13 replies to this topic

[neill]

http://www.ebay.co.u...5f#ht_500wt_922

Only been on a day, dosnt work and has leaky bellows, what is it a rare Jeffries?

[Alex West]

From the pattern of the fretwork, I think it's unlikely to be a Jeffries - or a Crabb for that matter.

The fretwork looks very similar to other instruments which have been un-marked but attributed to Shakespeare. The reed screws don't look completely uniform, but quite a lot of them look like a "Shakespeare" I've seen in the past.

Difficult to tell without having the instrument to hand and especially without photographs of the action

Alex West

[RP3]

I agree with Alex that This does not look like a Jeffries: the ends are not cut like any Jeffries I've ever seen. Also, those ends do not match the ends of a 38 button concertina recently on eBay from Chris Algar. He described his as a Shakespeare.

Another normal way to identify Jeffries is that one or both ends are stamped "C. Jeffries Maker". This stamp can be faked but the instrument in question is unstamped.

The bellows may not be originial, but if they are, they are not decorated in the normal Jeffries style.

I also think that this is not a Crabb either. The condition suggests that this concertina needs serious repair that could add maybe as much as $3k to the final cost.

One last matter is the pitch of the instrument. The reeds could be stamped, but there is always a possibility that the instrument has been retuned sometime in its hard life.

Regards,

Ross Schlabach

[mory]

It had over 2 grands worth of bids this morning, now down to a grand so someone seems to have changed their mind as to what they think it is and withdrawn bid. Come on guys put us in the picture? please AtB mory

[Alex West]

According to the bidding history, someone bid £3,000 in error (entered wrong amount) and his withdrawal was accepted.

Again, without seeing the instrument up-close it's hard to tell, but $3,000 seems a bit high as a repair estimate. The bellows certainly look shot, but that's less than £500; the rest of the instrument doesn't look so bad in the photos apart from dirt so add some nominal fixing, normal pad, valve, spring and bushing replacement and tuning and you're probably not over £1,000 ($1,620).

If it is a Shakespeare, they're still a nice sounding instrument and above a Lachenal in build quality and action speed (tone and volume are more subjective so I'll not comment). Ross - I presume you meant that it does look like the Bb/F Shakespeare which Chris Algar had on ebay. I'll declare a small interest - i have a similar looking Bb/F instrument,attributed to Shakespeare, which Ive been trying to sell!

As per today's news, perhaps like the plays, they were built by a team of makers?

Alex West

[RP3]

Alex, I have a Jeffries in the process of being restored with an initial repair estimate a bit over $2k. The reedpans on my instrument are pristine as are the reeds. Judging from the photos, this instrument on eBay is in far worse condition, so I think that my $3k estimate is very close! And we haven't even seen photos of the action pans to assess that part of the instrument.

Ross Schlabach

[Alex West]

Ross

Fair comment; I'm obviously getting out of touch with what professional repair costs are these days!

Alex West

[david robertson]

Alex, I have a Jeffries in the process of being restored with an initial repair estimate a bit over $2k. The reedpans on my instrument are pristine as are the reeds. Judging from the photos, this instrument on eBay is in far worse condition, so I think that my $3k estimate is very close! And we haven't even seen photos of the action pans to assess that part of the instrument.

Ross Schlabach

Are you having the buttons handmade in 22-carat gold? And are the bellows to be made from the skin of the unborn ocelot?

[Theo]

Alex, I have a Jeffries in the process of being restored with an initial repair estimate a bit over $2k. The reedpans on my instrument are pristine as are the reeds. Judging from the photos, this instrument on eBay is in far worse condition, so I think that my $3k estimate is very close! And we haven't even seen photos of the action pans to assess that part of the instrument.

Ross Schlabach

Are you having the buttons handmade in 22-carat gold? And are the bellows to be made from the skin of the unborn ocelot?

That does seem a high price - if the reeds and pans are pristine then the rest must be pretty good too.

(David, are we too cheap?)

[Hallamtrads]

Alex, I have a Jeffries in the process of being restored with an initial repair estimate a bit over $2k. The reedpans on my instrument are pristine as are the reeds. Judging from the photos, this instrument on eBay is in far worse condition, so I think that my $3k estimate is very close! And we haven't even seen photos of the action pans to assess that part of the instrument.

Ross Schlabach

Are you having the buttons handmade in 22-carat gold? And are the bellows to be made from the skin of the unborn ocelot?

That does seem a high price - if the reeds and pans are pristine then the rest must be pretty good too.

(David, are we too cheap?)

I can only conclude that you're getting your restoration done by a very expensive restorer. I have had four concertinas restored over the years and still have to find a restoration which tops £500. If your reeds are good then its nearly a DIY job, even if you had to have a new set of bellows handmade to order you'd stil have loads of change out of a £1000. Find another restorer!

[Ransom]

Are you having the buttons handmade in 22-carat gold? And are the bellows to be made from the skin of the unborn ocelot?

He's having it valved with peacock tongues. And installing a servomotor-assist on the action levers.

[Andy Holder]

That must be why they sell for crazy money over there!
Andy

[Paul Read]

Alex, I have a Jeffries in the process of being restored with an initial repair estimate a bit over $2k. The reedpans on my instrument are pristine as are the reeds. Judging from the photos, this instrument on eBay is in far worse condition, so I think that my $3k estimate is very close! And we haven't even seen photos of the action pans to assess that part of the instrument.

Ross Schlabach

Ross that price is incredibly high, especially if there are no reedpan issues.

[RP3]

Folks, mine IS in need of new action boards on both sides with replacement of the action once that's done, replacement of any worn levers/rivets, top quality bellows with all Jeffries tooling and papers, pads, valves, tuning, rebushing of all buttons, button height re-set & button pressure adjustment to my specs, new chamois gaskets, replacement of a couple of non-Jeffries reeds, possible adjustment of corner blocks, etc. So my cost IS quite reasonable. Nuf said!

Ross S.