (often with a fancy veneer over it), or even MDF, that is more stable than the solid timber used by quality luthiers, but it doesn't produce as good a sound and brings its own problems (which are often not repairable).

 

Personally, as the owner of a lovely 1930 Vega guitar for the last 25 years, I think you would have been better advised to have kept that mandolin (especially if it was a "cylinder back"), and just bought a Dampit humidifier ($14.99) to keep in the case with it. You could then have watched as the crack closed back up again !

 

 

What is my age?  I'm 30, but I don't see how that relates.

Maybe "us wrinklies" (sorry Henk !) grew up in an age when the only decent instruments available were what might now be termed "vintage".

 

(Does that make our ideas "vintage" too ? Oh well, the best wine comes in old bottles ! )

[Henk van Aalten]

Maybe "us wrinklies" (sorry Henk !) grew up in an age when the only decent instruments available were what might now be termed "vintage". 

 

(Does that make our ideas "vintage" too ?    Oh well, the best wine comes in old bottles !  )

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Stephen

You do'nt have to say sorry to me. A grandfather (for more than 8 years) should have wrinkles . They are not only a sign of age, but (hopefully) also of wisdom.

[Ken_Coles]

Some time back I added a page on English concertinas to the Buyer's Guide. While perhaps not cutting edge info, it was intended to address these sorts of questions initially. Effort has gone into this rather than the links page lately. When I heard from Holmwood while compiling the page, I was given to understand that Holmwood (as opposed to Homewood) has no web presence, hence no link. If I am mistaken I would appreciate the info for the Buyer's Guide

 

Ken

[JimLucas]

Vintage instruments add too many variables to the equation.

As others have pointed out, it's not being "vintage" that does that. I was going to say that being "quality" is what does it, but that's not right, either. "Cheap" instruments actually have more "variables", but the difference is that one generally expects them to deteriorate and be discarded, even if one takes good care of them.

 

I don't want the responsibility of maintaining it.

That seems more to the point. At least you're up front about wanting to avoid responsibility. But I'm afraid you're deceiving yourself. Proper maintenance is not difficult to either learn or perform, and for very little effort provides far more joy and less pain than improper maintenance or simple neglect.

 

Expensive instruments (anything over $500 is expensive in my book) cause enough worry...

A quality musical instrument, whether vintage or new, will perform beautifully for decades or even generations with little or no "maintenance" beyond proper care. Compare that to a personal computer (what can you get for $500 or less?) or accessories, which become obsolete in only a few years, even if they still work, but for which "maintenance" may be impossible, because a 10-cent part is no longer available. But I suspect that if that fact had led you to swear off computers -- as you say you've sworn off vintage instruments, -- you wouldn't be posting here on Concertina.net.

 

You have your priorities, and we have ours. Even though I make my living with computers, for me concertinas come first.

 

What is my age?  I'm 30, but I don't see how that relates.

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I'm not sure what Henk meant, but I might ask you whether you feel that you should be discarded when you achieve "vintage" status.

[JimLucas]

Maybe "us wrinklies" (sorry Henk !) grew up in an age when the only decent instruments available were what might now be termed "vintage". 

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You don't have to say sorry to me. A grandfather (for more than 8 years) should have wrinkles . They are not only a sign of age, but (hopefully) also of wisdom.

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I thought they were the result of smiling a lot. :)

[Henk van Aalten]

Maybe "us wrinklies" (sorry Henk !) grew up in an age when the only decent instruments available were what might now be termed "vintage". 

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You don't have to say sorry to me. A grandfather (for more than 8 years) should have wrinkles . They are not only a sign of age, but (hopefully) also of wisdom.

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I thought they were the result of smiling a lot. :)

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Jim

I think (I do not see myself very often) that I do not smile that much, but I sure did it for a long time

[JimLucas]

Maybe "us wrinklies" (sorry Henk !) grew up in an age when the only decent instruments available were what might now be termed "vintage". 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You don't have to say sorry to me. A grandfather (for more than 8 years) should have wrinkles . They are not only a sign of age, but (hopefully) also of wisdom.

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I thought they were the result of smiling a lot. :)

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I think (I do not see myself very often) that I do not smile that much, but I sure did it for a long time

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I definitely saw you smile at the SSI.

[Chris Timson]

When I heard from Holmwood while compiling the page, I was given to understand that Holmwood (as opposed to Homewood) has no web presence, hence no link.  If I am mistaken I would appreciate the info for the Buyer's Guide

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They don't have a web site, but they do have an address and phone number, and that is in the FAQ.

 

Chris

[Mark Evans]

Chris, I have checked out the Marcus website and find no mention of an English 37 button. I would love to see and hear one.

 

I would urge Jeff to keep his mind open as to vintage/new. One never knows what opportunity will arise. A well cared for vintage is forever and dependable. They can also be brought back from the dead and live (out live the new owner for sure) again.

 

I love my Morse. Was a real kick in the pants to own a new instrument and break it in. The shocker is that the thumbstraps have taken on the odd, uneven configuration my old Wheatstone had when I aquired it. Guess I developed my technique on the Wheatstone and it was effected by the then 80 year old thumbstraps which had been broken in by some concertinist with a little bit left of center way of holding his instrument. I've now passed it on to my little Morse...kinda cool.