Peter Smith

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

It looks like a good rosewood ended 26 button anglo concertina. What sort of information are you after?

I also enquired and the seller said the buttons were bisonoric, so I assume it’s a very large Anglo. I’ve not found anything about an Anglo like this on the internet.

Ask Mark at Concertina Spares about the outside covering. He supplied a strong paper-type material which I used to restore a few Lachenal cases. I used a good velvet fabric to line the inside.

Many thanks for your comments. The chord problems make a lot of sense and could explain why the Double Duet didn’t take off. Maybe Wheatstone was looking for the concertina to be played in a different way. Peter

Thanks. Looks impressive (& expensive!!). I have not come across the Stark layout before but as other posts say, it is essentially the double duet on its side. Playing a Crane at the moment, I think I would prefer the vertical layout. Regards Peter

I am also interested in the Wheatstone Double Duet layout and had a think about converting an English but as Alex says, it just would not work. So I am keeping an eye out to see if one turns up - however unlikely that is! Peter

Many thanks Peter

the Ab/Eb concertina has now been sold. Thanks for your interest.

Thanks. That's fine. I'll leave it with you to consider. Regards Peter

Yes, that should be possible. DPD & Hermes offer postage at around £30, if you would be happy to pay that price & with the courier. Would you like a detailed layout of the keys just to make sure its what you are looking for? Regards Peter

Refurbished Ab / Eb 20 button Lachenal anglo concertina (number 111825). The fretted ends are solid and in good condition, thought there is some wear due to its age (see pictures). The concertina has steel reeds which are free of rust and at concert pitch (though may need a bit of fine tuning). The only quirk in the tuning is the lowest note on the left hand lower row is a G (G3) rather than Eb (Eb3). Also, one of the low Eb reeds is cracked but still plays OK. The concertina has its original 5-fold bellows which are sound and have no discernible leaks. All valves and pads, button bushes and button dampers have been replaced. Where needed, new springs have been inserted. The concertina also comes with new hand straps and a fully refurbished wooden case. The concertina plays well and has a nice feel to it. Please see the pictures, which form part of the description. Also listed on E-bay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333105159207 with a couple of sound clips and more pictures . I am looking for £350 or a near offer.

Not a problem. I guess the thin metal ends would cause that to happen to any concertina. There was a name in the concertina. I will try to recall it as that may give a clue to the origins of the metals ends. Peter

From what I remember, the buttons on ths Maccann fitted quite well but I would expect the metal to wear down the bone buttons. Peter

I also had a Maccann duet with similar ends. I started refurbishing it but sold it on eBay for to someone to finish it. The ends looked like replacement aluminium ends and didn't have a wooden backing around the button holes. Some pictures are attached (not the best but give some idea of what it was like.) Peter

I have a larger Crane and enjoy playing hymns on that. It works OK directly from the music but sometimes the base can overpower the tune. My Crane (67 button) goes down to the E flat 1.5 octaves below middle C, so can pick up all the lower base lines. Alternatively the low base notes can be raised an octave which also works satisfactorily. Hope you find a good instrument - whether Crane or Hayden. Regards Peter

This was my first Crane concertina which I purchased a number of years ago. It came from Chris Algar and Dave Elliott did some work on it a few years ago. He pointed out the stamp on the reed bed which says Crabb & Son ???????? London. Dave Elliott thought it was likely made by Crabb though the button layout is Butterworth. The concertina has riveted arms which appear to be made from aluminium. (A couple have also been replaced with Wheatstone & Lachenal arms!). So the concertina has also been refurbished in the past, maybe significantly. It makes me wonder if Crabb carried out the refurbishment & stamped the reed bed to signify this. Maybe the ends have been re-made. Interestingly, the concertina is held together by wood screws & not bolts. There is also no serial number stamped anywhere on the concertina. Any thoughts or suggestions or if anyone has a concertina with a similar fretwork pattern, I would be very interested to know. Regards Peter

Just sent a PM. Will phone later if I don't hear from you. Peter

I too would be interested in any miniature or semi-miniature duets or Anglos that you might be parting with. Waiting with anticipation. regards Peter

Thanks for everyone's comments. I appreciate we live in the world of capitalism where people are keen to make a quick profit. Perhaps I am a bit idealistic in hoping people would want to preserve the concertina heritage we have. I am not a MacCann player so did not want to purchase the concertina. My main issue with the sale I mentioned above was that there appears to be no 'added value' between the purchase & sale (no re-valving, re-padding, etc) - just pure profit on a rare concertina. But maybe that's life!! The concertina appears to have been sold now. Happy Christmas!!

There is what looks like a 62 button tenor or base MacCann concertina for sale on the UK EBay site for £1760. This same concertina was sold at auction on 12th December this year for £440 + commission (usually around 30%). It would appear that nothing has been done to it apart from maybe a polish. This appears to be pure profiteering with no real interest in concertinas (though I could be wrong) and annoys me a lot. It happens from time to time with concertinas I have seen at auction but I guess there is nothing we can do about it - apart from winning the item at auction! Peter

I would agree with Wolf. I started on the Anglo & am now learning the Duet. Its a very different sound and suits music different to the Anglo. Easy tunes on the Anglo or not easy on the Duet & vice versa (for me at anyrate!!). Barleycorn have a Crane Duet - now going for £475 - which could be a way to try out a Duet system. Regards Peter

I was looking through some old papers and came across the details of this Crabb Victor Duet' (No 14060). I unsuccessfully bid for it in 2014 on eBay (as the highest bidder but one!). I am still interested in it an as unusual and unique duet. Does anyone know of its whereabouts and whether it might be for sale? Thanks Peter

The concertina was retuned a couple of months before I bought it by Nigel Sture. He seemed to recall that the reed frames were aluminium. Peter