wunks

All good advice but as a fiddle player transitioning to concertina, I think this deference to the fiddler has evolved into an unhealthy situation. Many tunes played today in G,D, and A have other key signatures in their ancestry. A competent violinist can play in any of them. I say let the fiddler sit out or play second for a change as you rip into Fisher's hornpipe in F. Many wonderful tunes in the old repertoire languish because they don't transpose well or no attempt is made to play them. peace and harmony Wunks

Does anyone have an idea what the 5th (+1 below) row of buttons on the right hand side would be for?

I count 68 (+1air) buttons not 64 with 5 rows on the Right hand. I'd guess a very large overlap region.

For what it's worth, My Wheatstone /Jeff duet #32045 listed as December 1928 doesn't have the A. G. or anything other than "duet". The pattern is a bit unusual and the reed pan is radial but it doesn't appear to be a conversion.

Button Box is listing the Rochelle for $380.

And it is often belated in appearance which is confusing when combined with the above.

I did lower the angle of the spring, and the thought occurs to me that maybe the slight increase in volume ( and clarity) is due to the pad being closer rather than further from the hole, a sort of Venturi effect. Is that possible?

I don't seem to be having these particular problems and after playing it in I don't notice it at all. Perhaps a good idea would be to order a few spares. Are they generally Identical for any given instrument?

As a duet player (about a year and a half in) I really want a thumb cluster of base notes. It's difficult to find the space in the box however, and to set up the action without a spaghetti tangle. The Jeffries system that I play could incorporate such a thing but would need a major re-working of the innards as well as a modified end plate. Of the two instruments I have (one pictured above) both could squeeze in a note or two. If I ever find a nice old box with a wrecked interior I have a plan! One more thing to consider is that if you move the strap behind the thumb the hand rest obstructs free thumb movement towards the buttons.

I suspect I will need to soon at any rate as this first failure may be a harbinger of springs to come...😏 Is an increase in volume with new springs a thing?

That's the only reason I could think of other than that the remaining springs are weak with time and the instrument would benefit from replacing them all. It's over 100 years old after all! I'm going to let it play in for a while and see what happens. I set the spring arm at a lower angle than the originals as it was a bit stiffer and it didn't appear to be affecting the post. I'm not sure the lower end of the spring seated all the way into it's tiny anchor hole however. That could be it. Thank you Frank.

Take heart Tinker- it- your-selfers! I just replaced my first broken spring with a safety pin modification and didn't lose an eye or otherwise bloody myself...😜 If I can manage it, so can you! The new spring is slightly stiffer but not annoyingly so.....The affected note is also noticeably louder and I don't know why this would be ....🤔 I thought I was saving some money but now I'm thinking I might need a whole new set...😲 anyway, I'm declaring victory and moving on....

"It's all about the bass, 'bout the bass, no treble!". Harry Guens Makes a Bass au Pieds which was apparently popular in the vintage concertina era, but I haven't been able to find an older example. I wonder if harmonium reeds would allow space for a bass thumb cluster (perhaps split between both hands) on a regular instrument.

Don't do it. It's one of several non-tertiary (fart, belch, sneeze) activities which will cause you to explode ( assuming your professed gender is correct), like flipping your concertina end for end and playing "the Banks" while whistling " the Feather bed Jig".

Wonderful, both!