Tedrow Concertina?

[Christopher]

Greetings,

I've just registered for the first time. Thanks for reading this. Let me begin by saying that this website has been extremely helpful to me. Thanks you all.

 

I'm a beginner, and have been plugging along on an anglo Scholer...enough said. I must move on to a different instrument. I've spent hours searching and listening to different concertinas (e.g. Cnet recorded tunes...great site!), and have come to the conclusion that the instument with the voice I like the best is a CG Suttner (dare I say, a slightly nasal voice, rather than an accordian voice). Since the Suttner is a lot of money to me, Im a beginner, and I cannot wait for 4 years, Ive searched for instuments that most closely resemble the Suttner voice. So far, Ive found that the Tedrow does that, at least judging by the MP3s Ive found. Ive been unable to find an MP3 for a Morse Ceieli. Here are my questions, if you have the time.

 

1) Am I crazy for trying to pick an instrument based on MP3s and photos?

2) Has anyone tried out a Tedrow, and do you like it?

3) Has anyone tried out a Morse? What do you think?

4) Would I be better off spending 1500-2000 on a used instrument from a reputable dealer, versus new?

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Happy pushing and pulling,

Chris

[bill_mchale]

Greetings,

I've just registered for the first time. Thanks for reading this. Let me begin by saying that this website has been extremely helpful to me. Thanks you all.

 

I'm a beginner, and have been plugging along on an anglo Scholer...enough said. I must move on to a different instrument. I've spent hours searching and listening to different concertinas (e.g. Cnet recorded tunes...great site!), and have come to the conclusion that the instument with the voice I like the best is a CG Suttner (dare I say, a slightly nasal voice, rather than an accordian voice). Since the Suttner is a lot of money to me, Im a beginner, and I cannot wait for 4 years, Ive searched for instuments that most closely resemble the Suttner voice. So far, Ive found that the Tedrow does that, at least judging by the MP3s Ive found. Ive been unable to find an MP3 for a Morse Ceieli. Here are my questions, if you have the time.

 

1) Am I crazy for trying to pick an instrument based on MP3s and photos?

2) Has anyone tried out a Tedrow, and do you like it?

3) Has anyone tried out a Morse? What do you think?

4) Would I be better off spending 1500-2000 on a used instrument from a reputable dealer, versus new?

 

Well you are not crazy for buying based on MP3s and photos.. because unfortunately for most of us, that and reputation is all we have to go on. I tried a Tedrow a few years back, but at the time I was so clueless on the

Anglo that I could barely play a C scale. That being said, in general, all of the mid-priced accordion reeded

instruments are rather well regarded as instruments for the advanced student. I have a Marcus and an Edgley

and both of them are perfectly suited for playing a wide range of music. Of the the two the Edgley has a button action that allows me to pull off ornaments that aren't really possible on the Marcus (though the Marcus is better

for allowing the rhytem of the ornaments I can do on it shine through).

 

One of the advantages of this forum is that Bob Tedrow, Frank Edgley and Richard Morse are regular contributors here. There are also a few other concertina makers that pop their heads in here occasionally so it certainly is worth looking them up.

 

Ok, about the Morse. The Morse is a great instrument. Responsive and fast. It is well suited to Irish music (my

personal favorite ) and from my limited experience with it (a few tunes played on samples in the Catskills) it will give an Edgley a run for its money.

 

One last thought, at the risk of giving Dana Johnson more business than he can handle. I have a Kensington Concertina that is simply brilliant. Dana makes his own Concertina Reeds and as a result it has more of that classic sound that you might be looking for. It also is somewhat cheaper than any other 30 button concertina reeded instrument I have seen. I am not sure what the wait is on them now... they have been getting a fair bit of interest on here in the last few months (mostly since I posted a review of mine ).

 

--

Bill

[Chris Timson]

OK, I've tried a Tedrow and a couple of Suttners and I own a Morse along with a Jeffries and a Dipper, so I have some grounds for comparison. Both the Tedrow and the Morse have a distinct accordion reed sound, which Suttners don't have. They share the concertina-reed sound of my Dipper and Jeffries. Personally my heart is given to that sound, though there are others on this forum who prefer the sound of accordion reeds, and it is certainly true that I like the sound of the Tedrow as compared with the Morse. It is very much a matter of personal taste.

 

So, if I am fully equipped with Jeffries and Dipper, then why should I want to own a Morse as well? The answer is because Morse concertinas are amazingly light, and as a Morris musician I am sometimes called upon to play standing for significant periods of time. The Morse, then, is my Morris instrument.

 

Already you should see that mp3's are a somewhat unreliable guide to the sound of a concertina, and that there are aspects of a concertina that cannot be readily determined from pictures. You really need to handle a couple and talk to their owners. Whereabouts are you? We may be able to point you in some useful directions.

 

Chris

[Henk van Aalten]

Hello Christopher

 

Welcome to this forum!

 

...and have come to the conclusion that the instument with the voice I like the best is a CG Suttner (dare I say, a slightly nasal voice, rather than an accordian voice). Since the Suttner is a lot of money to me, Im a beginner, and I cannot wait for 4 years, Ive searched for instuments that most closely resemble the Suttner voice....

Last Sunday I was allowed to play the Wakker W-A1. Now if you're looking for a "nasal voice"... this is what you are looking for! Have a look at this page!!

 

1) Am I crazy for trying to pick an instrument based on MP3s and photos?

2) Has anyone tried out a Tedrow, and do you like it?

3) Has anyone tried out a Morse? What do you think?

4) Would I be better off spending 1500-2000 on a used instrument from a reputable dealer, versus new?

Answering your question 1 as far as MP3 concerns: you can only really compare when the recording conditions are the same. Recording conditions and editing afterwards can seriously influence the final sound.

Edited February 13, 2006 by Henk van Aalten

[Jim Besser]

2) Has anyone tried out a Tedrow, and do you like it?

3) Has anyone tried out a Morse? What do you think?

 

I own a Morse and have tried several Tedrows. Both are very nice instruments, both sound good; the differences in sound are subtle. Like CHris, I like the lightness of the Morse , which is much easier on my aging tendons.

 

Asking which sounds closest to a traditional concertina is a fruitless exercise; everything hears these things differently. None will really sound like a Suttner or a Dipper or a Jeffries, anyway.

 

4) Would I be better off spending 1500-2000 on a used instrument from a reputable dealer, versus new?

 

That's a hard one. You might be happier with the SOUND of the inexpensive vintage box, but for 1500-2000, you're unlikely to get an instrument that's as durable or as playable as a Morse, a Tedrow or an Edgley. An overlooked virtue of the new accordion reeded instruments is that they are very reliable and very un-finicky, with very good action; a lot of vintage instruments, especially those at the lower end of price scale, don't have the same playability.

 

If you can afford a Suttner, by all means go for it; if you can't, you might do better with an accordion reeded instrument until you strike it rich.

Edited February 13, 2006 by Jim Besser

[Christopher]

Thank you all for your replies; they are all well-recieved.

 

I got an email from Alice of the Button Box, she said they do not have any MP3s of their concertina, but would be happy to play it for me over the phone. A very nice offer, I think.

 

Bill, I am also inclined toward Irish and other celtic music, if I can someday manage that. I will look into the Kensington. I may have looked at that site the other night, and if memory serves, there's a bit of a wait, perhaps a year. But I will take another look.

 

Chris, I live on the central coast of California (Arroyo Grande), pretty much midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From my limited experience with hearing the different concertinas, I prefer the concertina reed sound. I think it goes quite well with Irish tunes. Apparently, as Henk states, it is difficult to judge the timbre through an MP3 recording; there is certainly a striking difference between the voice of what is apparently the same instrument, yet recorded at a different time, place, method, and musician. Your reply further confirms this fact. Ive been able to track down several recordings of the Suttner instruments, and that voice is consistently appealing to my ear...as is the Dipper (of course).

 

Henk, yes, my fear is that an old instrument might sound great, but may be more difficult to play and/or need work. Seeing that I am in concertina no-mans-land, I must take that into consideration, and so am leaning towards a new instrument.

 

My thought is that I would like to purchase a mid-range newer instrument now, perhaps something that I can sell latter and get somethig great. Your kind replies indicate that I should look into the Morse, before moving on.

 

Thanks again everyone, talk to you soon,

Chris

[bill_mchale]

Thank you all for your replies; they are all well-recieved.

 

I got an email from Alice of the Button Box, she said they do not have any MP3s of their concertina, but would be happy to play it for me over the phone. A very nice offer, I think.

 

Bill, I am also inclined toward Irish and other celtic music, if I can someday manage that. I will look into the Kensington. I may have looked at that site the other night, and if memory serves, there's a bit of a wait, perhaps a year. But I will take another look.

 

Chris,

Last I checked, Kennsington currently doesn't have a web site. Dana Johnson gets pretty much all his business through referrals. Since it is not a full time job for him, he feels he is getting plenty of business as it is. I will admit though that it took me about a year to get mine but there were circumstances.

 

If timing is an issue though, Morse and Tedrow are the two makers (in North America) most likely to get you a concertina quickly. I don't know about Herrington, but Frank Edgley essentially makes custom concertinas. Bob Tedrow does custom concertinas too, but in the past has seemed to have a few unclaimed concertinas close to completion (though this could now be different). I believe the estimated delivery times on the Morse is 8 weeks.

 

--

Bill

[Dave Weinstein]

I have a (very) custom Tedrow 31 button Aeola style anglo (in fact, you can see it at http://hmi.homewood.net/myaeola/) in the baritone range that Bob built for me in 2003.

 

It is a joy to play, and produces a lovely and resonant tone. It has a broader sound with more overtones than my wife's Wheatstone Maccann (circa 1910), although part of that is going to be the lower pitch of the instrument.

 

Hope that helps,

 

--Dave

Edited February 13, 2006 by Dave Weinstein

[bill_mchale]

Last Sunday I was allowed to play the Wakker W-A1. Now if you're looking for a "nasal voice"... this is what you are looking for! Have a look at this page!!

 

Henk,

Just curious, what are your overall impressions of the W-A1? And how does it stack up to its direct competitors?

 

 

--

Bill

[Jeff H]

Chris,

I am formerly from the Monterey area, I remember Arroyo Grande when it was a "suburb" cow town of SLO ( the big Cow Town)

 

I have played some of the accordion reeded concertinas.

 

A strong vote for The Button Box Ceili.

 

I like the accordion reeded sound and the "resistance" of the reeds and the way they speak and play.

 

I have owned Jeffries and Wheatstone and played a few of both.

 

I would not hesitate with an accordion reeded concertina.

 

Jeff

[Lars]

Greetings,

I've just registered for the first time. Thanks for reading this. Let me begin by saying that this website has been extremely helpful to me. Thanks you all.

 

I'm a beginner, and have been plugging along on an anglo Scholer...enough said. I must move on to a different instrument. I've spent hours searching and listening to different concertinas (e.g. Cnet recorded tunes...great site!), and have come to the conclusion that the instument with the voice I like the best is a CG Suttner (dare I say, a slightly nasal voice, rather than an accordian voice). Since the Suttner is a lot of money to me, Im a beginner, and I cannot wait for 4 years, Ive searched for instuments that most closely resemble the Suttner voice. So far, Ive found that the Tedrow does that, at least judging by the MP3s Ive found. Ive been unable to find an MP3 for a Morse Ceieli. Here are my questions, if you have the time.

 

1) Am I crazy for trying to pick an instrument based on MP3s and photos?

2) Has anyone tried out a Tedrow, and do you like it?

3) Has anyone tried out a Morse? What do you think?

4) Would I be better off spending 1500-2000 on a used instrument from a reputable dealer, versus new?

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Happy pushing and pulling,

Chris

 

 

Chris, I have a Tedrow....I got it used and well broken in, it has a very sweet sound and is very easy to play, I especially like the bellows. Bob's craftsmanship is superb. The only issue I have is the distance between the buttons and the handrest but I'm on the tall side. I've played 2 Edgleys (thanks Bruce!) and have one on order, they are heavier than the Tedrow but I prefer the button spacing and the action, it's not necessarily that it's 'better', just that I prefer it. I played a new Tedrow also that had higher handrests (and no issues with regard to my fingers!) which I could have purchased but the sound of this one I have had me hooked. Also have a Kensington due next winter so I'll do a nice review then of that one also.

 

Don't get put off by opinions though (but here's mine anyway), I think it's funny every time I see 'mid-level', 'student models', etc. when the accordion reeded instruments are mentioned. Don't think you're settling for something that's less than the 'traditional' reeded instruments just because you can't (or won't) pay the inflated prices they seem to command with the exception of the Kensington.

 

MP3's are not always accurate but I don't think you'll go wrong with a Tedrow, Edgley, etc. They are very good makers in my opinion. Stay away from the Stagi's

 

I saw a Morse Ceili on Ebay, item# 7389108082 , I have a feeling you could get it with an offer of about $1000 probably. I've never played a Morse so can't comment. If you want some sound samples of my Tedrow then PM me and I'll see if I can record them for you this weekend and email them to you. Good luck and have fun!

 

Lars

[Richard Morse]

I got an email from Alice of the Button Box, she said they do not have any MP3s of their concertina, but would be happy to play it for me over the phone.

Are you aware that we send our concertinas to people (in North America) for a week's perusal (test driving)? Better than an mp3! Though that doesn't absolve us for not having sound clips on our site. That's something we've been planning on doing for awhile.... So on the strength of this tread we're pushing that project up and hope to have some tunes up within a few weeks.

[Christopher]

Last I checked, Kennsington currently doesn't have a web site. Dana Johnson gets pretty much all his business through referrals.

 

 

Hi Bill,

Yes, you are correct, Ive looked high and low for a "Kensington" website, to no avail. Its funny because a couple of people mention this concertina as something to consider....but how??

[Chris Timson]

My thought is that I would like to purchase a mid-range newer instrument now, perhaps something that I can sell latter and get somethig great. Your kind replies indicate that I should look into the Morse, before moving on.

A sound stratwegy. Current evidence is that the new crop of mid range instruments will lose a little value on resale (after all, there is not a rarity premium) but not much. It will get you playing a decent instrument quicker, and you can take your time over deciding your next step. You may indeed decide to stay with what you've got - quite a few people have (but watch out for COAD - Concertina Obsessive Acquisition Disorder).

 

Chris

[Bob]

My thought is that I would like to purchase a mid-range newer instrument now, perhaps something that I can sell latter and get somethig great. Your kind replies indicate that I should look into the Morse, before moving on.

A sound stratwegy. Current evidence is that the new crop of mid range instruments will lose a little value on resale (after all, there is not a rarity premium) but not much. It will get you playing a decent instrument quicker, and you can take your time over deciding your next step. You may indeed decide to stay with what you've got - quite a few people have (but watch out for COAD - Concertina Obsessive Acquisition Disorder).

 

Chris

[Chris Ghent]

Last I checked, Kennsington currently doesn't have a web site. Dana Johnson gets pretty much all his business through referrals.

 

 

Hi Bill,

Yes, you are correct, Ive looked high and low for a "Kensington" website, to no avail. Its funny because a couple of people mention this concertina as something to consider....but how??

 

 

To find Kensington search the members here for Dana Johnson and send him an email. He is working on a website.

 

Chris

[Chris Allert]

bob tedrow built me a concertina a few months ago that i've been playing a few hours a day. i reviewed it when i first got it, but the thread is buried quite a ways back in this forum. i would echo what others have said about how much recording conditions can vary. i think all the mid-range instrument makers make very good instruments, and i based my decision on who could build me one the soonest at the time. marcus and tedrow were about the same, and the us dollar was really weak at the time, so i ordered from tedrow.

 

one advantage of buying an instrument from bob tedrow is that you can probably get him to customize the appearance of your instrument more than the other makers. but he doesn't do metal ends. another thing i like about the tedrow is that it doesn't feel mass-produced. this is a difficult quality to describe, but you can really feel the personality he puts into each of his instruments. (i don't have enough experience with the other makers to say they lack this quality)

 

if you do order a tedrow, you need to be patient with it at first. it took at least a month for this instrument to break in and speed up. the reeds are much more responsive and nicer sounding than they were when i first got it. i also think that this instrument has a more "concertina-like" sound than other instruments in this range i've tried, but this is fairly subjective, and i'm comparing it to what i think i remember hearing back in 2000 and 2001. the bellows on this instrument is definitely much more solidly built than on the norman i had back in 2001.

 

i have yet to hear an edgley or a geuns-wakker in person, but i know for a fact that none of the mid-range concertinas i've heard in person sound like any of the high-end instruments i've heard. the tedrow i have sounds about a close as i could hope for, and i'm not sure how to characterize the difference exactly except to say that none of these instruments sounds brassy enough to me. i'd characterize the sound of the mid-range instruments as "reedier". but this is an oversimplification. my point is that whoever you order from, don't get your hopes up about having something that sounds like a vintage jeffries.

 

i've also got a stainless-ended Ab/Eb edgley on order which i think is due in april. so that should make for an interesting comparison. the action on the edgley is some kind of radical new design that is supposed to be a lot better (and i think it's similar to the herrington action). the action on the tedrow is similar to what you would find in a vintage lachenal or jeffries (i think), meaning it's a tried and true design that's easy to adjust and that responds like a "real" concertina should respond.

[Christopher]

bob tedrow built me a concertina a few months ago that i've been playing a few hours a day. i reviewed it when i first got it, but the thread is buried quite a ways back in this forum. i would echo what others have said about how much recording conditions can vary. i think all the mid-range instrument makers make very good instruments, and i based my decision on who could build me one the soonest at the time. marcus and tedrow were about the same, and the us dollar was really weak at the time, so i ordered from tedrow.

 

i've also got a stainless-ended Ab/Eb edgley on order which i think is due in april. so that should make for an interesting comparison. the action on the edgley is some kind of radical new design that is supposed to be a lot better (and i think it's similar to the herrington action). the action on the tedrow is similar to what you would find in a vintage lachenal or jeffries (i think), meaning it's a tried and true design that's easy to adjust and that responds like a "real" concertina should respond.

 

 

Thanks for your input. The stainless Edgley should be a nice contrast to your Tedrow. The key is interesting to me. Why an Ab/Eb? Are you playing music with woodwind musicians?

 

Ive listened to many MP3s of various instruments, and although subtle, there does seem to be a difference in the timbre between the mid-ranged instruments. I found the difference between the Tedrow and Edgley to be quite subtle. To my ear, I noticed a larger difference in timbre between the higher priced concertinas. Again, I only have MP3s to make such a statement.

 

By any chance, have you played a Morse? Someone was kind enough to send me a few MP3s of their Morse, also a quite nice voiced instrument. I think that I am to the point where although the voice is really important, so also is the reliability of the instrument. I would hate to put good money down on an instrument that Ive never held in my hands, only to get it and find that it was not a stout as I would like. Although, I can apparently try out the instrument for a week (see a post in this thread)!

 

Thank again for your input...

ChrisR