robert stewart

Back in the late 60s early 70s in Britain there were a lot of these instruments with baffles in, found in junk shops for much lower prices than the high end instruments with ebony finish, ie for up to 3 UK pounds rather than up to 10 UK pounds for something truly superb. If only we had a time traveling machine! Enthusiasts would take the baffles out and dispose of them, as no one understood that they were over-tone modifying plates, and not just for muting the sound. I had an early Wheatstone with baffles and fourfold bellows, which certainly had a soft sweet sound (as Greg describes). Peggy Seeger told me that this was because some of these had "german silver" reeds. I do not think anyone knew much about fine tuning and temperaments in the folk scene of those days, so the level of knowledge today is, thankfully, higher. RJ

Darn it....and I had got my Bosendorfer grand piano half-way into a bag before I read this comment from Jim. Now I have to get it all the way back up the stairs. RJ

Duh? "unlike a regular piano a transposing piano is too heavy to throw into a bag and take with you to gigs". Am I missing something in the pianistic world now?

I have a 61 button MacCann Edeophone. When I had it restored (by Greg Jowaisas) I opted to keep the original squawk and whistle. Because large duets were often played by professionals, I like to think of the original owner/player maybe using these sound effects in the British Music Halls, or on the Vaudeville stage in the USA. Many of those comedic entertainers were highly skilled concertinists. However, I can understand why it might benefit an Anglo, for modern use, to add extra notes if possible when the buttons are already there. Just think! Concertinas with squawks bells whistles frog croaks etc were perhaps the first analog synthesizers. best wishes, Robert.

I should add that Greg Jowaisas did a wonderful restoration on the instrument last year, including tuning to concert pitch and 5th comma mean-tone temperament.

Here I am answering part of my own question. The upper lines of the faded label inside the fine old concertina case read as follows "permanent xxxx" where the xxxx is unclear. Then below that H Edson, and the Pall Mall, Regent St etc. So I would guess that it may have read as: Permanent address, H Edson, Pall Mall Mail Depository, Carlton St, Regent St, London, England. So although I bought the instrument in the US, Harry Edson was a Londoner, with a rather classy permanent mailing address. Makes me wonder if he was a professional performer, but I can find no trace of him. Robert

Further to the address: it says "Pall Mall Mail Depository, Carlton St, Regent St, London, England." but I can't figure out the uppermost lines. So it is a mail box address (?) Robert

I should add that in addition to the area of Pall Mall, there is a more detailed street address (ie within Pall Mall). Pall Mall was a somewhat elite area in the 19th early 20th century. Maybe a good magnifier or scanner could reconstruct the street address. Robert

I have a 61 button Edeophone MacCann Duet, once owned by Harry Edson. Does anyone know anything about him? Here are some pics, showing the unusual cylindrical leather case, with an address label inside from Pall Mall London (which I think may have been a dealer or the case maker?). 61 keys, raised metal ends, 9-fold bellows.

They are easy to find...just search for Wheatstone or Lachenal. Same fraudulent items as previously, with embedded "buy it now" picture that gives the game away. I see some people may have made standard bids already (?). Plus the usual list of rare instruments such as Gibson guitars etc etc. Presumably these criminals need only one fake Buy It Now hit to relieve people of money. Then they vanish for a while, and resurface at a later date. RJ

Of course, the problem is that all business models based on maximum impersonal profit are immoral and unacceptable. Best to play the concertina. Robert.

Sorry to add to the fear and woe, but I have had several older instruments (including guitar and EC) that did not obviously smell of nicotine/smoke at first, but when played frequently began to slowly release the dreaded miasm of stale cigarettes. Presumably the vibrations of playing can progressively trigger the release from deep within organic substances such as wood or leather. Reminds of an old jazz musicians joke: No wonder there is widespread air pollution when so much of it has passed through saxophones. Robert

It seems to me that the FBI could catch this fraudulent person by "following the money". But perhaps he/she is considered small fry. I found a substantial Ebay site yesterday evening, including the now famous full set of Uilleann pipes in B, and many other instruments. No concertinas. He should be squeezed until he bellows, until nothing is left but a reedy squeak. Robert

yes I believe it is. several fine looking (totally unavailable and owned elsewhere) musical instruments in fake auctions. RJ

Yes, he's back. Two entries on Ebay today...both for the same fake concertina auction, same pirated text as always. Look for "Wheatstone Lachenal English Concertina". People are actually bidding!

Thank you Greg! I also keep a humidified room, as I have fretted instruments. My wife calls it The Jungle, as it is warm and humid...though perhaps she is also referring to the happy absence of tidiness. This creates another question-worthy scenario, as many room-humidifiers blow out a fine white dust, even when using distilled water. The distraught musician seems to do less practicing than he/she does cleaning-up. But those old British concertinas certainly sound best when they remember the damp of London, where they breathed in fog as they were played. Robert

I use these for my Lachenal Edeophone 56 keys...ebony ends. I keep two of the humidity packs inside a flight case from Button Box, one for each side of the concertina...but not touching the instrument. They seem to work well in the rapid variaions of humidity and temperature in West Virginia. RJ

this morning (EST) it looks as if the listing(s) have been pulled from Ebay

224293402899 is the new fake auction on Ebay, for that same old concertina that has been offered many times from different hacked accounts. and further fake auction for a set of uiileann pipes in B is also running from the same scammer. Sadly people appear to have been bidding already on both items. Be very wary.... Unless you were looking for Lip Gloss. RJ

hmm...I meant to say a "new listing", and did not mean a new Lachenal concertina...sorry for any confusion thereby. Robert

See first in the list, a new Lachenal English offered on US Ebay today. Does it look oh so familiar? Buy it now only...of course best wishes (and don't try to buy it!) Robert

Does that look like a metal end plate on the LHS? And do some of the other pics show a metal edge on the LHS?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353204139890 Looks like a fabulous instrument, made by Steve Dickinson. But wait...what do you notice that is odd about some of the photographs? I do not want to give any hints, but I think something looks strange... best wishes to all, Robert

The pine (?) baffles are interesting...has anyone every compared such wooden baffles in older concertinas to the Virzi toneplate and similar secondary soundboards found in stringed instruments? While cloth or leather baffles in a concertina will have a muting or damping effect, baffles of tone wood, even fairly rough, may act as soundboards for certain overtones. Having restored several fretted instruments that had such secondary soundboards inside, typically just below the main sound hole, I wonder about a "lost" soundboard technology when I see instruments with such boards. The prime example that is best known is, of course the secondary soundbox used by Mario Maccaferri inside his Grande Bouche guitars...based on designs by his teacher, Mozanni (ie dating back to the late 19th early 20th centuries). just a few thoughts, in case this has not been discussed in the distant past. best wishes, Robert