Squeezebox Of Delights

Oops- I suppose my mind was probably in a different place. I’ll edit it ASAP. Interesting about those concertinas, though. I was trying to be funny and was not expecting to actually be right... ! Thanks, Oskar

I was reading a book of poems to my younger brother when I came across a picture of what seems to be a rare seven-sided ten-button Anglo. The age is uncertain but the ends and bellows look possibly German. Any suggestions? Thanks, Oskar 🙃

Hi, Here are three photos (I am having trouble uploading any more) of taking apart the Wren 2, it is very simple and everything should be stuck in place rather securely, so there shouldn’t be any danger of bits falling off! Just mind that you put the screws back in the right order - for some silly reason they appear to be different lengths...? The bit of wood with the reeds and action on may require a bit of wriggling to get it out of the end, as the foam gasket sometimes gets stuck to it. Getting the buttons back into the holes can be a bit fiddly too, but it’s nothing some patience can’t handle. Thanks, Oskar

Oh and it is pretty simple to take the ends off. Remove the screws and then when the end is separate to the bellows just pop the bit of wood with the reed blocks out of the end. You should end up with 3 pieces: a large hollow end piece, a hexagonal piece of wood with reeds on one side and buttons on the other, and the rest of the concertina. Putting it back together is the same but in reverse. Make sure all the buttons are in the correct holes and that you are putting the screws back in in the right order.

Hi Geoff, I have a Wren 2 which I play as my only playable concertina. I swapped it on gumtree a while ago in return for a piano accordion which I had been keeping at school and not using very much. On receiving the concertina, I was very pleased with the tone and build quality, but I found that a few of the buttons were sticky. They would stay down for a few seconds then either: slowly slide back up; pop up unexpectedly with a *click*; just stay down. I took it apart, and promptly discovered that the buttons are stuck to the thingies that slide into the rods by a tacky grey sort of glue which had seeped out around the edges and was causing the buttons to stick to the sides of their holes. It was fairly easy to scrape off the excess and now the issue is fixed. Could this be the problem with your concertina? Thanks, Oskar

Thanks! That was easy... Oskar

Yep, if you are talking about the ones in C. You can find them on Amazon, Ebay, and most music shops. I have a broken second hand one and despite some missing reeds etc. it is a surprisingly well-built instrument with a sweet sound. Oskar

I picked the following piece of music up a while ago from a video of a mechanical accordion. Unfortunately the video did not give the name of the tune, and I thought Concertina.net might be a good place to find answers. Does anyone know what the tune is called, or any more information on it? (I know it's played on a piano accordion, but that is the instrument I can play it best on!) Thanks, Oskar

In my house, I am afraid so! : )

Yeah, there's hardly a fold that isn't cracked or ripped. I am going to try and learn to build new bellows, but I don't imagine it's as easy as it looks (and it doesn't look very easy!). Thanks, Oskar

As I mentioned before, my 30 key Lachenal has steel reeds which are rather rusty. Since sealing the constantly playing notes with sellotape, it has become apparent how bad the reeds are. Does anyone have any suggestions as to cleaning the reeds and getting them back to playing condition again? Here is a video outlining the current condition: Thanks, Oskar

Luckily our guinea pigs don't mind my music. In fact, mine actually actively enjoys relaxing to the wheezing honks coming from my second-hand out-of-tune Hohner Double-Ray Black Dot...

A quick search reveals that Campbell's were dealers, not manufacturers, so that's probably exactly what they did. Maybe 'improved' just refers to the fancy ends...?

Yeah, that does look very English at first glance, until you look at the bellows and the construction inside. It almost looks just like somebody's just stuck some metal fretwork into a Scholer or Commander...

Hi Phil, I am going to order the book into my local Waterstones as soon as possible. I am also planning on going a quick update on the concertina very soon! Thanks, Oskar