ceemonster

[Why do we want a Jeffries? For the insides or the outside? We want one to play/listen to, not look at !.] i agree, though, like chris, i'd say that at those prices, aesthetic beauty is lovely if you can get it. but, indeed---bottom line is the playing and the sound. the rub is that with a concertina, the quality of the playability/listenability depends on what is hidden inside. i personally agree that a good jeffries probably is indeed worth the dough, but in this price range, i would need a dependable evaluation of the inside, or i'd have to pass on the purchase. a violin doesn't have a hidden interior mechanism. with a concertina, it is that hidden stuff that determines the sound, and therefore the value. many of you concertina aces are cognisant enough to "have a shufty" yourselves, and good on ya! i was lucky enough to nab a few-years-old dipper county clare, and i own a lovely new "hybrid" concertina. with both, i knew exactly what i was getting for the dollar. and both were worth every dollar!!! somebody mentioned gearoid's b-flat/f jeffries box. i heard him play it recently, and to me it's the "grail" of how a concertina should sound, for irish dance music, at least. but this whole issue of locating one and then having it properly checked out is a little iffy and risky for my money.

so far as jeffries go, the good versus great question can involve button action, but usually involves tone quality, which means reed quality. jeffries reeds are famous for delivering a singular resonant, honky tone. but not all jeffires boxes have this. you do find jeffries boxes that sound quiet and muted. you do find others that sound out with a resonant, bright "honk." which if either of these means "great" has a subjective component, though a respected concertina restorer/maker in the UK once advised me against investing in a "C.Jeffries" (earlier, probably crabb-built) instrument on grounds that these were more muted and less full-toned than what he called the "crackers" dating from the first part of the "Charles Jeffries" era. other, folks, however, adore this quieter sound. another key factor in analysing jeffries quality is this----are the reeds original? if not all are original (understandable in a century-ish-old intrument), what percent are original jeffries reeds? most frustratingly, how is a US buyer to ascertain this? true jeffries reeds have a unique metal composition that gives them a unique sound. i came close to purchasing a so-called jeffries concertina from a UK music store, only to have a pre-ship checkup by an outside technician reveal that 2/3 of the reeds in this so-called jeffries were replaced reeds that were lachenal or lachenal-equivalent quality. with the exchange rate factored in, this box was going to cost about 7 grand american. transaction rescinded. which brings me to the wackiest aspect of the whole jeffries greatness question. these instruments are now fetching six to eight grand in the current market. stipulating for the sake of discussion that a jeffries in good condition is worth this price----why would anyone fork over that kind of dough without written certification from a known dealer, or vetting from a known restorer? and people are doing it all the time, with no clue as to what is inside the box. even the three-grand, four-grand, five, grand, etc., sums people are shelling out for uncertified, unevaluated non-jeffries vintageconcertinas on ebay are unbelievable to me. i don't get it. this is simply unheard of in other high-end instrument markets. nobody in their right mind pays eight grand for a violin without certification or a written checkup. what is the deal with concertinas? for the time being, i've abandoned the search for a jeffries, not because i don't think the great ones are great, but because i've lost faith in the possibility of locating & purchasing one that has reliable documentation as to reeds, etc---and in those price ranges, i'm not forking out a dime without that certification. there are certainly reputable, on-the-record dealers out there, but they are getting fewer and fewer jeffries these days. many of the sales that do go down, go down uncertified on little more than a handshake, based only on the make of the instrument. ridiculous, scary, and not for this jeffries lover.