Geraghty Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 I got to meet the seller and see the instrument tonight. It's an English in G. Some of the reeds have gone out of tune, especially the E note, so if he had chosen the wrong button to test for anglo-vs-english he could have easily thought it was different notes. He's going to add the updated information to the auction on Saturday, I think he said. His computer died this week (rotten timing!) so he's been relying on his brother for internet access. He's a non-musician, an antiques dealer, and bought the concertina from a friend who spotted it at a car boot sale / rummage sale. He recognised the Wheatstone name as a good one but doesn't know anything else about concertinas. He's sold a couple before but never miniatures, which would account for the different levels of buyer interest. The instrument definitely needs retuning on at least four or five reeds. I'm not familiar with the inner workings of Englishes, do they have one reed per button which works both directions, or are they paired and valved like Anglos? Due to the differences in pitches for pushed and drawn notes I suspect the latter. I mapped out the notes for him and jotted a few things down on a piece of paper to take away. He was glad to have a musician look at it - he said he was getting nervous about people thinking it was better than it was, and bidding more than it was worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 The instrument definitely needs retuning on at least four or five reeds. I'm not familiar with the inner workings of Englishes, do they have one reed per button which works both directions, or are they paired and valved like Anglos? Due to the differences in pitches for pushed and drawn notes I suspect the latter. Hi Elizabeth, There are two reeds per button. These miniatures are quite a work of art, as well as being functional. Regards, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I got to meet the seller and see the instrument tonight. ... Some of the reeds have gone out of tune, especially the E note ... That would explain everything. It's an English in G. But that would be highly unusual. Full-size English concertinas are chromatic instruments, with their core notes (the inner two rows) in C, like the white notes of a piano. Transposing instruments, with the core notes in F or Bb, were sometimes made for band use but they are extremely rare. I suspect that this miniature is probably pitched with the core in C, with the addition of the one accidental C#? (At least, that would be normal.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danersen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Hello Stephen, et.al., RE: I suspect that this miniature is probably pitched with the core in C, with the addition of the one accidental C#? (At least, that would be normal.) I offer the following information about my own mini for your consideration of Elizabeth's assessment: 12-button Wheatstone English G-to-B (LH: G,B,D,F,F#,A ... RH: A,C,C#,E,G, 8-fold bellows 5" wide closed bellows 2-3/4" across the flats Perfect mechanically All reeds sounding on press and draw Unrestored original as-new (virtually unplayed) condition Original case including two keys #36774 Be Well, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danersen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 (edited) Hello Stephen, et.al., RE: I suspect that this miniature is probably pitched with the core in C, with the addition of the one accidental C#? (At least, that would be normal.) I offer the following information about my own mini for your (re)consideration of Elizabeth's assessment: 12-button Wheatstone English G-to-B (LH: G,B,D,F,F#,A ... RH: A,C,C#,E,G, 8-fold bellows 5" wide closed bellows 2-3/4" across the flats Perfect mechanically All reeds sounding on press and draw Unrestored original as-new (virtually unplayed) condition Original case including two keys #36774 Be Well, Dan Edited August 3, 2006 by danersen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geraghty Posted August 3, 2006 Author Share Posted August 3, 2006 That sounds about right. The lowest note was G, then it went up a full octave to the B above high G, and then it had two additional buttons to give options of C or C# and F or F#. I don't play English, but I liked this thing. I'm afraid I'm going to have to bid again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 The lowest note was G, then it went up a full octave to the B above high G, and then it had two additional buttons to give options of C or C# and F or F#. OK, so it sounds like the instrument is pitched normally, with the core in C plus the two semitones to give G or D. (My own miniature is a very small one, only 2" across with 8 buttons and no semitones , playing one octave C3 to C4, its original owner played bagpipe tunes on it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsWilladsen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 In revisiting Morganna's lovely miniature concertina website I was reminded that Anthony James is making a true mini sized anglo concertina (with accordion reeds) for about 600 GBP. http://www.apjmusic.co.uk/ This is not the forum - I know - but I'll try it out anyway. On the above link to Anthony James there's a sound file with the miniature. I know the tune which is played - but I forgot both the name and the second half of the tune . The first making it difficult to find it, and the latter making it near to impossible to play it all the way through. It's a widely known and quite commonly played tune (Morris if I'm not mistaken). Sombody of course knows the tune - would anybody care to take a short listen and help me out. Yes - I did ask Anthony James - and he doesn't know the name of the tune either. Cheers and thanks Lars Willadsen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 http://www.apjmusic.co.uk/ On the above link to Anthony James there's a sound file with the miniature. I know the tune which is played - but I forgot both the name and the second half of the tune . (Morris if I'm not mistaken). You're not mistaken. It's a version of the Morris tune known as "Young Collins", found in a few different traditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsWilladsen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Thanks a lot Jim - and off to Tune-O-Tron cheers Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geraghty Posted August 7, 2006 Author Share Posted August 7, 2006 It just sold for £1,070. The seller is going to be absolutely gobsmacked. I think he was expecting a couple of hundred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 It just sold for £1,070. The seller is going to be absolutely gobsmacked. I think he was expecting a couple of hundred. At £1,070, I'm definitely gobsmacked. That's nearly as much as I paid for my full size Wheatstone treble. I wonder how much the person the seller bought it from, paid for it at the car boot sale he found it at. A tenner perhaps? It make you weep. Never mind the goldrush, thar's money in them thar concertinas, it seems! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 It just sold for £1,070. The seller is going to be absolutely gobsmacked. I think he was expecting a couple of hundred.At £1,070, I'm definitely gobsmacked. That's nearly as much as I paid for my full size Wheatstone treble. Me too, in fact it's more than I paid for my 1926 amboyna-wood Æola tenor-treble on eBay last year (though I was very lucky ). And the miniature isn't even from a "good" period for Wheatstone's! But the buyer looks like he might be an accordion teacher in France (he seems to buy plenty of Hohner Student piano accordions, Claviettas and occasional Continental chromatics), and the underbidder was an eBay "newbie", so did either really know what they were bidding on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geraghty Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 (edited) I think the newbie might have known, as he joined ebay on the day the auction started and I've seen that happen before. It's an awful lot of money for a spur of the moment decision, so maybe he had been looking for one for ages. I know the seller bought it from his friend for about £100...it's not fair that this happens to non-musicians. Presumably the friend paid less at the car boot sale. I wonder if the seller is going to give the friend any of the proceeds! Edited August 9, 2006 by Geraghty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Milner Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I seem to remember the figure of £20 being mentioned as the price paid at the Car Boot Sale, but it might have been £50. Can't stop, I'm off to a car boot sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geraghty Posted August 28, 2006 Author Share Posted August 28, 2006 And the miniature isn't even from a "good" period for Wheatstone's! Stephen, what would be a "good" period for Wheatstone, and what makes that different from other periods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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