Jump to content

Amboyna TT on eBay


SteveS

Recommended Posts

Hello

Sorry my English is not the best.

I am the seller of the concertina.

I have no knowledge of the concertina.

The concertina was locked in a closet until the present day.

The previous deal did not work because Mr. Chris Algar claimed that the concertina did not meet their expectations, with a loss of EUR 1000 for me (fees, transportation, insurance ...).

In my opinion, those who bid so high a value must contact the seller before to check every detail of the object.

I give you a link to more pictures I took now.

I am available for any clarification and if necessary provide further details.

I know that previous images on ebay may have misled the persons concerned, but I tell you that was not my intention.

I was always careful to give all the details of the concertina.

Thank you for your interest.

 

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/100147050135263134978/albums/5734516124998656673

 

(You can download the pictures and zoom in your computer)

 

regards,

Sergio Soares

 

 

 

Sergio,

there is talk of a bad crack in one end of your concertina... could you include a picture of the under sides of the pieces of wood which have the keys (buttons) and levers fitted to ?

 

This might make clear what else is wrong with the concertina and perhaps give confidence to those people who might want to bid for it.

 

good luck,

Geoff. :)

Sergio - I see from the pictures there appear to be some broken reeds - can you say how many reeds are broken?

Thanks, Steve

Edited by SteveS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Geoff Thanks for your advice.

I've taken more pictures and i send them now at this link:

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/100147050135263134978/albums/5734690345188556417

 

Steve by my knowledge, I can tell you there are two broken reeds. They all have a thin layer of rust.

 

Best Regards,

Sergio Soares

Thanks Sergio

Looks to me like there are a few serious cracks in the ends some of which appear go right through from the inside.

Also the laminates of the ends appear to have separated with cracking on the inside, some cracks between the button holes. I wonder if these cracks go through the laminations. I wonder if the laminated layers have separated across the ends.

The laminations have also separated away from the end hoops and have even broken away in places where they join the end hoops.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

sorry Steve, my ignorance. What do you mean with the laminations?

do you mean the black edge around the Amboyna wood?

Some corners of the black edge are broken as shown in the photos.

Sergio

 

The ends are made of 3 layers of thin wood - the 2 outer layers are veneer, and the layer between them is usually thicker. Animal glue is used to stick the layers together. The combined layers gives the ends strength and it will keep its shape.

 

If the layers separate (this can happen if the instrument has been stored in a damp or hot environment), then the strength is less than when new. It is possible for all of the layers to become separated in extreme cases. Also this can cause the ends to warp and splits to appear. The layers can also separate from the edges, for example where they join the end hoops, and at the bolts. This is probably why the edges are cracked and broken. With incorrect storage, or even with the effects of ageing or decay, the animal glue can become weak and have an effect on the ends; in some pictures the ends in places appear to be lifting away from the end hoops.

 

These repairs can be very difficult, and can take very many hours of work to repair, and may even need completely new ends depending how bad the problems are, and so this work can be very expensive. The outer veneer is amboyna: this makes repair work harder and more difficult since any repairer would probably want to keep this.

 

I have seen instruments with ends so poor and decayed, they have turned to dust.

 

Hope this helps.

Steve

Edited by SteveS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

These repairs can be very difficult, and can take very many hours of work to repair, and may even need completely new ends depending how bad the problems are, and so this work can be very expensive.

In non-technical terms, even though your concertina once was almost certainly among the best of the best, simply restoring it to its former glory could well be more expensive than it could eventually be sold for.

 

Because of what it is -- or once was, and might be again -- a skilled craftsperson might consider it a labor of love to put in the work to restore it for their personal use, in spite of the financial loss (if they include the value of their time), but not if they have to pay a premium price before they even start the work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
These repairs can be very difficult, and can take very many hours of work to repair, and may even need completely new ends depending how bad the problems are, and so this work can be very expensive.

In non-technical terms, even though your concertina once was almost certainly among the best of the best, simply restoring it to its former glory could well be more expensive than it could eventually be sold for.

 

Because of what it is -- or once was, and might be again -- a skilled craftsperson might consider it a labor of love to put in the work to restore it for their personal use, in spite of the financial loss (if they include the value of their time), but not if they have to pay a premium price before they even start the work.

Subsequently, when I looked closer at the reeds and frames I could see that they'd been polished - confirmed by the vendor.

There appeared to be ridges on the reed vibrators - possibly resulting from heavy use of a buff - my suspicions are that the reeds may be wrecked.

It may also explain why some reeds are broken.

If this is the case, what a shame.

Edited by SteveS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 years later...

The instrument had quite a story and finally ended up with me!

Originally it was bought in Portugal and was exported ( by steamer ) to Brasil.

Eventually it returned to Portugal.

At the first ebay auction Chris Algar outbid me and bought the box.

But as the reeds were in really bad condition, he returned it ( somebody had in fact "polished" the reeds! ).

I contacted the seller, met him in Germany at a family wedding and finally bought it at a fraction of the initial price.

Some time later I bought a derelict EE TT in Belgium with good reeds.

David Robertson swapped the entire reed-pans and beautifully restored the instrumentt to mint condition.

Some time later he managed to restore the EE TT as well with many exchange reeds...

The tort TT ended up in my collection and was never played...

My life is changing right now, so I will start to sell part of the collection in the future.

So I would sell this unique box ( mint original gold-tooled bellows! ) at the right price.

Open to offers...

 

 

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, conzertino said:

The instrument had quite a story and finally ended up with me!

Originally it was bought in Portugal and was exported ( by steamer ) to Brasil.

Eventually it returned to Portugal.

At the first ebay auction Chris Algar outbid me and bought the box.

But as the reeds were in really bad condition, he returned it ( somebody had in fact "polished" the reeds! ).

I contacted the seller, met him in Germany at a family wedding and finally bought it at a fraction of the initial price.

Some time later I bought a derelict EE TT in Belgium with good reeds.

David Robertson swapped the entire reed-pans and beautifully restored the instrumentt to mint condition.

Some time later he managed to restore the EE TT as well with many exchange reeds...

The tort TT ended up in my collection and was never played...

My life is changing right now, so I will start to sell part of the collection in the future.

So I would sell this unique box ( mint original gold-tooled bellows! ) at the right price.

Open to offers...

 

 

 

 

Thanks - what a story.  I'm glad that it was eventually restored.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had several requests for pics. Unfortunately I don't have any before the restoration, but I can tell you:  it was really bad!

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q0q0sapbta21sl2/AACUrK-NJrJqlD96DygZI91Ba?dl=0

 

As usual I'm asking in EURO what it might cost in Britain in Pounds: 6000€ - plus postage!

 

Little reminder: I still have a metal-ended 64-key TT Aeola for sale  - at half that price;-)

Edited by conzertino
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my opinion and experience it is very difficult to judge an instrument that hasn't been played for fifty years...

Those special instruments were made by the best craftsmen to the highest standard - often to the specific taste of the buyer.

It is not a screamer, but has a nicely balanced sound with quite a strong bottom-end.

I would love to hear it after 50 hours of intensive playing...

I had two Amboyna-ended trebles with quite different sound quality.

In my early years I would have perferred the loud one, but I kept the mellow one in the end...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, conzertino said:

I had several requests for pics. Unfortunately I don't have any before the restoration, but I can tell you:  it was really bad!

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q0q0sapbta21sl2/AACUrK-NJrJqlD96DygZI91Ba?dl=0

 

Great to see it Robbi, a very handsome instrument indeed, which (if I was in the market for one) would make a fine companion for my 1910 (best-hexagonal) 48-key "No. 6,  Black, Gilt Fittings, Special, 25100" that has the same gold tooling on the bellows frames, and a gorgeous sound.

 

Though I'm still kinda lonesome for the 56-key amboyna TT that I sold you a few years ago - but we can't keep them all! ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still living next to another... ( three of them have gold tooling! )

 

Amboynas.thumb.jpg.07158cf8021a8f8b232b40cf71e1f049.jpg

 

Here a little story: I had the 56-key TT restored by Steve Dickinson. When I picked it up, I asked him, what kind of instrument he had kept for himself. None, he replied. When I asked him, which particular instrument he would like to own, he choose this Amboyna TT?

 

PS: Has anyone ever seen an Amboyna miniature??

Edited by conzertino
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...