d.elliott

Zebra wood or zebrano, is entirely different, rosewood would be my identification, with the wood cut across heart and sap wood. as stated above. I am working on a glass keyed excelsior (ebony ended version) of your inimitable model its serial is #28264

Are you going to quarantine it or 4 days before playing?, .................... just a thought. but I suspect its a silly question. Have fun.

Get it back to the supplier, or at least phone them. even taking it apart may invalidate any warranty.

Seriously, the first Jeffries were made by Crabb, and that would be the reed form the Jeffries knew and perhaps developed from. I have often been surprised how crude the Jeffries workmanship compared with the Crabb counterparts. To be fair though, Jeffries did not have to report emissions data......

The keys I have repaired usually had a brass cup integral with the body and guide peg as a single turned component. The glass being coloured at it's base and cemented into the cup. Current glass rod tolerances are around +/- 0.17 to +/- 0.2 mm from lab suppliers. I have always cut the rod then filed (diamond) and polished the top to suit the existing keys. Dave

It is one of the named Lachenal models, as Wolf says an 'inimitable' Easy identification markers: the Paragon was rosewood flat ended with no inlays the Inimitable was rosewood flt ended with inlays the Excelsior was ebony flat ended with inlays the Nonpareil was amboyna veneer flat ended with inlays, The new model had raised ends and was usually ebony finished Dave

I buy pads from C.A. Cornish complete, but they will send the pad sandwich, so you cam punch out or cut your own, as well as the component materials. you have to ask for the 'dots' separately.

Can you guarantee a foam will last 40 to 50 years, felt pads can still be working at that age, even if they are percussive and will need changing Dave

I have been doing work with C A Cornish, testing and trialling different leathers as as one type moves out of availability. balancing stiffness, cut direction and thicknesses. Talk to Lynda Cornish she is most knowledgeable, say Hello from me. Dave

I have used RAL numbers, It is an internationally recognised colour and shade used in many trades and by all paint manufacturer's and blenders. Leather people have used them too. Check your existing from the shade references on the computer and quote that. It is closest you can get to actually picking leather by eye. Not as good admittedly, but certainly better than guessing. Dave

A mate of mine dropped his Jeffries over the narrow boats side, he jumped in and scooped it out and back into the boat. After much effort he brought it all back to standard with no lasting ill effects (to the instrument!). Dave

All well and good for those brought up playing by ear, by the time I was competent enough on my concertina to consider sessions, my hearing was too damaged in the steelworks to be able to pick up tunes easily by ear, or recognise keys. I was also previously trained at a dot spotter. I can play concertina band, ensemble and other structured stuff with no great problem, from dots, or with dots as an aide de memoir. I can learn tunes, but it is a big leap to throw away the dots and try to keep up with the ear players who are in their element. You are lost in the first bar or so, especially if you have tried to learn the tune in the privacy of your own home. Yes I do know how to play skeletally, pulse notes etc. like working in a foreign language, some people learn read and write the language, but struggle with pronunciation and tonality, others can speak it fluently, but don't know the spellings and formal grammar, both need encouragement and to be able to take things at their own pace. In a session, the ear player is king and few of them are prepared to make any allowance for those who a struggling, or so it often seems. I suppose the argument is 'why should they'? This argument/ discussion can never resolve itself. A session is one of the loneliest places on earth sometimes, so go with a friend and try together. Dave

Bill’s process gives an impermeable barrier between skin and metal, just commenting. Dave

Contact Bill Crossland, he has a process whereby he has the end polished to a high degree, then uses a clear lacquer, similar to the clear over base in a automotive paint system

what? and loose those fingerprints? but I did give it a good shake! D