Dirge

Mr Bouleau; the low C sharp is the one to make into a D. I have a brass reeded 46 for taking sailing, camping etc modified exactly like this.

Tells you it isn't a Crane because then it would be a Wheatstone Crane duet... Simple!

Right I'm going to keep the last two tiddlers for now rather than drag 4 concertinas round the world at one go, so that's my business for this year. Thanks everyone.

When I was starting out on duets someone told me that Wheatstone 'didn't like the term Maccan' It seemed needlessly complicated to get clever about this. These days I know what the story is and although I don't mind others using the term I myself play a Wheatstone duet. This is the story as I understand it; I thought it might be of interest. Back in the early days (1840s maybe?) Wheatstone made the first duets. They were funny little rectangular things with a very limited number of keys but a new idea. They didn't 'take' and got quietly forgotten. After a bit along comes one 'Professor' Maccan. He takes the Wheatstone idea and expands it a bit, then somehow gets a patent on it. He then takes this to Lachenal who start making duets, proudly sold under the Maccan patent. Wheatstone hope the things will go away for a while then finally start making them in competition when the patent runs out. Fast forward to the present day. If you look at an early Wheatstone duet you find Maccan took the whole keyboard layout intact and then extended it. When I saw one of these turn up on Ebay with the keyboard layout included I was shocked. How on earth did he get a patent on that? I can well imagine Wheatstone were livid at being excluded by patent from developing their own idea, although I grant you they seemed to have lost interest in it at that stage. So I don't play a Maccan, I play a 'Wheatstone duet'. Should anyone care about this? Probably not. Maccan was a self styled Prof', not unusual for music 'maestros' of the day. He ran competitions and handed out medals to hopefuls (including Percy Honri) I think he left a wife in his trail and a fair few empty bottles. Is 'mountebank' the word? But maybe I have him to thank for my concertinas? Without his dodgy patent maybe duets would have remained a dead end?

Of course I'm OK with that. Right folks (including those of you thinking about it) Sold! Thanks Mike

Right the 81 is sold and no longer available (thank you!) and I've put another ad up for the 56.

Overhauled shortly before covid times by Mike Acott who overhauled it, brought it up to concert tune and rebound the bellows. It's never really been played in since and is ready to go. No gauze inside the fretwork. No box (maybe a tin one from a German concertina) It's currently in NZ but if you're in the Antipodes and interested you need to be quick because I'm coming to England shortly and will bring it with me. If not previously sold it goes on Ebay. £1275 to you. Get it quick!

Listening to the Jean Megley stuff now. I always thought he was a bit good.

Just worked it out, Al. Corse you can!

Duet Recordings Page Alan? Wossat? But probably! And thank you Ken and to you.

Hallo friends, nice to hear from you all. I am still playing 'the Caledonian' Geoff, and always remember to be grateful to you when I do! My playing has dropped off a lot since the Duet International days though and I need to get down to some serious practice again. (Life has been distracting me from the important things.) What I have been doing is playing my small aeola with a band, so improvising bluesy sort of stuff which is taking me into another new field for me. One day I will get the big one out and move up to this job too but for the moment the accidentals of a 50key are enough to get my head round, especially when I'm playing standing and trying to sing some of the time too. With a brass reeded 46 Lach that Mike swapped out the low C sharp for a D as my 'rough and tumble' concertina (gets taken on sailing holidays, that sort of thing) that's the proposed long term stable previously mentioned. As I said, great to hear from you all.

(Can't we edit posts these days?) Anyway it's a 56 key Lach (including air) and I found it in one of C Algar's old docs here. I see it would have cost you £18 3s 6d including the nickel ends.

I'm having a rationalisation, cutting back to the 3 instruments I actually use. I'm in NZ but coming over to England in early May. I'm planning to bring the 2 big duets with me then if not sold previously. Please understand I DO want to sell them, not hold out for top dollar. So... I have an 81 key aeola; No. 30398. (What's that, about 1930? Certainly none of your Chidley complications). Bought from Iris Bishop, who, I'm pretty sure, used to use Colin Dipper to maintain her instruments and sure enough the very fine original leather box has his sticker inside the lid. It's in excellent order, windtight and in modern tune and, more than anything, needs someone to love it and play it regularly. Wear on the plating in the usual places. Probably £2250's worth wouldn't you say? Come on then, twist my arm... Then I have a 50 key Lach' and YES the RH does go down to middle C. Very neat this; Mike Acott pulled it out of retirement and sorted it for me some years ago; it's about the size of a normal concertina 6 sided and steel ended. I had him put extra folds in the bellows. No box with this one. Theoretically a very useful GP 'box but not as subtle as the ol' long scale reeds though and I have never shaken it down and really got into the habit of playing it so it's still awaiting being run in. What do you think? £1500? ... or offers... A couple of tiddlers; a bottom of range 20 key anglo Lach; it's not windtight but the bellows look new and I suspect it's been done up and a pad has fallen off or something. The nice thing about this is it came from a NZ family who said it had been with them from new and has a battered but very authentic looking 'satchel' to carry it to the bush dances. £250? Finally the 'ol Lach 39 key duet. Unremarkable in very way but the bellows look saveable. With the std mahogany box. (By the way, I think these were made as melody instruments rather than for 'true duet playing' as the 46's on were) So there. Bargains galore! I look forward to fighting off the rush.

Hallo Ken, yes thanks music has been the (moderately) constant relief in all the recent tiresomeness. and I'm fine; NZ got away a lot better than most and until recently (omicron) life was close to normal, apart from not being allowed to go abroad. Being on an island in the middle of nowhere has its perks. Cheers Dirge

This has turned up I don't know much about Anglos but I'm guessing this is a good one so I thought I'd better pass the word. There are usually about 2 NZ$ to the £. You may have problems in that Trade Me used to be NZ only traders, (it's our local version of Ebay) but that has been relaxed to some degree certainly Aussies can buy; maybe others these days. I'm happy to help as long as you don't expect me to actually buy it for you on spec'... I have no use for an Anglo, not even one as alluring as this. (and I'm too far away to try it out for you)