South African Concertinas?

[seanc]

Hi All,

I have seen a few pics and bits and pieces here and there about South African concertinas. Are there web sites about them? Links to manufacturers/ price lists etc?

 

Starting to consider an English (or maybe a G/D) and if the quality and price is there maybe it make sense to look that route?

 

Thanks!

[ben]

Hello Sean,

 

I am not aware of any direct websites linking to manufacturers. There is one site maintained by Kalie De Jager at http://www.kalie.boeremusiek.net featuring South African concertinas and several Wheastones. The website is in Afrikaans.

 

The three major concertina manufacturers in South Africa include: 1) Willie van Wyk; 2) Koot Brits; and 3) Allan Green. These gentleman can build you an excellent concertina according to your specifications for approximately $2,500. All three have 30 years of concertina building experience. They have each made innovations and improvements to the Wheatstone Anglo concertinas. The South African manufacturers build mainly anglo concertinas. Willie van Wyk has stated to me that he can build English concertinas if he is given a design and layout. He builds excellent English miniature concertinas and I am sure that he can do the same with a regular English style concertina.

 

I will send you a PM with these gentlemen's contact info.

 

Ben

 

P.S. My one concertina is in Bob Tedrow's shop perhaps he can give you an expert opinion on that particular concertina (in shop for gold tooling and concertina papers). Paul Read of this forum has examined my South African concertinas and he can give you an expert opinion

Edited October 22, 2007 by Ben Otto

[Jody Kruskal]

I have heard that there is a distinction between the South African Boermusic Anglo (German) concertinas and the Zulu Anglos. My source says that the Zulu musicians have their Anglos tuned very differently. I’m not sure if that means different intonation (temperament) or different pitches altogether.

 

The fellow I was talking with went on to say that there are well attended concertina festivals in SA where both Boer and Zulu traditions are played side by side and that some musicians are even mixing elements of the two distinct traditions to make a hybrid sound. He said that this is a recent development and very exciting to hear.

 

Anyone here know about this?

 

Are the makers mentioned above making Zulu instruments as well?

[Daniel Hersh]

I think that this is the page on Kalie De Jager's site showing samples of these makers' concertinas. (Scroll down to the end.) They're very nice-looking instruments--I'd love to hear some sound files. There's also good info on this topic in this thread.

 

Hello Sean,

 

I am not aware of any direct websites linking to manufacturers. There is one site maintained by Kalie De Jager at <a href="http://www.kalie.boeremusiek.net" target="_blank">http://www.kalie.boeremusiek.net</a> featuring South African concertinas and several Wheastones. The website is in Afrikaans.

 

The three major concertina manufacturers in South Africa include: 1) Willie van Wyk; 2) Koot Brits; and 3) Allan Green. These gentleman can build you an excellent concertina according to your specifications for approximately $2,000 to $2,500. All three have 30 years of concertina building experience. They have each made innovations and improvements to the Wheatstone Anglo concertinas. The South African manufacturers build mainly anglo concertinas. Willie van Wyk has stated to me that he can build English concertinas if he is given a design and layout. He builds excellent English miniature concertinas and I am sure that he can do the same with a regular English style concertina.

 

I will send you a PM with these gentlemen's contact info.

 

Ben

 

P.S. My one concertina is in Bob Tedrow's shop perhaps he can give you an expert opinion on that particular concertina (in shop for gold tooling and concertina papers). Paul Read of this forum has examined my South African concertinas and he can give you an expert opinion

Edited October 19, 2007 by Daniel Hersh

[Chris Timson]

I have heard that there is a distinction between the South African Boermusic Anglo (German) concertinas and the Zulu Anglos. My source says that the Zulu musicians have their Anglos tuned very differently. I’m not sure if that means different intonation (temperament) or different pitches altogether.

If you can get hold of it there is a long (11 pages) article in Concertina & squeezebox 25 by Harry Scurfield entitled The Concertina in South Africa. It concentrates mostly on the Zulu squashbox, a sort of bastardised Bastari (there's a phrase that trips off the tongue!) and the music played on it. There are examples of squashbox music on Planet Squeezebox, and examples of the very, very different Boer music style on Anglo International.

 

After briefly mentioning a whole collection of different tunings, Harry goes on to describe the "standard" tuning thus: "To those familiar with the anglo keyboard, it is an anglo in Eb/Bb, but with the push/pull reversed on the right-hand half of the Eb row and the left hand half of the Bb row ... to an anglo player like myself it is rather like trying to ride a bicycle which, when you turn the handlebars left, turns right; but only sometimes!".

 

Chris

[david_boveri]

Hello Sean,

 

I am not aware of any direct websites linking to manufacturers. There is one site maintained by Kalie De Jager at http://www.kalie.boeremusiek.net featuring South African concertinas and several Wheastones. The website is in Afrikaans.

 

The three major concertina manufacturers in South Africa include: 1) Willie van Wyk; 2) Koot Brits; and 3) Allan Green. These gentleman can build you an excellent concertina according to your specifications for approximately $2,000 to $2,500. All three have 30 years of concertina building experience. They have each made innovations and improvements to the Wheatstone Anglo concertinas. The South African manufacturers build mainly anglo concertinas. Willie van Wyk has stated to me that he can build English concertinas if he is given a design and layout. He builds excellent English miniature concertinas and I am sure that he can do the same with a regular English style concertina.

 

I will send you a PM with these gentlemen's contact info.

 

Ben

 

P.S. My one concertina is in Bob Tedrow's shop perhaps he can give you an expert opinion on that particular concertina (in shop for gold tooling and concertina papers). Paul Read of this forum has examined my South African concertinas and he can give you an expert opinion

 

could you send me their info as well?

[dpmccabe]

Their web server isn't configured properly and you'll need to use this link:

http://kalie.boeremusiek.net/konsertinas.html

 

I tried a few Dutch->English online translators and they'll give you a general sense of what it says.

[ben]

The contact info. requested for Willie Van Wyk and Koot Brits of South Africa is as follows:

 

Willie Van Wyk Phone number: 011-27-12-802-1104 P.O.Box 1759 Rayton 1001 Rep. of South Africa

Willie's neighbour receives emails on his behalf: iona@kleinfontein.net Attention: Willie

 

Koot Brits - Phone number is: 011-27-84-744-9955 Address: 185 De Bruyn Str. WeavindPark, Pretoria 0185 Rep. of South Africa. Cell number: 011-27-84-744-9955

 

South Africa is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

 

Willie van Wyk's concertina bellows are among the best in the concertina world (similar to Rosalie Dipper's). Willie and Koot manufacture their own concertina steel reeds. Their concertinas are solidly built with expert craftmanship. The waiting times for a custom built concertina is approximately one to two years. Willie and Koot's colleagues in the UK and the USA charge USD $3000 to $5000.00 more than they do for 40 button anglo's. Willie and Koot charge even less for 30 button concertinas (only $2500.00 to USD 3,000.00).

 

Why do the South African concertina manufacturers charge less for quality concertinas? First, Willie and Koot are both retired from their regular vocations/jobs and have pension incomes. Second, their overhead is considerably less than their UK and USA counterparts. Third, isolation from the overseas concertina community and ignorance of UK and USA concertina prices. Fourth, Willie and Koot derive great pleasure and personal satisfaction knowing that some of their cutom ordered/built concertinas are being used by UK and USA/Canada customers.

 

Incidentally, approximately 90 per cent of all the "South African" Wheatstone Anglo concertinas (50xxx series range) that are being sold on Ebay are refurbished by Willie and Koot before being sent overseas for resale. Both guys know the difference between an excellent Wheatstone concertina and those that were made with inferior components during the lean years of the post WWII years.

 

Boer Music concertina players are very picky and very demanding when it comes to their concertinas. Willie and Koot are not satisfied until their customers are satisfied. Excellent concertinas, Rugby and beef jerky (biltong) are integral to a South African concertina player's life.

 

(Disclaimer: The above info. is to point out favourable conditions for prospective concertina buyers when considering South African Concertinas. I do not get any commision for my tuppence or two cents worth. I have concertina orders with Steve Dickinson, Colin Dipper and Bob Tedrow. When I have recovered financially from all my orders I will consider placing an order with Jeff Thomas, Chris Ghent, Geoff Crabb and Wim Wakker. I have not won the Lottery yet.)

Edited October 23, 2007 by Ben Otto

[david_boveri]

The contact info. requested for Willie Van Wyk and Koot Brits of South Africa is as follows....

 

which do you prefer?

[ben]

Willie and Koot both make great concertinas. I would give a slight edge to Willie because his bellows are outstanding.

 

Willie is getting old - he is 74 years old. His son makes excellent concertinas too but still has a full-time job. Koot is in his sixties. Alan Green - another outstanding concertina builder and musician is approximately 75 years old. It is too bad that it takes so many years to become an expert craftsman and to gain some recognition... and then face .... permanent retirement.

 

I believe that any of these gentlemen would be happy to put an overseas customer near the top of their waiting list.

I will post photos of Willie's concertina and Koot's on this forum in the near future.

[Daniel Hersh]

You can see photos of all three makers' instruments (and information about them, in Afrikaans--Ben, can you offer us a translation?) at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Willie and Koot both make great concertinas. I would give a slight edge to Willie because his bellows are outstanding.

 

Willie is getting old - he is 74 years old. His son makes excellent concertinas too but still has a full-time job. Koot is in his sixties. Alan Green - another outstanding concertina builder and musician is approximately 75 years old. It is too bad that it takes so many years to become an expert craftsman and to gain some recognition... and then face .... permanent retirement.

 

I believe that any of these gentlemen would be happy to put an overseas customer near the top of their waiting list.

I will post photos of Willie's concertina and Koot's on this forum in the near future.

Edited March 8, 2008 by Daniel Hersh

[ben]

The web page featuring South African concertina makers give a brief description of the top builders, past and present, namely: 1) Allen Green comes from a musical family and plays twenty musical instruments. He excells on the concertina and piano accordion. He builds and restores/refurbushishes concertinas. He lives in the Mossel Bay area of Western Cape province. (I will get his address and phone number for C.net users). His price range is also in the USD 2,500.00 to USD 3,000.00 range depending on the type of concertina one requests.

 

The second concertina builder is Koot (short for James) Brits. He comes originally from Kestell, Cape Province. He is an outstanding concertina player and this is reflected in the manufacturing of his concertinas. He has already built more than forty-two, 40 button Anglo concertinas for the South African market.(Koot advised me yesterday that starting in 2008 he will be focusing exclusively on manufacturing new concertinas. (Repairing and refurbishing hundreds of "South African " Wheatstones is time consuming. He aims to build a new concertina every two months. He is currently designing a 30 button C/G concertina for the USA/Canada market which will be available in April 2008. His concertinas are Wheatstone Anglo clones in the price range of USD 2,500 to USD 3,000.00. Cases are included.

 

The third concertina builder and repairman is Willie Van Wyk. The article states that Willie is one of the most senior concertina builders and restorers. (He used to repair accordions and organs).

 

The fourth concertina builder featured is the late Hannes (John or Johannes) Viljoen. The late Hannes was one of the founding members of the Boer Music Gild (organization) and promoted Boer Concertina music. Hannes Viljoen made nearly 60 anglo concertinas - hexagonal, octagonal and eodophone anglos. His trademark included Perspex or Plexiglass concertina sides.

 

The fifth concertina builder and repairman was the late Pierre Gerber. Pierre made the "Olga" anglo concertinas that were extremely light weight with bellows that were reportedly better than those of Wheatstones. Pierre also mentored Allen Green.

 

Incidently, I made a home recording video where I interviewed Wiilie van Wyk as well as Regardt De Bruyn (a concertina child prodigy). Regardt performs several numbers (songs) on the Wifra as well as Willie's 40 button Anglo Baritone (the Baritone has three reeds for every button). Regardt De Bruyn, who is featured on the 3 CD's from the International Concertina Association, contends that the Wifra concertina is just as good, if not better, than the Wheatstone concertinas he has played.

 

On this video Johan Alberts (a Boer Music player) plays songs on Allen Green's concertina. I love the moving and haunting renditions of "Melody of Love" and "Sentimental Journey."

 

I am willing to send this DVD to anyone who is interested (mind you its is an amateur video).

 

Regards,

Ben

Edited October 23, 2007 by Ben Otto

[ben]

 

 

My South African "Wifra" 40 button C/G anglo concertina made by Willie van Wyk has received Bob Tedrow's Midas touch i.e. goldtooling. The next process will include modified concertina papers for the bellows. Please find attached a current photo of this Wifra (courtesy of Bob Tedrow). I will post another picture when the bellow papers are glued to the bellows.

 

The wood used on this concertina is solid Bird's Eye Maple (not veneer). The buttons are ivory tipped.

 

Ben

Edited October 28, 2007 by Ben Otto

[Chris Ghent]

Incidently, I made a home recording video where I interviewed Wiilie van Wyk as well as Regardt De Bruyn (a concertina child prodigy). Regardt performs several numbers (songs) on the Wifra as well as Willie's 40 button Anglo Baritone (the Baritone has three reeds for every button). Regardt De Bruyn, who is featured on the 3 CD's from the International Concertina Association, contends that the Wifra concertina is just as good, if not better, than the Wheatstone concertinas he has played.

 

On this video Johan Alberts (a Boer Music player) plays songs on Allen Green's concertina. I love the moving and haunting renditions of "Melody of Love" and "Sentimental Journey."

 

I am willing to send this DVD to anyone who is interested (mind you its is an amateur video).

 

I've seen this, courtesy of Ben, and its definitely worth a look...

 

Ben, something that occurred to me after seeing it and I forgot to ask, how many concertina players do you think there would be in South Africa..?

 

Chris

Edited October 28, 2007 by Chris Ghent

[ben]

Chris, I have hear anecdotely that there are approximately 5,000 members that belong to the Boer Music Gild - mostly concertina players. I will however find out from that association's representatives what the actual statistics are of concertina players. I do know that thousands of Wheatstone Anglo concertinas were sent to South Africa in the 1950's from the 50xxx serial range.

 

Willie van Wyk and Koot Brits have both told me that there is in deed a great current demand for concertinas in South Africa, especially 40 button anglos. There is a concertina and Boer Music revival going on as the Afrikaners are desperately trying to maintain their cultural and historical identity amid socio-political changes and instability. The Boer music concertina players will readily part with their 30 button Wheaststone concertinas (if the money is right) but not so with the 40 button anglos.

 

The Boer music players contend that they need more buttons to play songs and chords in all twelve musical keys. They play keys and chords in all three and 3/4 rows. They also love their eight fold bellows. One Boer music player told me he desires a 40 button anglo with 10 bellows to supply enough air volume for his playing.

 

 

Will get back with the info.

 

Ben

[Peter J. Earle - author]

So interesting, but so long ago, now. If Allan Green was 75-ish in 2007, now... the question is whether he is still active? We had atrap-orrel beautifully repaired by him and now need a concertina attended to. We live in the Western Cape, not far from Mossel Bay. If he is still in action can anyone please give me a contact number?

[Richard Mellish]

Some years ago (but more recently than when this thread was started), shortly after I had bought a very nice Wheatstone 40-key C-G, a Koot Brits 40-key C-G came up for sale at a much lower price. I decided I might as well buy it and then, in due course, sell one or the other.

 

The Koot Brits turned out to be -- err -- let's say "not great". It is bigger than the Wheatstone and needs to be, because the reeds use an awful lot of air. I eventually took it to Steve Dickinson for his advice. He reckons it was assembled in SA from Wheatstone parts, with probably some Lachenal reeds, rather than built from scratch.

 

It is playable but would need a lot of work to put it into good condition, probably including a lot of new reeds.

[Alex West]

Richard

 

I've had a similar experience with a Koot Brits G/D.  Some of the workmanship is very good, but the reeds seem very patchy and it's not good to play.  It's not just that they use a lot of air;  the whole thing seems to have a lot of resistance so it's sluggish and physically hard work.

 

I have some plans for it which may improve things but I suspect I'll have to replace a few reeds as well

 

Alex West