ramron

Sold and a donation has been made. Thanks.

I am putting this back for sale or trade. My son is also interested in an Anglo rather than an English concertina. Thanks!

I have an English concertina if you are interested:

I received a McNeela Phoenix about two weeks ago and I have enjoyed playing it. This is my first Anglo concertina, but I have some experience with accordions both uni and bi-sonoric. On my Phoenix, the middle G (above middle C) seems to be playing a little softer than the other notes, including the A that is on the draw of the same button. Overall it is not that much softer, but softer enough to be annoying. Because the instrument is new, is this something that might work itself out? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ram

I am reviving this topic. I need to clear up some space and I would like to sell this Lachenal Tutor, English Concertina. I am open to offers if anyone is interested, please PM me. Thanks. Ram Miller

Richard, I just sent you a PM. I can't pass up a good deal on woodwinds... Thanks, Ram

I picked up a Jackie during the pandemic, that I have barely played. I would call it in "like-new" condition. It comes with a padded case and I am also including the Tutor for the Jackie and Jack, instruction book as well as The English Concertina Absolute Beginners, by Wade and Mallinson. Since I find that I play my bisonoric Steirische Harmonika a fair bit, I would be very interested in a trade for a similar-level Anglo concertina (Rochelle, Wren etc). Otherwise, I would ask $275 OBRO (shipped to the continental USA) for the Jackie and the instruction books. I had originally planned to give it to my son, but now he wants an anglo concertina, so offers or trades would be welcomed. Thanks.

In order to help with the discussion posted above, I am attaching a photo of the reeds of my Jackie. These are the reeds that I can see, meaning these reeds are the ones that face the bellows of the instrument. As an update, I had a short holiday and stayed in a non-airconditioned house in >30C / 90F weather. After the second day, the C# reed in questions started playing normally. So all is well now, even though I never fixed the reed myself. Thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise.

Thinking about it, is it the reeds that face inwards, the ones that I cannot access that sound when the bellows are being pulled outwards? If that is the case, is there anyway that I can free up my C# reed? The reed housings are all glued (?waxed) in place. Jackie is not really made for user servicing unfortunately. Thanks, Ram

Thanks for these replies. Fortunately I have a copy of Dave Elliott's book, which gave me the confidence to open it up. I can only see the reeds that are facing outwards. If I understand correctly that should be the reed that would sound when pulling the bellows outwards. I did run a piece of paper under the offending reed, but it did not solve the problem. I do not know how to check the valve to see if it is stuck. Presumably, that valve is under the reed, meaning it faces the inside of the instrument, and cannot been seen on a Jackie. If the valve were stuck, would air still flow when I pull the bellows, or would there be increased resistance? Thanks again.

My apologies for this newbie question, but I could not find this specific answer on this forum. I recently purchased a Jackie from a reputable seller and I noticed that the C# (left hand top row) only sounds with the bellows closing. With the bellows opening I only hear a rush of air similar to the air button. Does this mean that there is debris caught in the reed? Is the solution to run a strip of paper under the reed? Thanks! Ram

HI, I am looking to pick up an entry-level English concertina. I am very close to pulling the trigger on a Jackie, based on the favorable reviews that I have seen on this forum and elsewhere. Before I do that, I am reaching out to this forum for other options. In particular, if anyone on the forum has moved on from their own beginner instruments and would like to get rid of them, please send me a PM. Thanks!

Ken, you raise a good point, however my case, my uncle never played it. I am tempted to fix it and learn to play, but until then it would sit in my music room, along with three accordions, three clarinets, two ukulele's, a banjo, a saxophone, and countless harmonicas...

Hi, I have a 48 key Lachenal that I inherited from my uncle (who was in fact a naval captain). I have been told that it is likely from the mid 1920s. I had it briefly evaluated for repair by the Button Box, and I was told that it would require a fair bit of work. I toyed with the idea of doing it myself, but I don't play the concertina, so that project is probably better left to someone else. I have tried to capture the overall cosmetic condition in the attached photos. When I play it, all the notes sound and they appear to be in pretty good tune. Some notes sound flat, but are within 10 cents according to my tuner. It is winter in New England, so perhaps they would be closer to in-tune in warmer weather. Not all the notes sound at the same volume on the push as on the pull, and one or two notes only sound in one direction. One of the keys on the right-hand side is stuck. I am pointing to the key in question with a pen in the attached photos. Cosmetically, it shows its age, although the wood is actually in better condition than the photos suggest. There are some patches on the bellows, and the leather thumb straps are worn. It has the original wood (?mahogany?) case, but this is also in cosmetically rough shape, and one of the boards on the bottom of the case has fallen out. My questions to this forum are as follows: Would I be able to sell an instrument in this condition? What would be a reasonable price to expect? Would anyone here want to buy it potentially? Many thanks! Ram