Peter Smith

PM sent with my email address. Peter

That's great news. I have a Jeffries duet but guess I'm a 'wannabe'. Guidance / suggestions on fingering would be very useful, as the layout feels a bit random at times, though I guess its not! Look forward to the finished work. Thanks Peter

Having recently bought a 48-button Crane, I am looking to sell my 35 button Crabb Crane. It covers the usual range from C3 to G5 (though the button that should be C3sharp if actually B2flat). I bought it from Chris Algar 8 years ago and it has been serviced by Dave Elliott. The instrument has steel reeds, is tuned to concert pitch & the tone is quite mellow.. It has aluminium action arms riveted onto brass posts (three of the arms have been replaced - see photos). The valves & pads are in reasonable condition and the bellows are airtight (several corners of the bellows have been patched). The concertina comes with a serviceable old Wheatstone box. Please see the pictures below. I think this is a rare concertina, as I have not seen its’ like in the last decade. I am not certain how much it is worth but was advised to insure it for £1000, so I am selling for £750 + postage. I am also open to offers. If you are interested and want to find out more, please send me a PM. Thanks Peter

I watched this on E-bay and also thought it looked like a Tidder. I bought a 20 button Anglo recently which I am pretty sure is a Tidder. Things I found different to a L:achenal were as follows: solid mahogany ends, buttons with thinner ends than Lachenal, screws holding reeds in shoe bigger than Lachenal, bellows 'recessed' (perhaps 0.5cm in from ends). On mine the lever arms are held in place by a metal plate screwed into the action board. Hope this helps. Regards Peter

Many thanks. Peter

Thanks. I have a friend with a Wheatstone Crane with the curved layout, so maybe I will give that a try. On my Crane, the middle button at the bottom is a B and the outlier on the right is a B flat - both just under middle C. The other button on the right is the air button. Regards Peter

Looks really good. I assume it’s a 55 button Crane. Could you comment or send me an end on photo? From the photo, it looks like the curved arrangement of buttons, rather than the chevron layout I am seeking. Thanks Peter

I am looking for a Crane concertina with a chevron layout of the buttons – rather than the curved Butterworth set up. I have a large Crabb Crane with 67 buttons with the chevron layout (see picture) but it’s not very portable due to its size. I am looking to buy a second, smaller Crane with the same layout with between 42 & 55 buttons. My preference would be for a Crabb (or Wheatstone, if they ever made them) but would be interested to see what is available. If you have such a Crane that you are looking to sell, please get in touch. My preference would be to buy from the UK but I'm open to purchasing from abroad. Peter

Good idea. I will give that a try.

To be honest, I am not sure as I hhave never used it I guess it could be used for larger reeds.

There are two brass the plates - measuring 75mm x 25 mm. The laser cut slots in the top plate give some 'springiness'. With the smallest & largest reeds I use a finger to cover any gaps - perhaps not idea but it seems to work (though I'm not an expert!!).

The air hole under in the metal plate is 23mm x 3 mm. Mark at Concertina Spares said the plate is laser cut. Maybe he would sell you just the plate.

The tuning bellows I use are shown below. There is a lead weight in the bottom of the bellows which makes life easier! The only addition I might make is an additional reed slot for comparing reeds from an English or Duet. I hope the photos come out OK. Peter

You could ask Concertina Spares in the UK. I bought a good tuning rig from him. Peter

I would think the problem with the reed sounding is to do with position of the reed tongue with respect to the frame. I would suggest having a look at Dave Elliott's book on concertina repairs where he talks about this. What he says worked for me. Peter