Well, I finally picked up my new vintage anglo C/G concertina on thursday, after two-three weeks of waiting for the instrument to cross the Atlantic. This is my first concertina with concertina reeds, and I've been at it 5-6 hours today, I'm exhausted. The real origin or maker of this box is unknown. It bears signs of Jeffries/Crabb/Ball-Beavon/Shakespeare but with no real proof of that it is. One theory is that it's one employee of one of the old makers who built it as a personnal project, maybe with reeds he took from the workshop. The year it's been built would be approx. between 1900 and 1920 but even then, no real proof. It's been restored in the UK recently and has new bellows, springs and valves.

It plays very, very well, and the reeds are very responsive. The sound is what I've always dreamt of, that sound similar to the one I'd get on some Jeffries, Crabb, Dipper or Suttner that would always leave me depressed afterward because I had to go back to my great, but accordeon reeded instrument. But those days are no more, thanks to a great guy over the sea :-)

Here are some pictures:

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Here's a sound clip I recorded:

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The beast has been tough to tame, and still not totally tamed. I was used to different hand straps, a bit different layout and some different distances for fingers etc, but I'm slowy getting a hang of it. The bellows are new so they're still a bit stiff and my shoulders hurt from pushing and pulling but it will smoothen up, same with the springs. I can see a difference already. The tough note to get is the high Eb on the fourth button accidental row! WTF! :-) My poor Beare Island suffered a bit but it's back on track.

So basically I'm in heaven, I'm looking forward to relax a bit and get used to it, I think I was 10 times more excited about this concertina than getting my first condo six months ago, you can imagine how much sleep I lost over the thought of this concertina being in my hands!

My Dipper should be coming this year but I'm a bit worried that by then I might not want to part with my new love, and I will get the Dipper for sure. I'm broke already thanks for my credit line I could afford this concertina, but will have to make tough choices in a few months... like selling my condo to buy the Dipper? Hehe just kidding.

Well thanks for sharing my excitement, now it's time to go back to Tina!

Congratulations, Mon Ami... Azalin. Do you need someone to baby sit your concertina when you're not at home....??

Azalin, you should take another photo with the concertina's buttons at the top and the handstraps should be at the bottom of the photo. It will look better.

What are those designs on the bellows? Are they Aztec? Not Celtic! Druid? Masonic? Nevertheless, happy squeezing on your beautiful concertina. Let us know when the Dipper arrives.

Congratulations! Azalin.

I'm sure you and your new concertina will enjoy getting to know each other this fall and over a long winter of practice.

Greg

The Dipper might hold it's value better than the condo in this market! Hope you got into the condo after the prices had started dropping. Make sure you give each a fair test before deciding if you have to part with one or the other. The current one might be the winner. Congratulations!
Dana

Thanks guys. Good point Ben about the pictures, next time I need to post equivalent pictures I will correct this. Greg, our winters are hard here, so I'm definitely be inside practicing :-)

Very good point Dana, about the state of the market. I actually got the condo when the market was cooling down. But I live in Canada and we don't have a similar crash than our southern neighbors. Also, the province of Quebec never had a major jump in prices. Properties went up like everywhere but never like west canada with oil boom and Toronto. But anyway I bought a 3 1/2, and there's almost never one for sale in the area I bought, it's very central and in demand area but it's hard to evaluate the value when there's no other equivalent being out for sale. I guess I'll find out when I sell to get the Dipper ;-)

That is a *very* pretty instrument and it sounds great, whoever made it!

Dana gave some very good advice concerning holding on to the concertinas long enough to compare them and to accurately access how well each meets your playing needs. (The danger of course is that you will want to keep them both!!)

There will always be opportunities to make more money; there are never enough opportunities to play great concertinas. You can quote me.

Have fun!

Greg

You're right Greg... I'm already torn apart about selling my Edgley, which I love... but I've been living on my credit line for a few months and I need to be responsible and get rid of credit as a priority... but it's tough. Having to let go that one will be a nightmare... maybe by then I will win the lottery?

I am too jealus . . . . . . looks (and sounds) like a beautiful instrument. good luck with it!
I am getting close to upgrading from the trusty accordion reeded variety myself (don't tell my wife!)