Craig Wagner Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 (edited) Pierre Hooft 30 Button C/G Silversmith Anglo There are six makers today that have a track record of creating great concertinas with authentic steel reeds with the added benefit of using modern construction techniques: Dipper, Suttner, Dickinson (Wheatsone), John Connor, Richard Evans (thanks Chris Ghent for the info!) and Pierre Hooft. A great concertina is now available and one of only a handful made by the Australian silversmith and craftsman, Pierre Hooft. I am offering my Pierre Hooft 30 button C/G Anglo for sale. It is tuned to A=440 with a full touch-up tuning done in October ‘03. The buttons are configured in a Jeffries format (RH 3rd row notes are Push/Pull: D#/C#, C#/D#, G#/G, C#/Bb, A/High D….) The reed pan is laid-out horizontally, like a Jeffries, for flexibility in sizing the reed chamber for optimum sound quality. The concertina has metal ends, rounded metal buttons that are tipped with real silver (what do you expect from a silver smith?). It has authentic Hooft steel reeds in brass shoes, and adjustable black leather hand straps capped with two handmade cloverleaf strap screws. It has a tight and supple 7 fold black bellows. The tone is bright allowing you to hold your own in sessions as well as providing clarity for recording. The metal ends are very artistically cut with hand-turned screws to secure the ends to the concertina. To look at and hold, the concertina is really an esthetic experience, showing the detailed craftsmanship that he had developed over his decades of work with silver. For more information on Pierre and his concertina, see the article that I contributed to here on Concertina.net (http://www.concertina.net/kc_hooft.html). The concertina I’m selling is the 30 button C/G pictured as the lead graphic in the article. The concertina is in immaculate condition. It has a consistent action and fast riveted action with bushed buttons. The end-bolts do not show a flaw and giving it a close look, I don’t see any scratches or flaws. The concertina comes with a custom blocked case made by Pierre that includes a hygrometer (to determine humidity in the box) as well as a “Damp-it” to be use to introduce slight moisture if the ambient humidity is too low. I am selling this concertina to finance a new Dipper. I have bought quite a few concertinas to determine what I like and it is time to thin them out for the benefit of other players - I would hate to have this sitting on my shelf not getting played – there are too few concertinas in the world to let a good one stand idle. I’m also selling my Connor (see separate ad) for the same reason, and will want to hold onto one of these until my Dipper comes to me. I live in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area. If you are in the area, please contact me and come by for a squeeze (just be forewarned, it can be habit forming!). Additionally, I see no hope in curing my concertina passion and will be buying concertinas, having them fixed-up and selling them for some time to come. If you buy a later concertina from me, I'll give a 100% trade-in on the previous one you bought from me (obviously, trade-ins need to be in comparable condition to when I sold it to you). The concertina is selling for $2850 USD payable via certified check which is considerably less than Suttners and Dippers and I suspect is the most least expensive new steel reed instrument on the market. This price basically allows me to get out what I put into it without making a profit ($2500 purchase price + US import tax + escrow cost on purchase + hygrometer + dampit). I would be happy to email photos out to you (and I'm seeing if I can create some sound files too). The pictures at the above URL that show the interior of the concertina are all from this instrument. Realizing that concertinas are a personal investment, I will allow you 5 days to play the instrument and, if for any reason it doesn’t suit your fancy, return it, I’ll refund your money (less shipping/insurance). Buyer pays for shipping and insurance (approximately $35 if in the US). Remember the words of George Bernard Shaw, “A good concertina lasts forever”! (too bad concertina players don’t – though I like to think that heavy doses of session playing are correlated to longevity). Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you. Also, feel free to call me at 248-486-7921 (day) or 248-437-6709 (eve) and I would be happy to play the concertina over the phone for you, answer questions, etc. – I’m in Eastern US time zone. Thanks, Craig Wagner Edited October 21, 2003 by Craig Wagner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 There are five makers today that have a track record of creating great concertinas with authentic steel reeds with the added benefit of using modern construction techniques: Dipper, Suttner, Dickson, John Connor and Pierre Hooft. Craig, sounds like a lovely machine. Can I add another name to your list of authentic steel reed concertina makers..? Kookaburra Concertinas, made by Richard Evans in Bell, NSW, Australia, deserve to be on your list. regs Chris Ghent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Wagner Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Chris, Will do! In fact I spoke with Evans when I put together some material for the article on Pierre... I wasn't aware he made them with steel reeds, but great news! The more great concertina builders out there, the better... Onward, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I spoke with Evans when I put together some material for the article on Pierre... I wasn't aware he made them with steel reeds, but great news! I'm not aware of anyone making concertinas these days with reeds that are not steel. Do you? As far as I know, even replacement reeds in old brass-reeded instruments are either made of steel or taken whole from another old instrument. I myself have made a few brass reeds individually by hand, but the brass sheet I used was made specially for me by a craftsman friend, using a formula for "reed brass" from a 19th-century book. Also, there are many different kinds and grades of steel, so the fact that a concertina is made with "steel reeds" is about as meaningful as the fact that it's made with a bellows. It's the quality of the reeds, including the quality of the particular steel used but also the design and quality of reed construction, that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Wagner Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 All, The instrument is now sold... I've given the buyer 5 days to check it out to make sure he likes it. I'm quite certain he will... Thanks for your consideration... Onward, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I'm not aware of anyone making concertinas these days with reeds that are not steel. Do you? I think Craig's phrase "authentic steel reeds" was clearly meaning reeds made of steel in the traditional way, rather than reeds which had their antecedence in accordion technology. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Zuraw Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 As far as I know, even replacement reeds in old brass-reeded instruments are either made of steel or taken whole from another old instrument. I myself have made a few brass reeds individually by hand, but the brass sheet I used was made specially for me by a craftsman friend, using a formula for "reed brass" from a 19th-century book. Jim, This should probably be in the 'construction category' (but for the board structure)... What is the 19th century formula (approximately)? Is it like Phosphor Bronze? Was the sheet rolled to spring temper? Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Wagner Posted November 9, 2003 Author Share Posted November 9, 2003 Dear Squeezers, Thanks for all the inquiries... After having this posted for 3 hours it was sold and the buyer says he loves it... Keep squeezing... Onward, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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