This concertina on Ebay. I've never seen one like it (But, then, I'm no expert). Does anyone recognize the make? I've fixed some with the same "rattling" sound so I think I know what it is and that's not an issue. I own 7 anglos now, Hohner, Scholar, Morelli, Stagi (which I think might be a fake), and some just stamped "Made In Italy". So if this one is junk, it'll fit right in with my collection. I've been sitting on the sidelines listening and even though there are some disagreements, you people seem to know your squeezeboxes. Please note that it is "Italy" Italian as opposed to the "German" or "English" Italian ones.
L@@k

Is there any doubt in your own mind that it is what you said it was?

Do you actually play tunes on the concertinas you have --
or are they more or less like model airplanes for you?

The last time I saw one like this was many years ago. I don't remember there being a makers name on it - or - indication of where it was made. I had assumed that it was a Germanish make (Klingenthal region) as it appeared to be of that design/construction - which is notably different from the Italian design/construction.


It appears that the lister knows very little ("nothing") about concertinas. I think the reason why he wrote "Italy Italian" is so that the eBay search engine will find it if asked for either word. Most likely "made in Italy" is stamped somewhere on the box. All concertina original design was either English or German. There was no Italian. Sure Italians made concertinas, but they made English and German designs.

I hope this helps?

-- Rich --

Since I've never seen one like it, how would I know for sure? That's why I asked. I did have strong suspicions.
I belong to a pirates club in the small town where I live. Not true reinactors, which explains the use of a concertina by 16th century pirates, but we entertain the kids (and ourselves) at festivals, parades and such to promote our area and raise money for charities, scholarships etc.
I do poke at the things a little, sea shanties mostly and admittedly not well. I've had no instruction of any kind, just picked it up and remembered where some of the notes are. Maybe someday I'll get serious.
Around here, if you can play "A Pirates Life for Me" or "Blow the Man Down" people are in awe. In fact, few people I've come across have ever seen a concertina. I've had people ask if it was a container of some kind and what I had in it.
I just do it for fun.

Me too!

Hm!
Pretty little thing. Striking appearance. I like the white binding.
A lot classier than the grained Klingenthal 20-k I started off with, or the high-end Klingenthalers with the brass mountings on the corners.

A set of nice, sonorous, German-style double reeds, tuned dry, and I'd go for it. Just for fun!

John

......................up to a point ( and I have no interest in debating this on this thread) the more you pay for a concertina the better it will be.This will probably sell for a small amount.
The case on the other hand looks quite nice.Hand made (by a competent craftsman) patterned aluminum...
So ,if you are looking for a concertina to advance your playing tecnique,don't buy it.You already have enough beginner anglos.
Cheers
Robin

Thanks to all who offered info and comments. I feel like I've been through an intervention by family and friends. Maybe I'll sell all the junk I've been clinging to (Except maybe one) and buy a decent instrument.

Absolutely. Now you're talking!

We've all been through that.

Oh my god... you guys are like a bunch of junkies!! He likes his cheap boxes, but now you're trying to get him hooked on "the good stuff". Shame on you all ;-)

Paul

OOPS! Wrong place... Sorry.

edited to cancel a responce to a post that has dissapeared.

fjb

O.M.G.!! You're right. Now I'm driven to selling the stuff in order to support my habit. .. .. . Is there a Concertina rehab clinic?.... Maybe a patch??

I LOVE playing this crazy thing!!!

I'd wanted a concertina for years, and then almost 4 years ago, I did buy an eBay "cheapie," as I couldn't see sinking a bunch of money into something that I might not like (or if the musical ability I had exhibited many years ago as a kid had vanished -- the old "Use it or lose it" phenomenon <G>).

I sat down at the piano soon after the squeezebox arrived, and figured out which keys were which pitches, BUT on one hand the F and F# reeds are backwards and on the other hand it's a C and C#. Both instances are in the upper register, and this is a 30 key model. If I ever get a different (BETTER!) one, I'll have to retrain my fingers.

The PROBLEM with a musical instrument is that you must practice it if you want to play it. Well, I didn't practice . . . until about a month ago. An elderly friend of mine has been into music all of her life, has a masters in music ed from the Peabody Inst., taught in the schools, gave piano lessons, played organ for churches, and ran all over the eastern half of the US playing for horse shows. Now she is in her 80s and has had a stroke and a broken hip, but she truly is the human version of The Energizer Bunny.

She hails from Harlan, KY, down in the mountains, and she's played lap dulcimer (aka mountain dulcimer) for AGES and runs 4 different dulcimer groups. So, she nabbed me to play washboard and tub bass (I built my own), and I told her that if I figured out how to play my concertina, I could do that with them too.

Guess all I needed was a little motivation. I'm going great guns and having a blast! Entirely self taught, playing an eBay cheapie with a few reeds in the wrong places, and I'm having so much fun whether I'm practicing by myself at home or with one of the dulcimer groups. (There's a lot of migration in these groups. Some folks come to all of them!) We played for the Arts Walk in my little town here last Friday. There's an excellent hammered dulcimer player in our town too, and he often plays with us, and we have a couple of folks on guitar who are really gifted. I've been figuring out chords, playing some by ear, etc. And I found Paul Hardy's tunebook "on line."

I realize I shall have to upgrade before too long, but GADS! The prices darned near blew me out of the water!

Maybe I can eventually get good enough to play with a couple of the dance groups around here (contra, English Country, Scottish Country, etc.) That's my goal. But for now I am extremely content playing with the dulcimers. 8-)

Which is solid proof that indeed an old dog CAN learn new tricks. ;-)

peace & blessings,
Miss Betsy

The Rochelle is about $330 or so and has a good reputation.