catswhiskers

I once had a German anglo made by Scholer which had a similar problem. Some of the buttons were constantly getting jammed in the holes. I think it's a design fault with this type of concertina that the buttons are quite short and they are easily pushed too far into the hole. I solved the problem by gluing a thin layer of foam directly under the buttons, which gave them an extra bit of spring and stopped them going too far down into the hole. It played much better after that and allowed me to get a good feel for anglo playing without spending a fortune. However mine had wooden buttons and you say yours are metal so perhaps it is a different mechanism and my suggestion might not be possible. All that being said, these instruments are okay when working properly but a bit limiting if you want to progress your playing. I subsequently bought an old Lachenal which needed a bit of restoration and with the help of The Concertina Maintenance Manual by your previous correspondent Dave Elliot I ended up with a decent box. But be careful. Anglo playing can be addictive and you may find yourself hankering after a top quality instrument. Goodbye bank balance!

I had a Scholer 20 key anglo in G/D which predated yours, being made in pre-partition Germany. Cosmetically it looked a bit different but the basic construction appears the same. I had to do quite a bit of work to make it playable, but once it was up and running it was quite good - as you say, definitely superior to the Chinese boxes. It had wooden buttons like yours and a wooden action, but one problem was sticking buttons - the button would go too far into the hole and stick. I solved this problem very simply by gluing a thin strip of foam under the lever arms just below the buttons. This stopped them going so deep into the holes and also gave them a bit of extra spring. I never had a sticking button after that and the playability improved a lot. It may not have been the greatest instrument ever but it was my entry into Anglo playing until I could afford to move up to a Lachenal. I sold it on Ebay for slightly more than I paid but rather regret doing so now. John

Nigel I am not an expert but I have done some repairs on a few vintage Anglos. In each case there were no valves at all on the very highest reeds and it looked as though they were made that way. I am sure some more knowledgeable members will chip in and explain why. John

Totani. If you want sweeter sounding harmony then quarter comma meantone is probably the way to go. If yours is a vintage instrument the variation from equal temperament you mentioned may mean that it was originally tuned to some form of meantone. I have a 20 key Jones anglo which had considerable variation from ET. The closest tuning seemed to be quarter comma, so I went for that and wasn't disappointed. It sounds very sweet, particularly when playing chords. Having said that, I don't play with other musicians. If you do then maybe ET is better. John

Thanks Dave. Would that be what the original makers used?

Hi all. I'm planning to put new bellows papers on a Lachenal 20 key anglo and I'm wondering if some of the experienced restorers here could advise which would be best glue to use. I'm thinking likely candidates would be PVA craft glue, wallpaper glue or even simple flour and water glue. I'm aware that repairs to vintage instuments should ideally be reversible. Can anybody advise which of these glues is best for the job, or if there is a better alternative. Thanks in advance. John

Ed I agree with the other answers above. Rest one end on your knee while pumping from the other end, whichever way round suits you best. If you play sitting and don't do this you're likely to rest on the bellows which is unstable and causes unnecessary wear to the bellows. I can't see any reason to play standing unless you're performing and It doesn't sound as though you're at that stage yet! Like you I'm 71. I started learning a few years ago but haven't been able to practice enough to become a really good player, but I find if I keep at it my playing is still improving. Even at our great age we can still learn and improve! Good luck with your learning and I hope it gives you as much pleasure as it's given me. John

Never wise to keep an Aussie in the house! 😄

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Ha ha - no pun intended. The friend who lent me the concertina is a gentle and talented banjo player and anything but a fiend. But his kindness certainly led to a fiendish obsession! John

I first had a try of a concertina nearly 50 years ago when a fiend of mine lent me one for a few days. I knew nothing about them and all I remember was that it looked beautiful and made a glorious buttery sound which I can still hear to this day. I think he told me it was a Crabb tuned to "English pitch" which meant very little to me at the time. I taught myself one tune, "A Begging I Will Go" before I had to give it back. Ever since then I had an idea that one day I would get myself a concertina. 40 years later my wife finally put me out of my misery and bought me a 20 key Schoeler on Ebay. Needless to say it didn't quite match that mythical sound in my memory, but it set me on the on the road to learning a wonderful instrument. I soon traded up to a succession of Lachenals and more recently to a fully restored rosewood Lachenal with a lovely set of reeds which truly approaches that sound I hankered after. I realise now that the instrument I tried 50 years ago was actually an English, but I'm very happy to have discovered the joys of the anglo.

Thanks to all for your many helpful suggestions on cleaning my bone buttons, not to mention the interesting discussions of poisoning in the post-Trump era. (Though thankfully we didn't actually have a Trump era here in Wales!) I'm pleased to report my discoloured bone button problem has been solved by the kindness of a Cnet member who has sent me some replacement buttons. Now I have nothing to lose, I might experiment on the discarded buttons with some of the (less poisonous) suggestions and report back any success or failure.

Hi all. I am trying to clean the bone buttons on a 20 key Lachenal. In the past I've successfully removed general brownish grime with fairy liquid and/or toothpaste, but two of the buttons on this instrument are very discoloured, a sort of greyish colour which seems to be deeply ingrained in the bone. I've searched all the very informative threads here, but could find none that specifically addresses this problem Any ideas? Thanks in advance. John.

Thanks very much for your advice. I'm pleased to say I've found what I want from a Concertina.net member.

Hi all. I am based in the UK and looking for a 30 key vintage anglo that I can restore for my own use. I currently play 20b and would like to progress to a decent 30b, but can't run to the cost of a restored instrument. If anyone has a neglected 30b or 26b and no time or inclination to restore it, I would be interested in buying it. I don't mind if it needs work, as long as it has all its bits, reasonable bellows and the action board is not warped. Hoping someone out there can help. Thanks. John