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!

Roy Rogers in The Trail of Robin Hood, Home Town Jubilee

Don't see these come up for sale too often, at least not on eBay. I have no connection with the sale, I just thought I would post it for any interested parties. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sterling-Accordion-Key-Of-D-Cajun-Zydeco/153358575216?hash=item23b4e22670:g:NPIAAOSwlfNcN-2R:rk:2:pf:0

There was a high-end George Jones B/F# for sale here few years back.

Roy Rogers 'Trail of Robin Hood' looks like a Lachenal English though it is not clear if thats whats being played in the song. It is clearly used as a prop in the scene.

I suspect that this offering is, indeed, a 'Tidder', though not certain without pictures of the internals. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-30-Key-Anglo-Concertina-Probably-By-Lachenal-C1870/173713164481?hash=item28721c88c1:g:1k0AAOSwVcVcJ358:rk:4:pf:0

Barleycorn has at least 3 that I see in their current stock selection.

Perhaps related, I would argue that the lowest quality vintage concertinas are superior in sound and construction when comparing them to the lowest quality modern concertinas. Also, this opinion is less likely to ruffle any feathers.

Thank YOU! Greg, for your advice, patience, and workmanship. These old instruments need a craftsman to bring out the best in them. The price-point too! I know that it is tacky to talk about the money, but your service is so far above and beyond the $15 that I paid you. Those F# reeds are so very important.

speaker foam is ambient and works great

I have a vintage brass reed anglo and I love the tone. It dates from around 1901 and has reeds similar to the type that Jones used. The original tuning was 70 cents sharp of C/G so I had it professionally serviced and tuned to C#/G#. Brass reeds are sensitive to any drastic changes from the original tuning, so bringing it to C/G was not an option. I have had 2 reed tongues crack and need to be replaced. The issues were related in my case. A cracked reed caused it to go out of tune by about 30 cents. Replacing it was easy and painless, thanks to Greg Jowaisas. The response on the brass reeds is great and for a band setting, the volume is perfect and it blends beautifully with other instruments. It would be interesting to see a modern maker do a brass reed anglo. I have heard only good things about Chris Algar. While I have not bought an instrument from him, he has been helpful in answering some inquiries and always very knowledgeable. Good luck on your purchase.