nicx66

For what it's worth, my correspondence with Alex has been cordial and yet professional, always transparent on his part. I, on the other hand, have been a typical, non-committal, prospective buyer, looking for the best deal. He has listed a treasure trove of fine instruments dating back to the 1870s, for sale, at a reasonable price. Any brick & mortar shop would charge significantly more, sometimes double, for a comparable instrument.

The Button Box has one for sale at the moment. Gives the insurers an idea of what a similar instrument would go for in a retail setting.

You may want to consider the position and shape of the hand rests, height, width, distance from the buttons/keys, etc. I believe that Frank Edgley has designed an adjustable hand rest and others have experimented with ergonomic hand rests. To me, the saddest posts on the Buy/Sell forum are from people selling their instruments due to arthritis. It breaks my heart every time.

There was a Wheatstone on eBay this last 12 months that was clearly book-matched on the ends, per what Alex is describing in his response. It was a 48 key treble that was quite early per the serial number. I believe it was auctioned here in the US, but I am not positive. It was rosewood though, with similar delineation between the light and dark sections of the wood.

Does anyone sell full sets of Jeffries reeds? I know of at least 2 makers who built new concertinas with vintage Jeffries concertina reeds, so the value is measurable in a dollar amount . Sorry, I know this does not answer your question because I do not have the technical knowledge of a reed-maker, but it is very interesting.

My thoughts come from an amateur concertina player, whereas Alex, Theo and Dana are true craftsmen, whose knowledge and skills reach back one hundred years to the master craftsmen who came before them. I would place a greater value on their advice and knowledge than my anecdotal experience.

I have read on these forums that hide glue is what was used historically and works best in that it allows future bellows replacement to be possible using the original frames. I just attached a pair of bellows to my Tidder concertina 2 days ago, believe it or not. It worked great. Clean-up was quite easy with a cotton rag dampened in hot water. I was originally going to use a PVA, Titebond 2 as it is the type that I am most familiar with. I decided to go with the hide glue in the end after reading some posts on this forum that said it is easier to reverse with heat. Good luck with your Wheatstone!

What a beautiful tune and melody. This is a really lovely arrangement. Any idea what year the tune was written?

My dog Layla does the same, her favorite tune is the black dogs ditch, no lie.

Another one on eBay, a German-made instrument for the UK market https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30-key-D-A-concertina-Camppels-improved/303477304682?hash=item46a8a82d6a:g:jiIAAOSwPn1ePa3K

beautiful music!

I know it is double your budget, however a brass-reeded vintage instrument may be a good upgrade. I love the sound of brass-reeded instruments. One on eBay right now https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CONCERTINA-LACHENAL-30-BUTTON/223890775360?hash=item3420ee1d40:g:eiYAAOSw-MpeNuGh

It sounds expensive

I don't know who H.A.A. is, but I am wondering if there is a serial number on the inside ? Lachenal also marked their right-side hand rests on anglos. Good luck!

I always love seeing the hidden talents of musicians!