104 replies to this topic

[Daniel Hersh]

I thought that it might be helpful to have a current list somewhere, so I put one together, grouped generally by type of construction. I've included links where I could find them.

Within each group, they're in alphabetical order. If you want prices, many of the makers include them on their websites, or include contact info to inquire about pricing. For the few makers who only sell wholesale, prices can be found by doing a web search for the brand name to get dealers' prices.

For sound samples of a number of these makers' instruments, check out this thread. For more information (around a paragraph each) about many of them, see the Makers and Repairers page of Chris Timson's Concertina FAQ.

If I missed any (or if there are any errors here) let me know! It's great to see how many makers are out there now. Many of us can remember a time when things were very, very different.

And please bear in mind that since this an attempt at a comprehensive listing, presence on this list should not be taken as an endorsement of a maker's instruments, and the fact that several makes are listed within one category does not necessarily mean that they are of comparable quality. Before making a purchase, consider reading other concertina.net threads about particular makes or starting a thread with an inquiry of your own. If you are buying an instrument that has to be ordered in advance of construction (required for a number of makes) look for an opportunity try out an instrument of the same make before placing an order.

Student/Basic/Starter [built with accordion reeds mounted on accordion-style reed blocks]
Beschäftigungsgesellschaft Klingenthal, also known as Schaumanufaktur Klingenthal [sold under the names Silvetta, Castiglione, and perhaps others] This maker seems to have gone out of business. I'm leaving the listing here on the off chance that someone will continue where they left off.

Brunner/Stagi [formerly Bastari and sometimes sold under other brand names]

"Cheap Chinese" [sold on eBay and elsewhere under various names]

 

Concertina Connection [vintage/traditional-type action]: Elise Hayden Duet, Jackie/Jack English, and Rochelle Anglo

Hohner

Scarlatti

Intermediate/Mid-range [vintage/traditional-style action and general construction, but using accordion reeds which are mounted flat]
Akkordeon-Werkstatt [Also make a 10-button kit. I know very little about this maker's instruments so I'm not positive that they belong in the Hybrid/Mid-range category.]

Boorinwood Intermediate model

 

Concertina Connection: Clover Anglo [also available as a kit], Peacock Hayden-Wicki duet, and Rose English

Edgley

Garwood Dubliner

Geuns

Herrington [Harold Herrington has passed away]

AP James

 

Danie Labuschagne [hard to categorize: makes only 20-button German-style concertinas, but with a high degree of care and skill]

Marcus

Morse [Button Box]

Norman

O'Shaughnessy

Sherwood C-G and G-D Anglos [Hobgoblin]

Tedrow

Vintage/traditional construction, using concertina-type reeds
Koot Brits

Carroll

John Connor

Geoff Crabb

Colin & Rosalie Dipper

 

Edgley Heritage Model

Chris Ghent

Allan Green

Holmwood [Hamish Bayne]

Kensington [Dana Johnson]

Kookaburra [Richard Evans]

Suttner

Thomas

Wakker [Concertina Connection]

Wheatstone [Steve Dickinson]

Wifra [Willie van Wyk]

Edited by Daniel Hersh, 13 May 2013 - 09:00 PM.

[Takayuki YAGI]

If I missed any (or if there are any errors here) let me know! It's great to see how many makers are out there now. Many of us can remember a time when things were very, very different.

I haven't tried these yet but I would add A P James to the hybrid list.
30 button anglo
one row miniature anglo

BTW Triskel concertina, are they available for purchases ?

--
Taka

[Gusten]

Daniel,

that's a very nice initiative! Very helpful, for new players, and probably for the seasoned ones as well.

I wonder if the forum admins, and the makers themselves, would be interested in a seperate part of the forum where all makers have their own thread, where they can post news and updates, and players can post testimonials. This is already done separately on several on the makers' own pages/initiative, but as this seems like the common meeting place for concertina players all around the world, it could be of interest.

Thank you very much for the compilation Daniel! I'll bookmark this page, for future use.

Edit: Very sloppy typing, probably still not correct.

Edited by Gusten, 31 January 2009 - 10:50 AM.

[Daniel Hersh]

Thanks, Taka (and Pete) for reminding me about the AP James hybrid, which I've now added to the list. Re the Triskel, I only included concertinas already in production. If I had included announced but not yet available instruments like the Triskel I would have included Wim Wakker's planned Clover hybrid too.

Daniel

If I missed any (or if there are any errors here) let me know! It's great to see how many makers are out there now. Many of us can remember a time when things were very, very different.

I haven't tried these yet but I would add A P James to the hybrid list.30 button anglo one row miniature anglo
BTW Triskel concertina, are they available for purchases ?
--
Taka

Edited by Daniel Hersh, 31 January 2009 - 02:45 PM.

[Leo]

Hi Daniel

Nice list. I think it would also be a good idea to refer to this thread I updated earlier this week.

If the reader would like a sound sample of the different manufacturers look here: http://www.concertin...?showtopic=7283


Thanks
Leo

Edited by Leo, 01 February 2009 - 12:16 AM.

[Daniel Hersh]

Thanks, Leo -- definitely a good idea.

Nice list. I think it would also be a good idea to refer to this thread I updated earlier this week.

If the reader would like a sound sample of the different manufacturers look here: http://www.concertin...?showtopic=7283

[Robert Booth]

Nice idea, Dan, especially for those who are coming to c.net for help with decisions as to what to buy, ect.
Would this be the place to include a primer of basic terms and descriptions, i.e., the difference between concertina reeds and accordion reeds, the peculiarities of the different layouts and other arcana about our instrument?
As a beginner I would have liked to have such info all in one place, I imagine others would like that too? FAQ's don't always cover these minutae and if one is new to the instrument, often one doesn't even know what questions to ask...

Well done, over all.
Thanks,
Rob

[Ken_Coles]

Nice idea, Dan, especially for those who are coming to c.net for help with decisions as to what to buy, ect.
Would this be the place to include a primer of basic terms and descriptions, i.e., the difference between concertina reeds and accordion reeds, the peculiarities of the different layouts and other arcana about our instrument?
As a beginner I would have liked to have such info all in one place, I imagine others would like that too? FAQ's don't always cover these minutae and if one is new to the instrument, often one doesn't even know what questions to ask...

Well done, over all.
Thanks,
Rob

The static pages on concertina.net were originally an attempt to do this sort of thing...Some of it is still useful (do take a look around, starting from the home page), but we discovered that the concertina world now changes too rapidly for the antiquated method of manual maintenance to cover things like makers and models, etc. Chris Timson may have thoughts on this also - I expect the faq represents his read of what is realistic to maintain in a single place.

Really, the forums cover this better than we ever could. We know the search engine has shortcomings, but it allows access to a lot of good info (old and new), so keep it coming!

Ken

[Daniel Hersh]

Thanks, Rob. I think that the basics of the different layouts are covered well in this section of Chris Timson's Concertina FAQ. The pros and cons of the different layouts are much more complicated and controversial, even when only one style of music is being discussed. The distinction between accordion vs. concertina reeds is another complex issue that keeps rearing its head despite earlier threads where people like Rich Morse and Wim Wakker did what I thought was a good job of explaining the differences -- so I'm hesitant to muddy the waters of this thread by trying to cover it again here.

Nice idea, Dan, especially for those who are coming to c.net for help with decisions as to what to buy, ect.
Would this be the place to include a primer of basic terms and descriptions, i.e., the difference between concertina reeds and accordion reeds, the peculiarities of the different layouts and other arcana about our instrument?
As a beginner I would have liked to have such info all in one place, I imagine others would like that too? FAQ's don't always cover these minutae and if one is new to the instrument, often one doesn't even know what questions to ask...

Well done, over all.
Thanks,
Rob

[Leo]

......................We know the search engine has shortcomings, but it allows access to a lot of good info (old and new), so keep it coming!

Ken

The search engine on the static side (on the top left corner) is vastly superior to the one in the forum. I use it rather than the one here. It also allows searches for things that you can't search for here. That odd pesky 3 letter words limitation here is non existent on the static side. Words like c/g, g/d, Ken, Leo, Jim, Bob, Etc. can easily be found (If you really want to). I highly recommend it.

Thanks
Leo

[Ken_Coles]

OK, I'm going to try pinning this thread. It will help if you are shifting/drifting the subject, that you start a separate thread. Cheers,

Ken

[Mayofiddler]

This has been very useful to me as a beginner. Much appreciated.

[Chris Timson]

I like the way you've organised this list, Daniel. With your permission I would like to copy the idea for the Concertina FAQ.

Cheers,

Chris

[Daniel Hersh]

Permission granted, of course! I'm glad that what I did will be helpful to you. The FAQ is a great resource.

Daniel

I like the way you've organised this list, Daniel. With your permission I would like to copy the idea for the Concertina FAQ.

[Chris Timson]

A complete rewrite of the FAQ is long overdue, and this has got me started. I've rewritten the Makers and Repairers section and it now looks like this. For comparision the old page looked like this. I'd be grateful for comments.

Chris

[Hereward]

A complete rewrite of the FAQ is long overdue, and this has got me started. I've rewritten the Makers and Repairers section and it now looks like this. For comparision the old page looked like this. I'd be grateful for comments.

Chris

I think this is quite an improvement Chris and thanks once again for all your hard work.

Ian

[Boney]

A complete rewrite of the FAQ is long overdue, and this has got me started. I've rewritten the Makers and Repairers section and it now looks like this.

Very nice, I feel the comments are especially useful. Good idea putting the email addresses in graphics (to avoid spamming the makers). A "last updated" date at the top would be very nice. "sppoken" isn't a word.

[Chris Timson]

A "last updated" date at the top would be very nice. "sppoken" isn't a word.

Innit? Well swelp me! When I've finished the update for the whole site the details will be going in the version history on the front page.

Cheers,

Chris

Edited by Chris Timson, 07 February 2009 - 09:09 AM.