Another Opinion On Accordion-Reeded Concertinas

While I was in Ireland I tried both a Marcus anglo and a Clareman model offered by J. Sheils (I'm told by Paul this latter one is built by A. C. Norman). Bear in mind this wasn't a blind, controlled scientific trial (I played one box while leaning on the boot of a car) and only involved one example of each brand, but I found it interesting nevertheless. I tried a Herrington a year ago. Significantly, I haven't tried a Trillium yet. I'm also not an expert player, but I am an expert on being a beginner at playing anglo, in my humble opinion!

That said, I found both the Herrington and Marcus to be competent instruments suitable for folks starting out. You can read about the Herrington elsewhere on Paul's site. The Marcus had extremely nice (almost fancy) finish work on the metal ends. The fingering was Wheatstone/Lachenal system.

The real standout in my unscientific sample was the Clareman made by Norman. It was a C/G in Jeffries fingering. The response (time required for the reed to sound) was very even and at least as fast as my in-good-repair Lachenal. In fact, it was the fastest of any new accordion-reeded anglo I've tried. I did not have my Lachenal with me when I did the test, but a Lachenal with baffles and a Gremlin/Stagi offered by the same dealer were available for comparison. These gave me a good sense of three distinct tiers of performance, with the Norman at the top. I would recommend a Norman over a beat-up Lachenal for someone starting out -- better price and condition, and easier to get, too! The Clareman was not overly fancy on the outside but was well put together and sounded like it. Another plus was that, at least when I asked, the waiting time was very short compared to most other makers (there, I've let it out of the bag!).

While in the UK I dropped by two shops listed on the concertina FAQ (http://www.harbour.demon.co.uk/concerti.htm). Hobgoblin in Crawley had quite a few anglos (mostly Lachenal, nothing more exalted), but not all of them were fixed up and the prices were comparable to those in North America. I also went to Windband Folk in Shropshire. They didn't have any anglos in stock when I visited (they have as much work finding them as anyone) but did have some very nice Englishes and Duets. (I am a band musician and had fun playing their brass instruments too.)

More Opinion (Edgley, Morse, Geuns-Wakker) from Ken Coles, September 2001

[I just got to try several new (and older) makes of mid-level anglos at the 2001 Northeast Squeeze-In and report my two cents' here.]

At the 2001 Squeeze-In I talked and played tunes with Frank Edgley quite a bit and it was fun to get to know him. He tried my Morse Ceili (serial number 36) for a while and gave it a great workout. (He can play any complete Irish tune in the time it takes me to play just the A part!) When he handed it back, he said it was a great instrument that responded as fast as nearly anyone would possibly play it. That is my experience, but I replied, "Your instruments are pretty good too!" And it's true. Frank is arguably the most virtuosic anglo player (to my knowledge) among the folks who currently make mid-level anglos. You'd expect his box to be great for Irish, and sure enough it is. The rosewood-stained cherry looks great. Response and sound are right up there with the best of the other accordion-reeded brands. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for aspiring players of very fast music (the same first reaction I had to the Norman and the Morse, but see my general statement below).

We also had a chance to try a Geuns-Wakker anglo. A number of folks, all more knowledgable than I, passed it around. Like every single instrument in the accordion-reed category it is well-made (I can't think of a brand in this class that isn't, really). We all played it. It too, was extremely fast -- all you could ask of such an instrument. The tone on the right, or treble, side was great and really sparkled, to the admiration of more than one rival maker in the room. The left or lower side sounded more muted or muffled. Again, tone is something of a detail and a matter of personal taste in this price range. We're told the Geuns-Wakker involves careful copying of reed harmonics in vintage instruments. I'm reminded of Juergen Suttner's careful work in copying entire old designs -- it's certainly a good way to start. But design and construction of concertinas is still an art in some degree (try copying a Stradivarius violin if you doubt this). The results do vary between brands and between individual instruments of the same brand. And vintage instruments vary within brand too, so what some consider the ideal is itself a moving target.

My personal opinion then, is this as of September 2001: The state of the art and number of choices in mid-level instruments (US $1200 to $1850) has come a long way in the last five years. In 1996 I was told my only choice was a used Lachenal. Nowadays these are probably only for persons who require vintage reeds and tone and don't mind slower response. For most of us learning or ready to step up from a Stagi, these seven makes (Herrington, Marcus, Norman, Morse, Tedrow, Edgley, Geuns-Wakker) are the place to look. You'll commonly wait a few months for any of these instruments. Several are made at the rate of only a few per year, whereas Rich Morse told me they will probably make 90 concertinas in 2001 and well over 100 in 2002. I like some brands better for fast dance tunes and some brands better for slow lyrical playing, and every brand has its champions. As Chris Timson has noted, much of the variation between models involves things like tone, volume, finish and appearance, and the placement of buttons, handles, etc. and is a matter of your personal taste. No one here on the Internet can tell you which brand to get (though each of us likes some better than others - and no, I'm not sharing here which are my picks as I'm only one user!). You should *try them for yourself* even if that delays your purchase. But it took me over two years to try all seven, and it was not the ideal, side-by-side trial. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a trade show (or a store) where you could try all these? It's not likely that enough buyers would show up to make it pay, and anglo players are such a tentative lot when they're still learning. (Later, as experts, they get argumentative! ;-b ) The closest thing to a comprehensive sample in the U.S. is the Squeeze-In (three of the seven represented this year) or one of the concertina schools (NY Noel Hill had four of these brands present in 2001). You could also contact Bob Tedrow at Homewood Musical, who represents at least four of these seven brands. Life is full of choices...Have fun on your musical journey.