Aldon Sanders

The buttons are pretty pretty rough. There's no flaking. Just a rough texture that will quickly develop verdisgris if I don't give it a good wiping after playing it. It would be great if they were salvageable. I'll try to figure out how to post pictures here so folks can see. I don't do social media so it might bet a bit of trial and error on my part to get the images up. I'd think that given how much care was taken making this instrument the buttons should be consistent (and so also swapable), but there's no way to know without actually digging into the action. Thanks to all who've responded. You've given my brain something to chew on. I really hope that I can help this concertina be the best it can be. Aldon

I have a Wheatstone Aeola 64 button tenor-treble English concertina with raised amboyna ends. It was made in the 1950s (and according to the Wheatstone ledgers has a twin that was made at the same time). When I bought it (c.1999) it was unplayable with stuck and corroded buttons and non-speaking reeds. I was able to get it playable myself, but eventually sent it to the Button Box to get it refurbished and tuned. At the time Bob thought the buttons were okay and usable. They still are, but the buttons in the most used area (the area that corresponds to the basic 45 button instruments) are still roughish, corroded, and ugly. I'd really like to either replace them, or move the overused ones to the higher register where they'll be rarely touched, and move the more pristine ones from the higher register into the more played area. Is this possible for me to do without too much hassle or is it best left to a professional? I've come to realize more and more how rare and valuable this concertina is. It has a glorious ear-pleasing smooth round tone that I've never heard on any other concertina and plays like a dream. I now consider myself a steward of this instrument - entrusted to play, love, and care for it. The rough feel and look of the most used buttons is the only thing that really bothers me. I'm seeking advice from you knowledgeable people about how to deal with this. All opinions and advice are welcome. Thank you! Aldon

I was so looking forward to being there today, but my ankle had different plans (swollen & sore) so I won't be able to make it. Hope you all have a great gathering! Please share pix & videos! Aldon

Thank you Peter!

Nice!

Great playing! What's the name of the last tune? It's familiar & I've played it before, but the title eludes me.

The link opened fine for me using Google drive. Thank you for sharing.

Cool! I'll block the date on my calendar.

The buttons on the beginner instruments do wobble and get stuck, though not as horribly consistenlty as the Stagi instruments do. This is from personal first-hand experience, not a description on a website. The fix for buttons on the Jack, Jackie & Elise that slip under their holes and get stuck: open the action and move the spring of the offending button closer to its mechanism. When the spring slips away from the mechanism it allows the button to move around in its hole and sink down below the hole where it gets stuck. I've had this happen on both a Jackie and Elise. The hardest part of the fix is getting the buttons to line up again so they go through their proper holes while reassembling. Carefully inverting the action (holding it upside down) while not letting any of the buttons fall off their mechanisms lets gravity do the aligning. Then it's a matter of getting the cover back on without disturbing the buttons' positions. I do this with the action still inverted. Aldon

You missed the qualifying part of my statement: "...where the buttons are loose and can slip under their holes." I don't see how your link relates to that fact.

They're completely different. The Busker has a traditional Wheatstone-like action, while the Jack/Jackie's action is like a Stagi where the buttons are loose and can slip under their holes. The bellows on the Busker are leather. The Jack/Jackies bellows are made of some type of synthetic material. The reeds on the Busker are arranged directly on the reed board with screws. The reeds on the Jack/Jackie are on wooden boxes that are waxed into place. The Busker is much smaller than the Jack & Jackies. These are some of the major differences that come to mind at the moment. I'm sure there are others. Aldon

Someone on Cnet posted a video of concertina marching bands (maybe someone here can point you to the right thread) and they were playing their instrument in plastic bags. I don't know how well it works but the idea is appealing. Aldon

Thanks Steve. You get a nice groove on your EC! Totally enjoyed that video! Aldon

Thanks for the tip on the Pelican Storm. I got the standard basic Busker with the regular bellows.

My Busker arrived last Thursday. (my b-day is June 22nd - Happy B-day to me!) I'm really impressed with the quality of this instrument. I was expecting to have to "play-in the bellows", but they came just fine. They stay closed and don't creep apart when set down, and they expand very easily. This is a much different experience from the Elise which was stiff at first but loosened up over time. I love the Delrin buttons. I'd read that they can be slick, but mine aren't. They feel great under my finger tips. As a bonus I don't have to wipe them down after every time I play like I do with my Wheatstone 64 button (metal) Aeola. I'm also liking the smaller range of the instrument. It feels tiny compared to my Wheatstone! There is just enough range to play almost all fiddle tunes that don't go up to high D - which is in my experience about 98% of them. The intonation is spot on. The tone started out brash but as the reeds break in the tone is becoming more clarinet-like. The low G and G# on the righthand side had a little buzz in them from the difference in climate between Washington & Central California. Mr. Wakker said to give them time to acclimate and if the buzz persists for a couple of weeks to give him a call and he'd walk me through adjusting them. All in all I am very happy with this instrument and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a great upgrade from a Stagi. I'm looking forward to having it with me on my travels, but need to visit a camera/bag shop to find a better carrying case for it. The basic one that came with it is oversized & lightly padded. I might end up ordering the upgraded bag Concertina Connection offers. Anyone have suggestions for a bag for the Busker? Aldon

That's a really good idea, Don. I am currently waiting for a new Busker EC from him, so it may be a while before I can work up the funds. Thanks for the clue. And Inventor, thank you for chiming in with your suggestion. The fact that you didn't mention a model that favors flat keys means that what I want doesn't exist. Thank you for inventing, improving & promoting the Hayden system. I currently own an Elise and love how intuitive the system is. Aldon

Cool video! Thanks for sharing it!

Thank you Don. If I had the funds I would definitely go for a custom made instrument.

Okay, so this is sort of an esoteric question, but is there a lesser buttoned Hayden duet that favors the flat keys? I ask because I'd like to play along with the church orchestra. I'm the conductor of the orchestra. We play orchestrated hymns and the number of musicians has decreased in the last couple of years mostly do to old age, members growing up, members moving to different locations, and deaths. At the moment I use my Wheatstone English to play the intros to hymns by reading the soprano & alto harmonies and occasionally adding the tenor or bass notes, but would like play full hymns on the Hayden duet. All of the Hayden duets that I've seen on the internet that don't have the full button layout seem to favor the sharp keys. The orchestrated hymns we play on the other hand favor the flat keys. The keys of C, D, G, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, & Db are quite common, while the keys of A, E, B, F# (& Gb) are nonexistent. Is there a lesser buttoned Hayden out there that starts with Ab as the lowest note on both sides instead of Bb or C and leaves out the the extra sharps on the end of the rows? I suspect that the answer is no and that I'll have to get a 'full' Hayden to do what I want, but that would be a waste of buttons for me and add extra size, & weight. The biggest limiting factor for me is that I'm not rich and can't afford the full button instruments. Thank you for any insights you can give me. Maybe I'm thinking about it the wrong way? Aldon

Well because of this thread I've now got 3 more ebooks: McTeague, and two Charles DeLint books. I am now $14 poorer but looking forward to reading them. (I'm on chapter 4 of McTeague). Thanks for all of the references folks! Aldon

It's not available in the USA either. Unfortunate indeed.

Wow! Totally enjoyed that. Thanks for posting it.

I got things sorted out. The rubberband is a good trick that works. Also I used the small screwdriver from my Victorinox Hercules and the screws twisted right out. I still want to replace them with higher quality screws at some point. The spring for the sticking button had been knocked away from the lever and was torquing the button at a funny angle. Pushing the spring back toward its lever fixed the problem. Thanks for the help! Aldon

Hello, I found that the large and small Phillips srewdrivers on my Swiss Army Victorinox Hercules model fit the screwheads of my Elise and Jackie perfectly. (In fact better than any of the other screwdrivers I've tried.) The small Phillips is a precise fit for the two small screws holding the reed pan to the action and the large Phillips grabs and holds the outer screwheads that hold the ends to the bellows like it was specially made for them. Just thought I'd share this information here in this old thread to bump it and because I had a horrible time finding this thread through C.nets search function and believe there's good advice in it others might benefit from. Aldon

Thank you for the tips Don! I'll give it a shot tomorrow. Aldon