alex_holden

It sounds to me like someone put some solder on the tip to lower it, but it wasn't enough so they filed the root as well. Removing the solder weight got you part way to the original note, then you had to remove a lot of steel to correct for the root having been filed weaker.

Only if it's tuned Equal Temperament, which early ECs probably weren't when they left the factory. Another option is to only tune one of the two G#s to F, so you get the extra note in one bellows direction but the G# is still available if you need it. Solder is my preferred way to lower a bass reed for a modification like this. If somebody ever wants to put it back to original solder is very easy to remove from the tip, but steel that has been filed off the base can't be reinstated.

That looks the same as the one I linked to earlier so I would assume it is original.

It includes the brand name Wheatstone, which is a trademark owned by Steve Dickinson.

Hi Will, are you talking about a plain wood veneer like this? https://accordionscanada.com/products/bastari-english-concertina-30-button That looks like a mahogany, perhaps something like: https://www.thewoodveneerhub.co.uk/collections/mahogany-wood-veneers/products/mahogany-sapele-wood-veneer-234cm-x-38cm Or did you mean a decorative patterned border like on later Italian instruments, e.g. on this Stagi: https://redcowmusic.co.uk/product/stagi-a-30-english-concertina/ I don't know where that comes from. It looks a bit like guitar purfling but wider than they normally sell it (perhaps you could glue two strips together?): https://www.touchstonetonewoods.co.uk/bindings-purflings/c-266.html

That's definitely a problem with the way sound is mixed in many recent movies and TV shows. I have the same issue and I don't think it's my ears because I can still easily understand dialogue in shows made decades ago. Some recent TVs have an audio setting called 'enhance speech' or similar that tries to compensate for bad sound mixing and mumbling actors but I don't know how well it works. I'm told that young people commonly watch shows with subtitles turned on all the time even if they have good hearing.

Is it one hand of a duet system, or a modified Anglo? I have been working on a side project for a while that is essentially just the left hand of a bass Hayden. Not for a one handed player, but for a player who wishes to play a different instrument with their other hand.

It depends on the instrument. If I'm modifying an existing design I'd try just moving the hand rail first because it's much simpler than moving the buttons and redesigning the action levers. I have also made some duets with the ability to adjust the hand rail position (duet keyboards usually have more rows than Anglos); it's possible but has a few trade-offs so I usually prefer to do a fixed position hand rail unless the client particularly wants it to be adjustable.

Probably not as long as you aren't playing it too energetically. I would consider at least gluing any loose internal hinges back down, as that can cause the cards to delaminate. You can use common PVA white glue. Try not to get glue on the part of the linen that bends or it will make it stiff.

Mine tend to be around 76mm, though I always have a conversation with the client before making the instrument. The shortest one I've made was 69mm for a lady with small hands, who incidentally previously played a Wheatstone. I personally found that one uncomfortable but it worked for the player.

Yes, it's possible to patch worn corners with very thin flexible leather. If you do a good job of feathering the edges of the patch it can be made nearly invisible. You need to lightly sand and degrease the old leather in the area where you plan to glue onto it. The patches may wear out eventually particularly if it's an area that rubs on your clothes while playing, but if you use a reversible glue like fish glue/hide glue/rabbit glue it will be possible to replace them in the future. I believe some concertina restorers buy their leather from C.A. Cornish: https://www.cacornish.co.uk/musical-instruments/ I'm generally not a big fan of rebinding: I've seen several sets of bellows that looked nice but had been made very stiff and restrictive to play by somebody gluing new leather strips over the top of the original leather. Maybe it would be possible to do a good rebind if you removed the old leather strips first, but that would be a lot more work and risks damaging the underlying structure. At some point if they are too worn out you have to just bite the bullet and totally replace them. From what I can see in the photos yours don't look like they have reached that stage.

I put a suede lining in most of my recent cases and it seems to work nicely. What I usually do is cut a piece of thick card that is a loose fit for one of the case sides, then cut a piece of suede that is 1/2" bigger all around, glue the suede to the card with PVA, and fold the edges over and glue them to the back of the card (with a piece removed in each corner so the folds don't overlap). I then glue the suede-covered panel into the case. If adding foam padding to a side, I make up a sandwich of suede, card, foam, then a second sheet of card with the edges covered with the folded-over suede. For bonding leather to plastic maybe a solvent based contact adhesive (e.g. barge cement) would work. Try gluing a small offcut to the case first; let the glue fully dry and then pull it off to find out how well it stuck.

I believe this is her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/zohracoday_music/ This appears to be her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064638955597

I believe he's now trading as The Squeezebox Garage. https://www.squeezeboxgarage.com/

Best of luck Dana, I hope you enjoy your well-earned retirement. Your advice and encouragement have been invaluable.