Anglo Concertina Buyer's Guide

Suttner Concertinas

[more info and photos on the official Suttner Concertinas web site]

Jürgen Suttner in Germany makes some superb anglo concertinas. I wrote him a while ago and he sent me a nice brochure with prices and photos. He apparently uses modern machining techniques (he's a qualified toolmaker) combined with lots of hand-crafting which results in beautiful, rugged and very playable and fine-sounding instruments at a reasonable price. His model A2 31-button 7-fold black bellows silver-ended with sycamore/maple reed pan anglo pictured above (he says it's the most popular model for Irish music) is approx. $2500 US. I'd guess that postage should be approx. $100. Note that this is MUCH cheaper than the price listed for this model in the catalogs at Hobgoblin and Lark in The Morning, among others. In May 1997 Suttner said that delivery could be made in under a year. Delivery on new orders is now up to 4 years! Oh well -- I guess it's just a testimony to the quality and value of his instruments, but that's small consolation if you're looking for your first instrument NOW!

While in Seattle recently I had a chance to play Kevin Gow's Suttner anglo (thanks Kevin!). It was a 30-key C/G metal-ended Jeffries-type. If you've read my NHICS 1998 report you'll know that I wasn't necessarily enthralled with the Jeffries-type Suttner I tried there. I now think there were two reasons: 1: It was very new and not broken in. 2: I wasn't used to playing a Jeffries. Having only played a real Jeffries now since January, I have more of the control needed to get the most out of the instrument, which really is quite different from a Lachenal. Back at NHICS 98 I was used to playing a Lachenal, which is more forgiving and quiet compared to a Jeffries, which if played roughly or hard (or just poorly) will sound loud, harsh and not very pleasant. Now, I was able to play the Jeffries-Suttner like a Jeffries is supposed to be played (and, in all modesty, I think I'm a better player after attending NHICS!) and I can tell you that this was a very fine concertina and very nearly the equal of my C/G Jeffries. I was impressed. It didn't quite have the same "growl" that I love so much as my Jeffries, but in another 10 or 50 years, who knows! The action was smooth and fast (but not too loose), the sound was clear and loud and had that distinctive quality-concertina "honk" and the weight was, as far as I could tell, nearly identical to my Jeffries. The bellows were just right too for me -- not too "floppy" and firm enough that the ends didn't collapse or bend at all when played hard or fast. I really could play it like I play my Jeffries and almost forget that it wasn't actually my Jeffries. I still haven't tried a Dipper or Dickinson-Wheatstone yet so I still can't say "buy this one over that one", but I can now say in all honesty that the Suttner-Jeffries is a fine instrument and an excellent value. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still no expert, but for what it's worth, it's the first concertina I'll actually come right out and recommend now. Remember -- I'm not saying it's better than any other make or model, but I will say that if you like the idea of owning a Jeffries but can't afford the $4000-$5000 you're likely to pay for a fully-restored one or just can't find one, you'll be very happy with a Suttner and will not regret the purchase.

A visit to Suttner Concertinas by Bruce D. Wright Business took me to Bremen, Germany, last November. Prior to leaving the U.S. I was able to contact Jürgen Suttner by e-mail and arrange a visit to his workshop in Siegen after my business in Bremen was completed. Jürgen picked me up at the train station and we drove to his home where I was introduced to his wife Brigitte. They live in a very nice two story home on the side of steep hill. Jürgen took me to his shop where he fabricates all of his concertina parts. And I do mean all of the parts. Well, O.K., he doesn't make every part. He buys his screws and he subcontracts the buttons. But, everything else, at that time, was built in his shop or home in Siegen. Jürgen is a tool maker. This means that before he started making concertinas full time, he worked building the machines and tools that other people use to manufacture things. And, as you might expect, he has built all the tools he needs to make every part that goes into his concertinas. He has a stamping machine to make the brass reed frames; rolls of spring steel he makes the reeds from; milling machines to make or finish all his parts, including machining the taper on his reeds; and wood working machines. He was in the process of getting the programming together on a computer-controlled milling machine and was toying around with some thoughts on other cutting edge technology to improve his process. It's a good thing Brigitte is a tax accountant and can help him depreciate all this capital investment. After the parts are manufactured and some initial assembly is performed in the shop, Jürgen does the final assembly in a room on the second floor of his home. It is there that the final assembly is done on the reed pan, the bellows are put together (I think he said Brigitte helps with the bellows, but this was almost a year ago, so my memory is vague on this), and the final assembly takes place. This is also where he does the tuning. When I was there Jürgen was in the process of finding help. He was up to two years in back orders on new instruments. Your e-mail interview indicates he finally did find a part-time assistant. I have a personal observation about this. My impression is that Jürgen is a perfectionist who has spent a lot of time developing a process. Being one of these type of people myself, I know how hard it is to give up part of that process to someone else. It takes time to develop the trust and confidence that the work will be done to the same standards to expect from yourself. But usually the pressure of falling behind forces you to admit you must do just that. Jürgen and Brigitte are very nice people, very personable and welcoming. If you plan to be in that part of Germany, contact him and see if he has time to let you see his operation. I found it a very interesting and worthwhile part of my few days vacation.

Suttner Linota Reproduction Review by Ross Schlabach Nov. 23, 1998 I had a chance last weekend to view and mess with Toby's new Suttner. It is excellent. Here are some of the specifics: Model: 31 Button Linota Reproductions Wood: Natural Color Rosewood ends and sides Bellows: Black, 7 folds Buttons: Metal Hits Jurgen Suttner has been doing his home work and has made great strides. This new (less than 1 month old) anglo is his last creation. The quality of the fit, finish and construction is nothing less than outstanding. His construction could be described as watchmaker-like in its precision. While we did not open it up, Toby confirmed the inside is the same. A noticeable change were the buttons. On my old Suttner Linota, the buttons were fully rounded, but the current model uses a bigger radius so the buttons are crowned but not a full round top. I think this change is a BIG improvement. This results in what feels like a lighter touch to the buttons, but is probably because the shape doesn't concentrate the pressure on one part of your finger. The button shape also allows you to slide your finger off toward the next button or row. I could not play the Suttner because Toby shortened the straps, but I listened to her play on several occasions. I thought the sound quality was excellent, not harsh as some of his metal ended instruments have been, and I would compare this in tone to a Jeffries or Wheatstone. It's my impression that the wooden ends really smooth out the sound on his instruments. It's either that or the radial reed chambers of the Linota model. Can't think of any other reason. Misses: The only miss is the location of the air button. I feel it is still located too far from the top edge. This means that the player must bend his/her thumb down to reach it. This was a problem on my Suttner Linota too. Noel's Wheatstone Linotas had the button closer to the edge so that it lay almost right under where your thumb would naturally rest. And it does affect the playability. I must admit though, that for people with small hands like Toby, the air button position appears perfect. So only the big handed people may be hampered by this positioning. Dec. 21, 1998. A note from Toby Koosman (the owner of the above new Suttner): "I am enormously pleased with it -- far superior to any new concertina I've seen, it has a classic tone and gives just the right amount of resistance, and it's beautiful besides."

Ross Schlabach owns both Suttner and Jeffries anglos and had this to say (April 17, 1998):

"I have a 31 button C-G Suttner reproduction of a Wheatstone Linota. It is one of Jurgen's earlier instruments. But unlike most of his instruments you see around the US, it is wooden ended. Because of this it is quite mellow in sound. The metal buttons have a very nice action.

In case you are curious what it looks like, see the picture on Big Nick's Concertina Spotters Guide. He took the picture at the 1996 Squeeze-in at Bucksteep.

I also have a delightful 28 button Jeffries that was fully restored by Colin Dipper. It is faster and the action is lighter than the Suttner, but I would have to give the Suttner excellent marks for overall tone, tightness of the bellows, and overall quality. One other point. It is easy to over-squeeze a Jeffries which causes the sound to get harsh and the notes sound flatter the harder you play. To date I have not noticed the same thing in the Suttner, but it is quieter than the Jeffries regardless of how hard you squeeze.

[...]

Now that my Jeffries has been re-tuned to concert pitch, I do play it the most. Even though the Suttner's buttons and action are smoother, the Jeffries is more responsive -- and should be for the price difference! I will have had the Jeffries for two years come October. I bought it from Paul Groff in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paul is an excellent concertina tuner and from time to time he imports instruments into the US. For the best quality instruments, I do not think there is anyone better to deal with than Paul.

Many people turn their noses up at 28 and 26 button instruments and I think they are making a big mistake. Having only 28 buttons does not seriously hamper me in playing at all. The C & G rows are normal. The top two buttons on the outside row on the left side of a 30 button concertina (G#/Bb and A/G) are shifted down one place (toward the floor as you hold the instrument normally). On the right, the top button on the outside row is omitted and the first button on that outside row is a C#/Eb. I dumped the Eb in favor of a draw C# to give me C# capabiilites in both directions as I would have with a 30 button. And the 26 button is just like the 28 button but it doesn't have the bottom outermost buttons on either side."

Feb, 28, 1999: Comments by Kevin Gow

"I play a Suttner Anglo. I have two friends who each have Dippers. One of the Dippers is 15 years old, and the other is about 2 years old. The newer Dipper is LOUD. In sessions where there have been up to 15 people playing, this new Dipper can be singled out. My Suttner is also loud, but not as much as the newer Dipper. The newer Dipper also has a harder (for lack of a better word) timbre making it more harsh-sounding. As far as the older Dipper, it sounds very much like the Suttner. I don't know if this is because it's been "broken in" or if it was made that way, but it's owner said it became that way over the years. The older Dipper still has a solid feel and plays well. The bellows is looser (broken in) than on the newer Dipper, and this makes it a comfortable instrument.

If you order, be sure to specify which notes you want for which buttons on the right-side third row. I ended up switching the G# and A in my Suttner. It only worked because the reed holders were very nearly the same size. Also, if you order a Suttner 31-button, it would be nice to have the left thumb button be a double-D if you're into Irish music."

July 30, 1998: An e-mail interview with Jürgen Suttner

1. How long have you been making concertinas and what made you start making them? Is this now a full-time business for you?

"In the seventies I started to play English concertina. After a while repairs were necessary on my instrument and I tried to do them myself. Step by step the idea came to try and make a concertina completely by myself. I made my first concertina in 1980. In 1983 I started to make them in part-time business and since 1995 it is my full-time job."

2. Did you have a specific philosophy when you started out making anglos (price, construction, sound, action, etc...)?

"My idea was to make concertinas according to the English makers, especially Jeffries and Wheatstone. I mean this in regard to sound and action. To reach the quality of their instruments it is necessary to follow their ways of construction."

3. Your instruments seem like a genuine value compared to vintage instruments (Lachenals, Jeffries, etc.). I recently had the opportunity to try one of your Linota models and found it to be a very nice instrument with great sound and action -- how do you keep the price down while maintaining such nice sound and construction?

"I fixed the prices for my concertinas according to the market here in Europe. With increasing quality of my instruments it will certainly be necessary to raise the prices during the next years."

4. A number of people asked if you make everything yourself or if you have assistants or apprentices? In a related question, others have wondered why you don't "outsource" more of the construction in order to lower the delivery period which is currently quite high and a source of frustration for people looking for a high quality concertina as their first instrument NOW :-)

"As well as the quality of the concertinas I always try to improve the productivity and to find ways to produce quicker. Since the beginning of this year I have a part-time assistant. I invested a lot in machines like a computer-controlled milling-machine. Outsourcing is not as easy as it sounds. It needs time of preparation. The parts I need are not available in shops, but every part has to be specially-made. Such parts are cheaper the more you order. The small numbers of pieces I need often mean incredibly high costs per piece. But I already oursourced some parts and hope to do more of it in the future. There is always a process of changing and improving and speed up the production."

5. For your Jeffries models (which I suppose are your most popular models, especially among the Irish music crowd), are they really a "copy" in terms of reeds and overall construction? How would you characterize them (in terms of action and sound at least) compared to vintage Jeffries anglos?

"I copy the most important characteristic features of the Jeffries models. Some concertina players here in Germany made a blind test last autumn, one of them playing a good Jeffries and one of my Jeffries copies, and the other were supposed to find out which is which, but they didn't hear any difference. I have a customer in Ireland who sells his Jeffries models in order to buy concertinas from me."

6. Is there anything you'd like to say regarding your instruments, and especially in regards to how they fit into the range of other quality anglos out there like Wheatstones, Dippers, Connors, etc.? I'm obviously not asking you to say that "mine is better because", but more of a reflection on your design, construction and pricing considerations and philosophy...

"My production concentrates mainly on Anglo concertinas, Wheatstone and Jeffries models in several sizes, tuning and end plates. Besides the Anglos I make few English models, but no duets, miniature or bass instruments."

7. What's your instrument of choice when you play? What kind of music are you most interested in?

"Unfortunately I don't have much time to make music myself. I mainly play when I try the concertinas I currently make, that means I play Anglo most of all. The music I am most interested in is Irish traditional music."

Thanks Jürgen for taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions.

juergen@suttnerconcertinas.com

www.suttnerconcertinas.com

Jürgen Suttner
Suttnerconcertinas
Gewerbestr. 26
D-57078 Siegen
Germany
Phone ++49 271 8706939
Fax ++49 2732 27161