I had a chance to see and play Wally's #28 C/G a week ago, and it is one of the best concertinas I've played or heard. I know people think highly of Suttner and Dipper as well they should, but Wally's instruments have come a long way since # 6 (in a remarkably short time I may add ) and given what look to be very uniform manufacturing methods, I expect they will be this good or close to it from now on. Basically if you want a concertina that is the equal of the best Linotas out there You better get on Wally's list. The price is steep, but in this case, I believe you are getting what you pay for, perhaps more.

Do I have any complaints about the instrument? Nothing that isn't just personal preference. Little details here and there, but they are the same complaints I have with all Linotas, and I have none with they way they play. Perhaps one person might like them set up slightly differently, all depends on what you are used to or your playing style, but I don't think there is a player out there that can out play the instrument. Suttner and Dipper's best may be it's equal, but I doubt if they have done better. I can't wait to hear what they sound like after a few years of playing. Best of all, they aren't all worn out!
Hats off to Wally
Dana

I'd second that. I love my Carroll!

Thirded!! (Is there such a word?)
My #15 Carroll is the one concertina I'd never part with, an absolute joy to play.

I played #12 a couple of weeks ago at the Dublin (OH) Irish Festival, really nice. And Wally is a good guy to boot,for those of you haven't met him.

Alan

I have played Paul's Carrol Bb/F concertina and the sound it makes is beautiful. It does sound like a vintage Wheatstone Linota.

If we can only convince Wally to build 36, 38 or 40 button anglo's then I would be the happiest guy on this forum.

i didnt play #28, but i played #27, and i can echo that response. i think it is the nicest concertina i have ever played. the entire instrument is a joy to play--it fits my hands like a glove. when i saw wally this year, i wasnt going to ask him to let me play one, because i had played so many of his concertinas, and i have one on order. but, he asked me to play #27, and after he gave it to me, i almost didnt. that was because, as i was adjusting the handstraps, i knew how good of a concertina it was. i have small hands, and consequently have to adjust every concertina i play, so i'm used to it. but, adjusting these hand straps was almost magical. the holes were lazer cut to be exactly the right size. unlike the suttner i adjusted the night before, i could put the screws into holes that had never been used before just as easily as the ones that had already been adjusted (the suttner, on the other hand, took me 15 minutes to adjust).

so, i figured i'd play it anyways, and it was better than i had thought. i really loved wally carroll's concertinas before this, but #27 was the best concertina (for my playing style and my hands) that i have ever played, hands down! i liked it better than any dipper or suttner than i have ever played. but i will echo dana, in saying that i do not think at this level that it is a matter of superiority or quality--they are all great. it just depends on what you like. what i like about wally's is that the reeds are so responsive and can be pushed very hard, and to my ears are indistinguishable from an antique wheatstone linota. on the new ones, i like the feel of the buttons, the settings of the springs, the height of the hand rest, and (of course) the hand straps. for all of those who do not know, wally offers an adjustable hand rest, which allows you to set the hand rest as far or close from the buttons as you would like.

when noel hill played #28, he said that it played like it has already been broken in; he has #22 (i think), which he has been working on breaking in for a year. he said the same thing dana said, which is, "imagine how this one will play when it breaks in!"

my original plans were to get myself on dipper's list at about the time my carroll arrived, but i think now that i will be placing an order for another carroll or two when mine is ready.

Smart man!
Dana

Sometime it is better to be lucky than good. I was at the right place at the right time and I've been playing Carroll #2 since July of 2004 and I still love it. (Pardon me for just a second while I think, "Hey! I've been saying this for years.") Dana Johnson is not only gracious but very accurate in pointing out that Wally Carroll keeps making improvements, refinements in an already quality instrument. I am now employed by and help make Carroll Concertinas so I don't feel like I can, shall we say, "honk our own concertina" too much. But I do have an order in for a Bb/F and Wally does still amaze me with his ideas and execution.

Enough talk. As Wally would say, "Let's get back to work and make some concertinas!"

Greg

How do we find out more about Wally's concertina's? Any pictures? What kind of prices are they commanding? Does he make Anglo's?
Love some more detail
Dave

They're pretty
http://www.carrollconcertinas.com/

Thanks
Leo

Hi all. I was very fortunate to get in Wally's queue early on. I ordered the first Bb/F and was not disappointed. This instrument has a great dynamic range, rich tone, and more than a bit of power when you need it. I also play a Dipper plus a Jeffries too but Wally's instrument is right up there with them. I'm not going to tell you that a Carroll sounds better than a good Jeffries cause that is a subjective statement, but damn it is just as satisfying to hear and the action is much better. Wally's instruments do have top quality construction, excellent action, and delightful tone. I've visited Wally's new shop and I can safely say that Wally is probably doing the best to innovate concertina construction. He has re-engineered the instrument to design out some of the problems the old instruments faced, and he is making the construction more modular so that components can be swapped out easily when necessary. I think this constant search to do things better is helping to improve his output while providing each buyer with a higher quality, more precisely made concertina. AFAIK Wally was the first builder to offer an adjustable palmrest and people with "non-standard" hands will sure appreciate that flexibility.

And if you are not needing a C/G for session playing, a Bb/F is IMHO the best range for overall enjoyment of the concertina: rich organ-like bass and bright but not piercing treble. Like the old Alka Seltzer recommended: "Try it, you'll like it!"

Oh and Dave, 30 button Anglos are all that Wally makes.

Squeeze on...........

Ross Schlabach
Proud owner of #10!

The Carroll website doesn't state the full price or price of options, as does say, Wakker's site. So let's be up front here. What is the the going price at this time? Steep, you say. Couldn't be more than the nice Bb/f Jeffries that just sold on Ebay UK for 5050!!! That's almost 10 grand here in the u.s. and while i'm at it i wonder how the Carroll compares to that nice new model that Wim has posted here recently....

there are very few options. the only option not listed is the movable hand rest, which most people elect to get. the price, right now, is listed on the website, at $5,750 USD. at time of writing, the customizations are limited to choice of wood or black ends, choice of C/G or Bb/F, which all do not cost money.

wally has only been making concertinas for 5 years, and his are as good as a dipper or a suttner. suttner's A3 (linota type: wally's concertinas are also based on a linota), at the exchange rate of this posting, go for $5,600 USD, $150 less than the carroll. he has just opened his shop (i believe in april), so options are few in the coming, but who cares, i say! i have played 20 or 30 concertinas by different makers, and carroll #27 is easily my favorite.

i am confused, "couldnt be more [what?] than the nice jeffries..." a Bb/F carroll will go for $5,750, not $10,000

as far as a carroll compared to the new model that wim just came out with, i havent played it. if you go here on wim's site: http://www.concertinaconnection.com/wakker...estimonials.htm , and search "david", you will find my comments on the wakker i have played. i will be trying the new wakker when it comes to the states, so ask me then. i am very excited for this new instrument, as the way wim describes it, it will be great!

it all depends on what you like in a concertina. i think it is definitely worth the money. when i placed my order three years ago, i placed it under these parameters: i was looking for a concertina that would be the only concertina i would ever need, so that no matter what, if i could never afford another one, i would not have to sell the one i had to get a different one that i would like better. even after i placed the order, i aggressively tried every concertina i could get my hands on (jeffries, crabb, many dippers, suttners) for two years, and i also even bugged the heck out of wally, asking him every possible question in the world. from this experience, it has only helped me realize how much i like wally's concertinas. his concertinas can play as loud as or louder than other metal-ended concertinas do, but also play sweet and mellow, like any wooden-ended concertina. hands down, i like wally's reeds better than anyone else's.

but then again, i like to play loud, and i like to play fast--many people here can back me up on that! even if i play slow, and quiet, it is only so that i may play loud and fast later. i approach the concertina as i was taught by noel hill, stay at the bottom end (the quiet one), and push up. i like to play loud flutes, not so that i can play them loud, but so that i have more room to push. the quieter you play a loud flute, the more exciting you can make it sound. the same goes for a concertina. if you dont like to use a large dynamic range (carrolls are great at both ends), it might not be worth the money. but, for me, i like to play quietly on a loud instrument. that is not so for everyone.

if i didnt like to play loud, or fast, who knows if i would like a carroll better than, say, a dipper. i like the sound of linotas better than jeffries, and when i hear noel hill play a linota, and then a carroll, i cant tell the difference. i like that. some people would rather get a concertina that sounds like a jeffries, as many prefer the sound of jeffries. this does not mean that one is better than the other, or that i wouldnt be happy with either or. i want to make it very clear of this distinction--personal preference does not equate to superiority or inferiority.

if your ultimate question is whether to get a wakker or a carroll, only you can answer that. i talked to wim last week, and his waiting list is very reasonable. i have a friend who is a great fiddle player ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1jZbqqPjH8...feature=related ), who is learning the concertina right now. he only has a 20 button lachenal, and obviously needs a thirty button. i am primarily interested in trying the new wakker because i am thinking of recommending him to get on wim's list, as he will get it much sooner than a carroll. carrolls are my favorites, but i would still recommend a wakker to a talented musician, as i view all of the high end concertinas as great instruments.

so to be upfront, in conclusion: the price is on the website. they play very well. i like them best. i still recommend wakker's concertinas.

beyond a conclusion....

now that we have gotten issues of value aside (i do not view either as being superior to the other. give me two flutes cost $10,000 and one will sound good in my hands, one will sound bad, even though both are great instruments. it's all about personal choice, and personal playing style), i will briefly talk indirectly about the difference i noted between the carrolls i have played and the wakker i have played. to choose between the two, if i were going to play english music, i might get a wakker. if i were to play classical, i might order a wakker with 39 buttons. for irish music, the way i play, i would get a carroll. for the way someone else might play, they might get a wakker. that being said, i still will play english music on a carroll, and still will play classical on it, as the way i play english and classical is based on the way i play irish music, and the way i use the reeds is different than how i would use them if i had not played irish music (the same goes for my flute playing. i play classical based on the same 19th century principles of flute playing that nicholson preferred, which are the same principles that irish flute playing are based on--i do not play the flute at all like they teach in the modern, french-based style) in the first place.

Gosh. Thanks so much for your informative response, David! I also read your review of the Wakker concertina. It seems in line with Wim's background in the Engish classical style, that his reeds would sound better suited for playing such. About the Jeffries, i just meant that a Carroll surely couldn't go for more than 9 grand, and you answered that. Funny, i couldn't find prices on his website, just the money down. I think his price is correct in the current concertina market.
I'll look forward to reviews on the new Wakker. Also, i found it curious that there was a seller here that was going for an suttner and selling the irish wakker model. i have heard suttners up close at a workshop and they were nice but others were just as good sounding and the players always commented that they were a bit heavy. Currently i am being held back by a very sweet sounding new model lachenal, usual slow action, that i could replace but then it wouldn't be original. Guess i could get in line for a Carroll, as the best sounding instrument i have heard so far is Noel's Wheatstone. Any idea as to the wait time now? wes.

as i have not played any other model besides the A2, i neglected to emphasize that wakker has three different models, all of which sound different.

i compared the carroll linota-type to suttner's linota type to a wakker non-linota type, which is my bad. as i said before, i like a linota type instrument better than a jeffries (and some people might think that's crazy). wim does make a linota type instrument, which is the A1. this one has the radial reed pans, and will sound like a linota, since it is. the A1, however, has some inconsistencies associated with the linota design ironed out, increasing the number of reed shoe sizes and changing the scaling of the reeds.

i am always hesitant to make direct comparisons between concertinas that are not comparable, but i went and did it anyways! the wakker A2 and the carroll are not comparable, and nor are they intended to be. they are both designed with different sounds in mind. i think i made that very clear, but as i said, i did not make it clear that wakker also makes other models, with other sounds and playing characteristics in mind, including the wakker A1, which is designed around the same playing characteristics as the carroll is designed around, and therefore would be directly comparable. as i made clear, the A2 is well suited to play dance music that is heavily chorded, and that is what it also seems to be designed to play.

i have not played the A1, but i can say that it will sound like a linota, and play like one, as it is designed to play like a linota, and wakker concertinas play as they are designed. if you read my review, it talks about voicing of certain notes--since talking to wim, i have learned all that is intentional (and actually very difficult to do), as it compliments the french, english and other chorded playing styles very well. it is designed to be uneven, just as on the piano lower notes have more carry and sustain than higher notes (while the highest notes dont even have dampeners--all intentional!), while the the A1 and A4 are designed to have an even response (especiall for the A4) for irish music.

so i would like to point out that you should not discount a wakker for irish music, nor even an A2 (as wim informs me many in ireland prefer the A2 for irish music). if you like the linota sound, the A1 is surely a great concertina. as i said, i am very excited for the A4, because it is a wakker concertina designed for irish music. i am excited because i like wakkers, and i like irish music, so a wakker designed for irish music (optimized for resonance, and all!) would be a sure bet.

and i would again like to point out that the reason it looks like i recommend a carroll over a wakker for irish music the way i play is because i never played one of wakker's two models that are designed for irish music, and looking back, i did not stress that wim makes other models, which would suit how i play.

i would also like to say that every concertina made by every maker will play differently, so just because the instruments are one number different in name does not mean that they are not hugely different in playability and sound. i have even played several concertinas by the same maker, same model, that all sound and play differently. this is why concertinas are so great, and also why it is so hard to choose one. you can play an A2, and then a carroll, and like the carroll better for irish music, but then if you played a wakker A1, and then a carroll, the choice would be much more difficult, as they are both linota-type! if i had tried a wakker A1 when i was ordering my concertinas, i think it very likely that i would have ordered one. heck, if i had tried the A2 before instead of after i ordered my concertinas, i still may have ordered it.

the reason i write so at length about the fact that i did not make the distinction is that i like wim's concertinas, and i want people to know that, and my previous response does not make clear that wim has 3 very distinct models for 30 button instruments, which might make someone more likely to order one, as that if you like a certain reedpan configuration from one maker, you will certainly also like it from wim wakker. i am always hesitant to say any concertina is better than another, because i do not believe they are, and am likewise also hesitant to recommend one over the other, because they are all so different, and i should not have even talked about the differences between two concertinas that are not meant to be similar, as it is misleading--like comparing an english wheatstone to an anglo wheatstone; they better not be similar, because they arent supposed to be. that being said, i have opened the jar, and i'll say it once: of all the concertinas i have played, if i have to choose to recommend two for the new buyer in america, i would recommend both wakkers and carrolls--and that is counting that i have never played an A1 type, which would be more my style. of course i like a good dipper, but i wouldnt recommend one, because then you'd get on the list before me, and i want to be on before you! i have also never played a thomas or a kensington, so you can see how limited opinions are, because i cannot include them on my list. normally, i make a list of everybody, and let people sort it all out themselves, as choosing a concertina is a very difficult decision, and i dont want my limited perspective to cloud anyone's judgement.

again, as opinions are hard to form from reading a forum, please do not think i have anything against any concertina out there, or that i think any is better, because if you order something because i said i liked it better, or would recommend it, instead of the one you liked, then you're tough out of luck, because you may not like what i like and vice versa. because although i have played many concertinas, there are so many more people out there who have played waaaaaaay more than me, and more models by each maker, and could probably take them apart with their eyes closed and tell you what the difference is between them all to the millimeter. i do not have that same experience. i just offer what i have experienced--which is (as with all of us), very limited, and potentially misleading if you read too far into it.

i am double posting to make this a direct response to you, as my post directly above was a response to clarify my other response's errors of omission.

wally's wait is listed as 3-5 years. wim told me a week or two his wait is 2 years for an anglo. as i said, wim's A1 will be similar to the carroll, as it is based on the same design that wally's is based on (linota). the prices for either or are listed on the websites.

as i said in my clarification, the A1 is an enhanced copy of a linota. it is easy (and i fell into the trap) to generalize 3 different models by the same maker as playing the same, when they do not, especially when we (all) might presume a maker to play a certain style, and only cater their instruments to that style.

i dont find it curious that someone was selling a wakker to get a suttner (also, what does irish model mean? they played it in irish music?), nor would i find it curious for someone to sell a suttner to get a wakker. it is very personal. i will not make comparisons between wakkers and suttner (as i already dug myself into a deep hole, by indirectly inferring things i did not mean to), but i can mention flutes briefly. in irish music, people like pat olwell flutes a lot--many, if not most, professionals in america (and some in ireland), play olwells and recommend them. matt molloy, shannon heaton, larry nugent, tom doorly, and kirean munnelly among many play and recommend olwell flutes. i have always liked pat olwell flutes, a lot. i just got a flute second hand that a friend of mine made, and he is not a big name. i like his flute better than an olwell. in fact, this flute is harder to play than an olwell, and is more out of tune than an olwell. so, just because i like it doesnt mean anything. my flute is a direct copy of the same type of antique flute that matt molloy plays and views as his main flute. they are not easy to play.

so, if i said i liked my flute better than an olwell (which i would never post online to a flute forum, because it's misleading, as my above post was), you would think it was curious that i liked it, and think to get one like mine instead of the olwell. but then, if you played both an olwell and my flute next to eachother, you might look at me and think i was crazy, as the olwell would obviously be a "better flute." in fact, for 99% of people, the olwell is a better flute. but just not for me, right now.

we can say that a top of the line concertina (or flute) is better than one that is not top of the line, but we cannot say one top of the line is better than another top of the line--othrwise, they would not both be top of the line. we always hear about stradivarius, which are great, but there are many out there who would rather have an amati. it is all very personal.

so that is why i dont think of it that someone sold a suttner to get a wakker. suttner is a big name, a famous name, and a good concertina. wakker is not so famous, but an equally good concertina. which one would you like? by reading just the word famous, you might like the famous one, but my flute example shows that not only are people different, but some people like things that others hate--who in their right mind purposely buys a flute that is harder to play and out of tune? but, playing both side by side, it is nobody's guess which you would like. i saw someome with two concertinas once hand a professional their favorite concertina, and then the professional put it down, and grabbed the one that this person liked less of the two they owned--like i said, personal! it says nothing about the concertinas, but only about what the people like.

And if anybody in Ireland would like to try out the Wakker A4, they should contact me, as I should be hosting it in a few weeks time...

BTW, Matt Molloy plays an Olwell flute, not an antique flute. He has been playing an Olwell "Pratten" for the past six or seven years now. He views this as his main flute, using it for every gig, every session, and every recording project since he got it. Olwell calls it a "Pratten" because it has relatively large finger-holes and a fairly open bore. But it is no more a Pratten than a fiddle marked "Stradivarius" is a Strad or a modern concertina labeled "Linota" is a Linota.