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Wheatstone Aeola Tenor-Treble English Concertina


Ray

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I've decided to sell one of my two Aeola tenor-trebles (unjustifiable extravagance to keep both!). I really struggled to decide which one to part with but have chosen the metal-ended 56-button one, serial number 26248 (which dates it at 1914).

It has a bright tone, as you'd expect with a metal-ended Wheatstone, and has a fast, highly responsive action with a very free-speaking, lush sound and wide dynamic range - fabulous for tunes but also for gentle song accompaniment.

It was professionally serviced about six years ago and the bellows, springs, pads, reeds and valves are in very good order. It's in concert pitch and is an absolute delight to play.

The metal end-grills are typical for an instrument of this age, with the finish dull in places and with some wear to the plating. I've not had them re-plated as I think venerable instruments like this look great in their natural state, but these grills are easily re-plated if you prefer a gleaming, new-look finish.

It comes in a modern hard case. I was originally asking £3,500 ono ... but now see below - only £2,750!!

 

I tried putting images in here directly but couldn't get the size sensible, so here are external links:

 

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola3.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola4.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola2.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola5.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola6.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola1.jpg

 

And here's a sound file just to give an indication of how it sounds and plays:

http://www.raychandler.net/audio/Aeola.mp3

Edited by Ray
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I've put this on eBay now (after giving it a week on here first) ... opening bid price only £3k. Already attracted three watchers in first 12 hours, so hoping it'll move towards my original asking price of £3.5 ono. If anyone here wants to make an offer, get in touch asap.

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Well, I thought £3,000 was a bargain opening price for this fine instrument, but after no interest on here and then no bids on eBay, I've re-listed it at only £2,750. You see standard Aeola trebles for this kind of money, so for a tenor-treble this is surely a real snip!

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Is it possible that the market has bombed Ray ?

 

I notice the high end Anglo market has calmed over the last few years, and that is with the elevating effect of the, still very strong, Irish Trad scene. Calmed not so much in the demand for the top instruments but in the prices achieved for the vintage models. Although the fact that there are quite a few very good makers of new Anglos may have an affect too.

 

The EC market is quieter than it has been and is reasonably well supplied with fine vintage instruments like your Tennor-Treble.

 

However, good luck with your sale.

Edited by Geoff Wooff
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Yes, I think you are right, Geoff. When you look at asking prices by the likes of Barleycorn, Hobgoblin, etc, they are noticeably quite a lot lower than a while back. Still, even allowing for that I reckon my new asking price is a snip! The market will decide if I'm right. Cheers.

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Be patient. Your price is very good for a buyer, but that doesn't mean it will sell quickly. The number of possible customers who have the funds available is quite small. It's not like selling baked beans. With a top quality instrument like this you have to be in for the long game.

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Of course your price is fine Ray but , with the likes of Barleycorn and Hobgoblin there is surely an element of garantee and VAT included in their prices.

 

I think Theo has a good point that it might take a while to find the right customer. I've seen adverts for accordions that are still listed after two ,or more ,years here in France.

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I think it's two things:

 

The EC market got overblown there for a while, and it's undergoing a correction. (This also occurred with duets. Well, Anglos also, but they went higher, and the Anglo correction still has Anglos higher than ECs and duets.)

 

Second, I think Geoff is on to something---Across the board on instrument forums there is plenty of chatter about instrument sale markets having bombed. This goes for guitars, banjos, mandolins, no less than free-reed instruments. For the first few years of it, I thought Theo's observation was the main reason---in the wake of the crash years, even into the current so-called "recovery," people simply do not have the cash for these purchases. And if they do have some cash, they are afraid to turn it loose.

 

And I still think that is a significant factor. But the last year or so, it's feeling like that is not the only factor. Something is shifting in the culture. The longing to play and acquire instruments is not what it once was. That is an ominous presentiment.

Edited by ceemonster
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I don’t know if you are in the business of selling instruments Ceemonster, but I am and I don’t recognise the picture you paint. Top quality instruments still sell well.

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Not at the prices they once did. I can assure you, when it comes to premium-quality acoustic stringed instruments as well as free reeds, there is indeed plenty of hand-wringing out there about the current moribund "buyer's market." (Of course, it isn't really a buyer's market. Sellers are holding, by and large.) And yes, I've sold my share of very nice instruments, though it's not my principal métier in life, thank goodness.

 

But I agree with you all . . . the OP's TT will certainly sell. The likeliest buyer one would bet would be someone in geographic range to be able to give it the onceover in person. But who knows.

 

I do see on the Barleycorn site, which fairly recently has been listing inventory with pictures, Barleycorn says they have numerous Aeola TTs. I would bet they are priced higher than the OP's, but I do note even Barleycorn's EC prices are lower than we were seeing about five years ago for ECs. They had a metal-ended Baritone-Treble Aeola posted about a month ago at a price I thought was astonishingly low. Not cheap, but much lower than one was seeing seven or so years ago. It did sell very quickly.

Edited by ceemonster
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I've decided to sell one of my two Aeola tenor-trebles (unjustifiable extravagance to keep both!). I really struggled to decide which one to part with but have chosen the metal-ended 56-button one, serial number 26248 (which dates it at 1914).

 

It has a bright tone, as you'd expect with a metal-ended Wheatstone, and has a fast, highly responsive action with a very free-speaking, lush sound and wide dynamic range - fabulous for tunes but also for gentle song accompaniment.

 

It was professionally serviced about six years ago and the bellows, springs, pads, reeds and valves are in very good order. It's in concert pitch and is an absolute delight to play.

 

The metal end-grills are typical for an instrument of this age, with the finish dull in places and with some wear to the plating. I've not had them re-plated as I think venerable instruments like this look great in their natural state, but these grills are easily re-plated if you prefer a gleaming, new-look finish.

 

It comes in a modern hard case. I was asking £3,500 ono ... but now see below!!

 

I tried putting images in here directly but couldn't get the size sensible, so here are external links:

 

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola3.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola4.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola2.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola5.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola6.jpg

http://www.raychandler.net/images/Aeola1.jpg

Sound files are useful, particularly something that demonstrates the responsiveness of the reeds. You might expand your market beyond a limited range of prospective buyers that live close by.

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