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sunny22

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  1. sunny22
    Hi, JRQ! Did McNeela take back the Wren, on trade? I’ve encountered one other concertina player in Kansas City, not that I’ve been actively looking. BTW, I’m not playing an Irish repertoire, rather fiddle & bluegrass tunes. It’s a wonderful instrument for jams & I’m amazed it’s not more popular. Seasoned musicians ask me “what is that…some kind of accordion???”
  2. sunny22
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  3. sunny22
    The thrill of the chase…a side “benefit” of this non-mainstream instrument. Plus, an opportunity for me to chill out, & appreciate the concertina I have :^ ) Edgley quotes around 10 months & is within a reasonable distance such that I could go try one. Still waiting to hear from Kensington. In the meantime, any thoughts about Concertina Connection’s Clover? Maybe this is getting off topic & I should start a new thread…
  4. sunny22
    Thank you, I’ll sit tight.
  5. sunny22
    Oh my, thank you for the correction!
  6. sunny22
    Thanks for these suggestions, it seems there are some options out there. I remember communicating with Dana Kensington on this thread 3 years ago when I was just starting my concertina adventure, & he was kind & encouraging. I’m waiting to hear what his lead time is.
  7. sunny22
    How quickly things change! I am now on an 18 month waitlist for a Crooks, (sigh). When he finishes his current order, I’ll go to Denver to see it, before it goes off to its new owner, overseas! Ah well, I can really brush up on my chops in 18 months, & am reminding myself what good fortune I have in owning my beloved Phoenix. I still want another instrument so as to not have all my eggs in one basket for the next 18 months. I will cruise the forums here looking for other suggestions. Any experience with or knowledge of Liberty Bellows concertinas? They seem to be based in Philadelphia but I don’t know where they are made.
  8. sunny22 started following Crook Concertinas - And my recent experience looking for a good instrument and Thinking about getting McNeela Phoenix - any opinions?
  9. sunny22
    I got a Phoenix 3 years ago, after quickly outgrowing some cheaper instruments. What a wonderful purchase! It being during the pandemic, my options to see & try concertinas were Iimited, so I’m very grateful I could get a Phoenix easily, smoothly & quickly online, & McNeela was a wonderful company to do business with. I had become bored with being just another mediocre guitarist, & this concertina has really captured my imagination & enthusiasm. I’ve played it relentlessly 3 years & only had one small repair. The person who repaired it praised the quality, especially since he had several times repaired my first concertina which he was NOT impressed with! My hands don’t bother me, so I can’t comment on that aspect. Probably like guitar, you can play concertina at whatever level you can manage - it is versatile & blends nicely with other instruments, in a variety of capacities…very fun for jams. That has been my extremely positive experience with the instrument, as well as buying from McNeela. I commend you for considering starting with a Phoenix & skipping the beginner machines available - it will make your learning much more rewarding. Besides, it would be easy to resell.
  10. sunny22
    After starting with a cheap 20 button, I moved up to a cheap 30 button and really took off on that machine, wore it out. I was fortunate to find a knowledgeable accordion repair man nearby who repaired one reed that became unglued, and he told me I was going to end up replacing all the reeds eventually which would be a money pit. By then I was really hooked on Concertina, and I was able to happily rationalize getting the Phoenix, which was like day and night for me. It was so smooth and responsive. I can’t imagine anything better, so I can’t wait ro try a Crook. I emailed Willie yesterday and every time an email comes in, I hope it’s him but not so far! I’m ready to jump in my car and head to Denver. Since my Concertina mania began during Covid, I wasn’t able to look at a lot of options, such as traveling to Button Box, so I’m just really grateful that McNeela ended up being so available and helpful to me, spending that kind of money, sight-unseen overseas. So I consulted them recently, but they have nothing more advanced than the Phoenix, & advised me to investigate vintage Concertinas, but I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole, I just want to make music.
  11. sunny22
    tangbo, thank you so much for this timely information & detailed account of your experience! I visited this forum yesterday, hoping to start the daunting task of looking for a second Concertina for myself. I fortunately had beginners dumb luck in buying a McNeela Phoenix three years ago, which I absolutely love, but I am uneasy just having one instrument, and would like to try maybe a more advanced model of an Anglo CG. I’m in Kansas City, not that far from Denver, & hope I can try a Crook & start the process :^ )
  12. sunny22
    Okay, I just ordered the manual & also realize I already own another 30 button, so there’s my back up. I started playing concertina with an inexpensive 20 button, quickly moved up to an inexpensive 30 button. Played it like mad for 3 months at which point one of the buttons quit working. A local accordion repairman fixed it but warned ALL the buttons would probably fail because the instrument was so poorly made. That’s when I got my Phoenix. So now I’m pleased to remember the previous 30 button cheapy which plays just fine. I’ll receive the repair manual in a few weeks which will give me time before the music festival to open up the Phoenix & see if I can sort it out. My husband is also very handy with instruments so I’m feeling very positive once again! LOVE concertina!
  13. sunny22
    Thanks, guys. I will definitely get that Maintenance manual, & I am relieved my concertina can be set right agin. Yeah, not needing to be tuned has been very much appreciated, after years of playing stringed instruments whew! I’m still feeling uneasy about going to this small music festival out in the sticks…I’m liable to be the only concertina there & so unable to count on anyone knowledgeable there to assist me, if needed. Yet I wouldn’t know what “next” concertina to buy as a “spare”, since I’m so happy with my Phoenix. Thank you for your helpful replies!
  14. sunny22
    I started playing one year ago, & got a nice Phoenix concertina from McNeela a few months later. I love it, & play at least an hour daily. Each time I pick it up, am struck with the pretty tone. However, now the (E-F) 4 button on the left side sounds really off: no longer clear, flat in pitch and in fading off sounds increasingly flat…brings to mind a baby calf, bawling. I know nothing about troubleshooting or any maintenance that might be required. How much do I need to know? There is an accordion repairman nearby, but I’m wondering if I should learn some general “fixes”. For instance, I’m going to a music festival in about a month & it occurs to me I’d be stuck if something were to go wrong. Hmmm…sounds like a good excuse to buy a second concertina :^ ) Any tips re: learning DIY maintenance, or the particular problem I described would be appreciated. BTW, I’m in Kansas City, & would love to connect with other enthusiasts.
  15. sunny22
    This instrument is sold?
  16. sunny22
    Oh my, my head is spinning from all this information, & enthusiasm. And thank you Kathryn for the link to your beautiful melodies which show me what is possible with 20 buttons. I’m coming to understand that i will have choices to make, & limitations to accept from this fun little instrument. I’m having so much fun playing my Anglo box, I will get one with more buttons & just see where that takes me for a while. I appreciate everyone’s input & suggestions, & look forward to hearing everyone’s music.
  17. sunny22
    Dana, thank you for your detailed response, full of good information, & I understand what you are saying, and why. I’m drawn to concertina because it challenges me to an acceptable level, as opposed to fiddle, a previous instrument. I am enjoying the fact there are several ways to play the same note, which requires strategy in playing a song, very cool! Though I read music well, I know to play in a music jam I need to play by ear, & have begun jamming with others already. I like that I can play softly in the background - much like a guitar - until I am confident. I looked at your website and am very tempted by starting with a beautiful instrument like that, but I think I will pay my dues with an inexpensive 30 button for a while. Then I’ll know more about what I want or would appreciate in a quality instrument. It has been really fun for me to now be able to play some beautiful old fiddle tunes that I couldn’t accomplish on the fiddle. I keep cranking up the metronome to increase my speed. Finally, I love the sweet & simple sound the concertina creates :^ )
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