Defra

Lovely playing and arrangement, Mike. It's great to hear jazz played on the EC.

Wouldn't mind being on that beach right now… Seasons Greetings to you and all Cnetters from France.

Very nicely played, thanks for posting. I'd also like to hear some tunes with you & the jazz guitarist when he's better. Sounds like an interesting combination. Are you playing the golden Aeola you're pictured with on Soundcloud on this track?

Probably a bad time to be trying to sell just before Christmas but here's one last effort : £1,200 or €1,650! Definitely a good deal for a Peacock in this condition if you look at the price of importing into Europe from the US. No longer available through Ebay as at this price plus Ebay's fees, I'd be losing too much money. I will however contribute to Cnet if I sell through this site. Cheers, Dean

Further reduced to €1,750 on French Ebay : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Concertina-Duet-Peacock-Hayden-Special-/321936030571?hash=item4af4e1fb6b:g:nKEAAOSwT5tWP4s1 I'm prepared to go a bit lower if I sell through Cnet. Thanks for reading.

I once had a similar instrument with presumably original thin (approx 2 mm) pine or spruce baffles that gave a quiet but sweet tone, ideal for late night practising! Luthier's suppliers can supply suitable wood (Ebay too). A more modern material is alcantara fabric, a synthetic suede-like material often used for car upholstery, also available in offcuts from Ebay. It is thick enough to cut out some of the harsher frequencies.

I've now dropped the price on French Ebay so it's only fair I do the same here - now £1,300 or €1,850. I'll throw in free postage in Europe if I sell through Cnet (and will also donate to this site). Yes, I really prefer to avoid Ebay if I can...

Great job with both the restoration and playing. The music seems ideally suited to the instrument. I'd like to hear more of this.

Just a thought, although I'm still trying to sell the Peacock through Cnet and Ebay France (doesn't show up on any other Ebays unfortunately), I would also be open to a trade for a good quality vintage English concertina of a comparable value if there are any EC players out there wanting to have a crack at the Hayden system on a very good quality instrument. Cheers, Dean

Now advertised on Ebay France, but still open to offers from Cnet... http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Concertina-Duet-Peacock-Hayden-Special-/321916350452?ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:FR:1123

(In response to SteveS) I'm certainly no expert but on a recommendation, although I can't remember who gave it, I used Fiebing's acrylic Resolene on a set of scuffed and dried out black bellows and it worked great. Available in neutral, brown and black. I used the black which was effective as a dye and top finish. It dried to a finish that was between satin and gloss I thought. I bought mine through Ebay. http://www.fiebing.com/catalogue/top-finishes/

Hi Don, Thanks that's useful to know in case I can't sell within Europe. That's still my priority as the $ to € exchange rate is terrible right now (at least for Europeans!). Cheers, Dean

Hi Noel, Thanks for the suggestion, but it's not quite as straight forward as that, at least here in Europe, where you have to have bought through a dealer that has agreed to adhered to the trade-in scheme. Cheers, Dean

Gorgeous and well worth waiting for. Your love of the instrument comes through in the playing. Beautiful, I'm so pleased it went to such a deserving and talented owner. Looking forward to hearing more.

I've decided to drop the price to £1,400 or the euro equivalent before resorting to Ebay, which I prefer to avoid wherever possible. Dean

I'm selling my Peacock Hayden Duet concertina by Concertina Connection with 42 buttons + air that I only recently acquired second-hand from another forum member who also didn't stick with the duet system so played it only lightly. It's in great, unblemished shape with a matt black finish and excellent 6-fold Wakker bellows that haven't yet been played in. Domed and bushed metal buttons. Serial no. 090, made when there were 3 versions of the Peacock - Standard, Special and Custom. Now I believe there are only 2 models available. This is an accordion-reeded hybrid duet but I find that it has the closest to a "concertina" type sound of other hybrids I have played. Lovely tone and good volume. It is lightweight and has a very responsive and smooth action. It comes with the original, good quality hard case. So why am I selling? Well, I've been well and truly bitten by the concertina bug (or concertina acquisition syndrome) and have been trying out different systems, but living where I do means buying unseen. I've simply come to the conclusion that I'm more suited to the English system! I'm not looking to make money on the concertinas I sell but I hope to avoid losing any so I'm asking what I paid: £1,500 or the equivalent in euros. As well as costing less than a new model, there will also be none of the very expensive import duties for European buyers purchasing from the USA. I'm also willing to listen to reasonable offers. I can send more photos and probably a basic recording to anyone interested. I'm happy to discuss it over the 'phone or Skype if required, just send me a PM if interested. Thanks for reading, Dean

Thanks for the fun read. I'm enjoying the image of a Neanderthal getting to grips with an instrument originally designed for genteel Victorian ladies to play primly in their drawing rooms. Good luck with the learning! Dean

Fascinating stuff. Thanks to the contributors for their clear explanations thanks to which I may finally be starting to understand some of the intricacies of different tunings. I said starting to...

Really enjoyed this and all your other recordings that I keep coming back to. Great work, thanks. Dean

The Celtic Chords shop in Scotland sell the Jack, Jackie and Rochelle Concertina Connection models so maybe they can also get you an Elise: http://www.celtic-chords.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3_31_34 Worth a try anyway.

Wonderful stuff and I'm really kicking myself for not knowing about your performance at Parthenay as I only live an hour away I hope you come back and maybe next time advertise on Cnet as we're a bit starved of good concertina performances out here in France. I can also highly recommend signing up for Simon's newsletter which is very informative and entertaining.

The concertina is now sold and a contribution has been made to Cnet.

The concertina is now on hold pending payment.

I've decided to sell my 62-key Wheatstone Aeola duet concertina that I acquired a few months ago rather unexpectedly while looking for a Hayden. Mechanically very sound with beautiful sounding reeds, the casework was worn and had the previous owner's postcode crudely scratched into the surface. I stripped it down and after receiving some very helpful advice on this forum (see "Ebonizing tips?" in the construction and repair section), I re-ebonised the ends using black spirit powder and French polish to finish. I also replaced the key hole bushes and the key cross hole bushes. Apart from a gentle cleaning, the reeds and action mechanism needed no further work. The concertina internals were restored and it was tuned by David Leese in 1998 but from what I can gather, the instrument has had relatively little use since. The pads and valves are in very good condition and the top quality reeds are in great shape. The 7-fold bellows and concertina itself are perfectly airtight. The concertina is in modern concert pitch and is in tune with itself. But there’s a twist: instead of the “home key” being C like a conventional Maccann, it is in B flat, presumably to facilitate playing with brass bands, which ties in with its West Yorkshire origins. This means that when you would normally be playing in C, you are actually playing in B flat and so on. This may be useful for a singer or as an additional instrument for a Maccannic that would like to be able to transpose into more difficult keys without changing his/her fingering. I would describe the condition as being excellent with just two things to mention: there is one patch that seems to have been done by an amateur as the leather hasn’t been skived, although it is perfectly sound, and the thread on one of the strap thumb screws has stripped so I’ve replaced it with a normal machine screw of the appropriate thread size. The original thumb screw will be included with the sale. The original leather box is also in very good condition, although an extra strap has been stapled on. While I’ve really enjoyed my brief ownership of this instrument and been extremely impressed by the quality of workmanship on these Aeolas, the concertina is not my primary instrument and I can’t devote the time required to learn the Maccann system properly so it is time to part with it. I have lots of additional photos that I can send on request via a PM. The price reflects the smaller market for a B flat Maccann concertina: £1600 or reasonable offer (or the current euro equivalent) includes postage within Europe or half the postage cost to countries outside Europe and I’ll also absorb the PayPal fees. Thanks for reading. PS. I can't edit the title but it should obviously read "B flat" Edited to add photos below.