Greg Jowaisas

To give you pertinent advice, we will need to know what kind (system) of concertina your husband gave you. Does it play the same note in and out or a different note in and out? How many buttons on each side and total? No matter what system there will be books tutors and advice that we can recommend. It will also help to know what part of the world you live in. There may be a teacher or player we can recommend who lives near you. One of the fastest ways to learn an instrument is by watching and asking a live person for advice. Your musical background and music reading abilities will come in handy. Best of luck in all your concertina adventures! And kudos to your husband for a thoughtful and wonderful gift! Greg

A hearty and merry thanks to all those who share their thoughts, ideas and adventures on cnet. What a great place for the concertina community to gather. A big thank you to Ken for his investment of time and expertise. A very big thank you to Paul for his expertise, vision and financial commitment that have made this forum what it is. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday and looking forward to another year of sharing on concertina.net Greg

Congratulations Rod! The prominent red bushing and the Australian summer greenery make for a festive Yule picture. (As does the Yule log stump!) May you enjoy many music making years together! Greg

Status report, Rod. You have us all invested and involved now. We still have another day on our side of the globe but time is running out for Santa where you live. Let us know the latest. Greg PS. If a certain repairman/concertina pirate intercepts your parcel, I have it on good authority that he would demand a ransom payment of a pearl encrusted chemnitzer.

Upon some reflection I think I will have to enter this thread and declare my Carroll #2 as one of those instruments that I would not consider trading, upgrading or replacing. It is very easy and smooth to play. Responsive while toodling along and lots of volume and punch when necessary. It has a very clear sound. Most of these attributes are wasted on my inadequate (but ever improving!) playing. I know it is a special instrument. I got an idea of its real potential this past summer at Noel Hill camp. Noel tried the five Carroll concertinas that were in camp alternately comparing them, tune after tune with his Linota. All the instruments sounded great in the master's hands. At the end of twenty minutes Noel asked for a show of hands to indicate which of the Carrolls sounded most like his Linota. # 2 got the most hands. Perhaps mine had a slight edge in being the "oldest" Carroll present. I know I could hear and appreciate some differences in all the concertinas. But I was and remain truly humbled to be able to learn and practice on such a wonderful instrument. I hope I live long enough and practice dilligently enough to deserve this concertina. Thanks Wally! Greg

Heat, usually applied through the tip of an electric soldering iron can loosen a stubborn end bolt. I use short bursts of ten and fifteen second contacts to warm up the bolt. You will also warm up the wood in contact with the bolt so be judicious. If the head is stripped sometimes a small vise grip can get hold of what is left of the head. Be careful not to damage surrounding wood. If the bolt snaps or shears you may be able to use the vise grips to remove the rest of the bolt, once the end is removed. With luck, the same applies with a bolt shank in the end bolt plates. Drilling is a last resort. David Leese of Concertina Parts should be able to supply replacement end bolts. Good luck to you and your concertina. And as Dr. Dave and his peers advocate: "First, do no harm." Greg

With two other bidders following the winner into "four figures" we may be seeing a flood of Aeola Maccaans on ebay shortly. While the Maccaan is not my favorite system, a case might be made for calling a prime vintage instrument, by a reknown maker, at this price, a bargain. The days of "donor duets" giving their reeds so that anglos might rise again may be numbered. Or not. Thoughts? Greg PS. I just noticed the 60b Edeophone Maccann listed by the Button Box had disappeared. Hmm! Gold going down; duets going up. Perhaps a rereading of Revelations is in order.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.... Takes you back to being a kid doesn't it? "Now just close your eyes, Rod. Get a little sleep. Santa will be here before you know it. He'll leave that little Suttner under the tree. In the morning, after you wake up, you can open up your present and play all day if you'd like. But right now it is time to close your eyes." Tick tock, tick tock.... "MOM!! I'm not sleepy!" Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.... It will be worth the wait. Greg

OK. Rod. Good answer. We now know you are: 1. An honest man. 2. Have no more will power than the rest of us. 3. Deserve our prayers and best wishes that the concertina makes the last leg of its journey and arrives by Christmas Eve. A prayer and best wishes, Greg PS. Please exercise some restraint and do not injure yourself ripping into the shipping carton and packaging once your concertina arrives! PPS. I'm sure we'd all love to see a picture of you and your new squeeze.

Rod, Can we expect you to honor the tradition? If your concertina arrives in the next few days, will you have the will power to, "Do not open until Christmas !" Congratulations in advance. Greg

Well, I got to see and hear your concertina until I lost the link. I'd guess it is a Lachenal extended treble. The bellows papers were a bit unusual as was the 6? folds. From the sound I'd say you have a very servicable instrument for quite awhile. Congratulations and good luck! Greg (contiued editting for spelling!)

Traditionally the seals for the reed pan are done in chamois leather. It is soft, stetchy and has a kind of spongy resilliency. Valves are lambskin from a prefered part of the lamb. (Shoulder? Help me experts.) The valves have to be supple but with a memory to return to their original position after opening and closing. That said, as Paul posted (while I was distracted from the computer) there are instances where a soft leather other than chamois is used for the reed chambers and pan seals. There have been some applications using plastics for valves, some accordions and melodians have gone this route. But I think lambskin valve leather is the widely prefered material. Greg

Hi Mick, I have learned to play a number of instruments. In every case I have found it much easier and faster to learn and progress after watching someone play in person. That experience could range from a number of lessons; a single encounter with a teacher or player; or sitting in the first row at a concert or workshop. Having fun and spending time playing your instrument is most important. Learning good technique and getting insights and shortcuts to play the music you love will save you time and the aggrevation of breaking poor habits. The afore mentioned books and videos will help you get started. Australia has a great National Folk Festival at which a number of concertina players regularly attend. In March I believe? (Morgana? Malcom? Chris?) There are some wonderful players and afficionados in your part of the world. One live encounter is worth a hundred practice hours. Enjoy your concertina adventure! Greg

Dave, I wonder if the "Edgley two spring method" might not help. Frank has a clever way of using two springs to stabilize his hook and arm type action. The result is a stable pivot point with little of the typical Lachenal wobble. Frank's concertina action is smooth, quiet and has a light touch, surprising in a hook and arm arrangement. It might be a long lasting solution once the worn componants are replaced or repaired. Greg

Chris, You have a point in that no one should sabotage a legitimate auction. But most of the indications are not good: private bidder ID little or no feedback recently registered as a seller No provenance (history of having bought this concertina) We are talking about danger signals. If you think it is worth risking money on a bid, I can't stop you. If you become the proud owner of a Jeffries at a great price I will certainly salute you. (But I wouldn't do it, and I love Jeffries concertinas! Greg PS. While everyone on this forum would love to get a Jeffries at a good price I think nearly everyone on this forum would try to protect each other from a bad business deal in which one of us would lose our hard won concertina money. It's a concertina community thing.

They are getting more sophisticated. No longer using Indonesian addresses, and now boasting positive feedback. (Well, 1 is a start!) Do you think they are low ranking military? Everything begins with private.... Beware. Take care. Greg

I have seen the pictures of this aeola before. Mr. Cullen (djangojessie, as far as I know) ran an abreviated ad on cnet.'s buy and sell board about 2 or 3 months ago. and sent a similar picture or two at my request. It is possible that someone who has gone over to "the dark side" might have received similar pictures with the green background. And now they are using them in a possible scam. It is a shame that ebay can't keep the scammers out. An otherwise enjoyable buying experience becomes more like a walk in a minefield. Kudos to the cnetters who detect these saboteurs and try and get ebay to disarm their boobytraps. Greg

Jeff, I have used several approaches. If the hole in the wood pan receiving the post is a bit too large you can shim it with a wood shaving and a bit of glue. If it is grossly large you could fill the hole with a small peg and redrill the hole. I've also found a quick and often satisfactory fix is to use a white glue with some elastic binder in it like Tandy Leather Bond. The glue does not become brittle when it dries and this elasticity helps keep the post from working loose. Best of luck, Greg

I think Ross, as Chris T would say, "Is spot on!" I am still amazed by my Carroll concertina, but most of you have heard this before, so I'll leave extolling the Carroll accolades to others. I will second Ross' comments as to how all concertinas are a bit different and you really need to play as many as possible to find out what is right for you. And although I am firmly in the "traditional concertina reed" camp I would not lump all the accordian reeded concertinas into one bunch. I have heard some great sounding instruments from these makers. It may be the right instrument, the right player and the right music coming together to make the right sound. Best of luck in your quest. Greg

Hmm! I received additional pictures. However they did not come through my ebay message board; they were sent directly. The private bidder ID is a red flag. But if this is illegit, it is the most sophisticated scam I have seen to date. ???????????? Greg

Hi Morganna, In the immortal words of Star Wars' Master Yoda: "Yes, a plunge you have taken, my young Paduwon!" Good news: It is probably a Jones and you'll get to work on those neat broad steel reeds. Bad news: It is probably a Jones and it will be much more difficult to find spare parts than if it was a Lachenal. I think Henk has the right idea. Adjust your expectations and consider this a learning experience. But if you are careful and persistant, gather good techniques and approaches before plunging in, you might come out with decent concertina. (I am not optomistic about saving the bellows. But who knows?) Save the reed work for last. Once you start removing reed material you cannot reverse the process. So reed, er! That's read as much as you can about reeds and tuning and what makes a profiled reed special. Get lots of others opinions, talk to as many experts as you can and have a plan before you start sanding. I usually thoroughly clean a contaminated fixer upper outside with several stiffnesses of paintbrushes (cut the handles for ease of manuevering), a soft cloth and sparing use of a disinfectingting agent. Don't get things wet; just clean it up. Don't forget the action pan too. They can be filthy and sometimes harbour insects. Remember to wear a dust mask. Cnet. has lots of threads on repair and glues and chamois etc. Don't be afraid to use the search engine. Best of luck in your adventures. Greg

Hi Dwinterfield, Some of us on cnet. have plowed this ground before. Here is a link to a thread with different opinions: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...wtopic=2527&hl= I'll restate my opinion that vigorous playing across a knee can lead not only to premature bellows wear but possibly compromise the integrity of the bellows. The damage may not be immediately evident on the outside but if the card that makes up the foundations of the bellow and the connecting and supporting members are stressed and strained then the bellows may not reverse directions as effeciently. This can be a factor in playing fast tunes on the anglo concertina. Why not learn good technique from the beginning that will help your playing and preserve your concertina for generations to come? Regards, Greg

Whoa!! I like the Canadian price! Thank you for the info, Frank. And the note of caution, Paul. Greg PS I wonder how the secondary market is for bocci balls?

Paul's tongue in cheek stocking stuffer made me think that we could use this topic not only for creative dreaming but for practical gift suggestions as well. I make a traditional type concertina case but I am always looking at other approaches. I've recommended the Fallon cases for certain applications and saw these on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1 If someone in the UK area needs a hard flight type case at a great price this might fill the bill. Postage costs to the USA make it a bit less attractive for us Yanks. Greg

http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Concertina-In-Need...1QQcmdZViewItem Paul, are thinking for the naughty or for the nice? (I will adjust my behavior accordingly!) Greg