The W-a1 C/g Anglo: Some Impressions

[Henk van Aalten]

After some contacts via mail and phone, I was invited by Wim Wakker to come and try a W-A1 C/G Anglo. So last Sunday I drove to Wim's place, which takes a bit more than 1 hour (yes, I'm lucky with such a short distance!).

Very soon after my arrival Wim showed a W-A1 Anglo that was almost ready for sending. It was a black one (french polished) with (semi-)raised ends, almost identical to the one shown on the Concertina Connection website.

 

And yes.. it is a real beauty! As I do not like fancy papers etc., this concertina is really to my taste: simple and beautiful. Every detail shows craftsmanship. This is true for the outside as well as the inside. The French polished raised black ends are splendid and the way the handstraps are attached to the wooden support looks very elegant.

The inside (this one had a radial reedpan) looked very professional. Wim told me all about the reeds and the frames. The fact that he uses 16 different reed/frame sizes instead of 14 or 12, means that every reed/frame combination is closer to the optimal dimensions with respect to balance and response.

 

Now the playing: for me this concertina feels very similar to my Marcus as far as the position of the handstraps and buttons concerns. Although this concertina was very new (Wim had to do a last fine-tuning) it felt very responsive and balanced. No domination of the low range or mid range notes over the high notes. From the playing position the sound is very "dry" and approaches the sound of Uillean Pipes. Wim said that the measured sound-spectrum is very much like the sound-spectrum of an oboe.

 

According to Wim this sound spectrum is influenced by the shape of the space between the action board and frontplate (inner reflections) as well the type of fretwork and the shape of the frontplate (raised / non-raised). On top of that, the type of reedpan and the materials used (several types of wood / metal) influence the sound. The inner reflections can also be influenced by roughening or coating the wooden parts. Finally the position of the slight bend in the reed influences the sound spectrum. I might have forgotten some, but there is a confusing amount of possibilites to influence the sound before it leaves the frontplate.

 

Without realising (at least from my side) we had spend 2 hours talking and playing and in between Wim showed me the beautiful front-end of an Amboyna flat end concertina.

 

After saying goodbye, I had one hour in the car to think things over and came to the following conclusions:

1. Wim Wakker combines proven concepts with his impressive knowledge, using the latest technologies
   
2. He is a real gentleman, very willing to talk about building and playing the concertina
   
3. Without been played-in, his W-A1 feels and sounds great. After playing in it very well could become a concertina beyond compare.
   

 

There is a lot more that Wim told me (a.o. new developments to be expected this year, about the Irish model, etc.), but I think the length of this message should stay within reasonable limits .

 

Thanks again to Wim for his hospitality and sharing his knowledge and enthousiasm for this wonderful instrument.

 

B.T.W.: I am no shareholder of the Concertina Connection, but just fell in love with the W-A1

[bill_mchale]

Henk,

Thanks for the review, the instrument sounds great... In fact I wish I could afford one at this moment time. Doubtless by the time I am able to afford one there will be a waiting list for it... sigh .

 

A couple of quick questions.

 

1. Those raised ends in the picture... They are made of wood?

 

2. Can you tell us more about the Irish Model?

 

3. Do you think this concertina matches or exceeds the high standards that have been established by Suttner and Dipper?

 

Thanks,

Bill

[Henk van Aalten]

Thanks for the review, the instrument sounds great...

Did I play that loud last Sunday

 

In fact I wish I could afford one at this moment time. Doubtless by the time I am able to afford one there will be a waiting list for it... sigh .

Why not contact Wim? Maybe it is possible to order one for next year or later.

 

1. Those raised ends in the picture... They are made of wood?

On the W-A1 page is written "raised hard wood ends, black", but a bit lower it is suggested that raised ebony end are also possible. I remember that this topic was shortly discussed. Ebony seems to be much more vulnerable (cracking)

 

2. Can you tell us more about the Irish Model?

I heard that the Irish do not like raised ends and they prefer the conventional hand-strap configuration.

 

3. Do you think this concertina matches or exceeds the high standards that have been established by Suttner and Dipper?

I never played a Suttner and played a Dipper twice, so I cannot compare from own experience. I am convinced however that Wim's approach, based on proven concepts, his knowledge about sound, materials, etc and his high-tec production techniques, should result in a concertina that easily can be compared with a Dipper or a Suttner.

[Christopher]

Henk, you mentioned that Wim said the sound spectrum was close to that of an oboe. Is there a tone comparison you can make, such as to another maker? I havent seen any sound files for the Wakker, only the Geuns-Wakker

[Chris Timson]

I never played a Suttner and played a Dipper twice, so I cannot compare from own experience. I am convinced however that Wim's approach, based on proven concepts, his knowledge about sound, materials, etc and his high-tec production techniques, should result in a concertina that easily can be compared with a Dipper or a Suttner.

That's altogether good news. That makes Concertina Connection the only people currently producing concertinas at all levels (and MIDI as well, of course). Long may Wim prosper.

 

Chris

[Frank Edgley]

Did he say whether he was producing his own reeds?

[JimLucas]

Did he say whether he was producing his own reeds?

From his web site (and you need to click on Wakker Anglos): "We make our own reeds, using the latest computerized machines. This enables us to optimize the design and fit of our frames and tongues, allowing extreme close fits with a maximum deviation of 0.01mm/0.003 inch." And among the photos is a nice one of some reeds.

[Henk van Aalten]

Henk, you mentioned that Wim said the sound spectrum was close to that of an oboe. Is there a tone comparison you can make, such as to another maker? I havent seen any sound files for the Wakker, only the Geuns-Wakker

Christopher,

As already (more or less) stated in a previous post, I cannot make a comparison. I'm not sure if this oboe-like spectrum is true for all variants of the new Wakker concertina. I can imagine that a flat matel-ended with a Jeffries reedpan lay-out will sound quite different from a raised hardwood with a Weatstone reedpan.

In fact Wim writes about these differences on the Concertina Connection web site.

 

One might expect that there will be sound files on the CC web site in due time.

[Henk van Aalten]

Did he say whether he was producing his own reeds?

From his web site (and you need to click on Wakker Anglos): "We make our own reeds, using the latest computerized machines. This enables us to optimize the design and fit of our frames and tongues, allowing extreme close fits with a maximum deviation of 0.01mm/0.003 inch." And among the photos is a nice one of some reeds.

Thanks Jim for answering this question

I can only add that Wim knows a lot of the technical properties and behaviour of the reed material. I have the impression that he has a relative vast network of high quality suppliers.

[bill_mchale]

I never played a Suttner and played a Dipper twice, so I cannot compare from own experience. I am convinced however that Wim's approach, based on proven concepts, his knowledge about sound, materials, etc and his high-tec production techniques, should result in a concertina that easily can be compared with a Dipper or a Suttner.

That's altogether good news. That makes Concertina Connection the only people currently producing concertinas at all levels (and MIDI as well, of course). Long may Wim prosper.

 

Chris

 

Well I certainly hope he prospers; the more concertina makers the better... keeps the prices down .

 

And you are right Wim is the only one covering every level of instrument.. though at the moment

not in any one instrument category. He produces hybrid and traditional style Anglos, and Student and

hybrid Englishes... I think it would be nice if the Jackie/Jack had an anglo equivalent (Since the

general impression I get is that the Jackie is nicer instrument for the price than the comperable

Stagi)... and while I am not an English Enthusiast, I am sure there are some people here who would

love to see a Traditional style English.

 

--

Bill

[JimLucas]

Well I certainly hope he prospers; the more concertina makers the better... keeps the prices down .

I don't think so. Instead, it helps fill a demand that otherwise would be unmet. In fact, several new makers have appeared on the scene without the price dropping. The prices charged for new instruments are not set by an auction process, but seem to be the minimum that allows the makers to produce quality instruments and still eat decently. (No government subsidies for concertina makers.) And the waiting lists are still long.

 

When production reaches the point where shops can keep a steady shelf stock of both high- and mid-range concertinas, then maybe we'll see prices being "kept down". And maybe even a couple of less efficient makers going out of business. But we're a long way from that scenario.

 

And you are right Wim is the only one covering every level of instrument.. though at the moment not in any one instrument category. He produces hybrid and traditional style Anglos, and Student and

hybrid Englishes... I think it would be nice if the Jackie/Jack had an anglo equivalent (Since the general impression I get is that the Jackie is nicer instrument for the price than the comperable Stagi)... and while I am not an English Enthusiast, I am sure there are some people here who would love to see a Traditional style English.

Wim has said that both of those are currently in the works and coming soon, as well as both midi and traditional-style "Hayden" duets.

[Henk van Aalten]

Well I certainly hope he prospers; the more concertina makers the better... keeps the prices down .

I don't think so. Instead, it helps fill a demand that otherwise would be unmet. In fact, several new makers have appeared on the scene without the price dropping. The prices charged for new instruments are not set by an auction process, but seem to be the minimum that allows the makers to produce quality instruments and still eat decently. (No government subsidies for concertina makers.) And the waiting lists are still long.

With respect to prices I fully agree with you Jim. Waiting lists might be somewhat different. I know that Wim Wakker has a waiting list policy that is different from makers like Dipper and Suttner. I have the impression that you (still) have an acceptable waiting time for a Wakker concertina.

Of course you best ask Wim for the information on waiting times.

[Paul Read]

I know that Wally Carroll's waiting list system is very different to Colin Dipper's. You know as soon as he's received the deposit what number your instrument is. Waitng time can vary depending on what phase the maker is in. I know both Wally and Colin slowed down for a while while they upgraded, modified the tooling and designs but once re-tooled the process was expected to be faster than before. All of their schedules have stretched as orders have backed up.

 

Regarding prices, I believe Wally has adjusted his price as it becomes clearer what the actual costs of regular production would be (I'm glad I got in after the initial phase and before the prices jumped). At present the Wakker looks very competitive. It will be interesting to see if it can hold at that level. They do have a lot of experience with hybrids/Phoenix behind them, however.

 

Regarding new English concertinas, there is a Suttner English although I've not had the chance to try one. Does anyone else make a traditional English other than him and Wheatstone?

[Henk van Aalten]

Regarding new English concertinas, there is a Suttner English although I've not had the chance to try one. Does anyone else make a traditional English other than him and Wheatstone?

 

Yes..

 

 

Have a look at this page.

 

The last two items:

Geuns-Wakker 48 English Concertina

Geuns-Wakker 48 Baritone English Concertina