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Who Made These Reedpans


Ken_Coles

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I got these in a bag of other parts from a former, brass-reeded EC. Missing a few reeds, and many of them are mixed up - probably fell out and were shoved back in willy-nilly.

 

The number, if you can't make it out, is 23965. While I expect odds are it is (was) a Lachenal, the action parts (levers and posts) are gone, while the rest of the casework is in small pieces. I'm primarily an anglo player, and the few ECs I've looked in have a circular paper on the reed pan giving the note names, and the maker or at least a later rebuilder. Also, the Lachenals I know and love (and the others too) have the number somewhere on the chamber side of the reedpan, and this does not. Is it still probably a Lachenal? I guess Wheatstone and Jones are the only others whose serial numbers got this high.

 

Ken

 

post-4-0-85986600-1523582388_thumb.jpg

post-4-0-42746800-1523582396_thumb.jpg

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The position of the number would indicate Wheatstone to me. Unfortunately, the number falls into the period when the sales ledgers no longer exist (or haven't yet been discovered???)

 

I've not seen a Jones English with such a high number. Not saying they didn't; just that I've never seen one.

 

One interesting(?) feature is that the valve pins seem a long way back towards the fixed end of (most of) the valves. Or are the valves just longer or further forward than usual?

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The position of the number would indicate Wheatstone to me. Unfortunately, the number falls into the period when the sales ledgers no longer exist (or haven't yet been discovered???)

 

I've not seen a Jones English with such a high number. Not saying they didn't; just that I've never seen one.

 

One interesting(?) feature is that the valve pins seem a long way back towards the fixed end of (most of) the valves. Or are the valves just longer or further forward than usual?

Almost looks as if some of the valves (in the chambers) are mount on the other end to usual?

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The position of the number would indicate Wheatstone to me. Unfortunately, the number falls into the period when the sales ledgers no longer exist (or haven't yet been discovered???)

 

I've not seen a Jones English with such a high number. Not saying they didn't; just that I've never seen one.

 

One interesting(?) feature is that the valve pins seem a long way back towards the fixed end of (most of) the valves. Or are the valves just longer or further forward than usual?

Almost looks as if some of the valves (in the chambers) are mount on the other end to usual?

 

 

Hmmm. Didn't think of that.... Any sign of other holes or remains of pins in the chamber walls, Ken?

Edited by malcolm clapp
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From the quality of the Timber ,being quarter sawn , I would hazard a guess at Chidley. He was in a previous life a Timber Merchant. Wheatstone did not stamp reed pans in this fashion

 

If it is a Wheatstone serial number, then certainly it would seem to have been built during the late Chidley period of ownership of the Wheatstone company.

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No other pins in the chamber walls - the wood is intact. Indeed as surmised, the larger valves are mounted the other way from the (in my limited experience) usual practice. This is on the chamber side only, and not for the smallest reeds in the chambers with wood cross-partitions. While the pins haven't been moved, are they really out of place for conventional valves.? Hard to believe that the valves I see here are a century and a half old - did someone put new ones in backwards? A number of them barely get to the end of the reed slot they are supposed to serve.

 

Right pan is nice and flat, left one is curled like a potato chip/crisp.

 

Need to bring the good camera home to shoot some of the other parts and the ends for you experts.

 

Ken

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I have a Jones Anglo number 28xxx that is stamped on the non-chambered side of the reed pans together with L and R. I know it is a Jones as it has a Jones stamp as well. I don't think mine has been messed with too much, it looked largely original and the valves in the largest chambers were also mounted in reverse. The valves looked to be in reasonably good order although they were very dark on the internal surface adjacent to the slot with very little curling or deformation. The external fretwork resembles a Lachenal and the reeds also looked similar, however, Dave Elliott says they are definitely Jones reeds. The pins were as would be expected and doubled for the largest reeds and chambers, which seemed to be suitable for the reversed valves as well.

 

Mike

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  • 4 weeks later...

OK, here finally are two more images. One shows some of the posts (turns out there are some) and a scrap of baffle (and wood with perhaps a batch number?); the other is a shot of an end with fretwork and action board.

Ken

Posts_baffle.jpg

End.JPG

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