d.elliott
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Posts posted by d.elliott
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Hope it works for you.
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This is where most people start, innovative, but does not actually help much, I find that a bright light shone from under the pad board will give you much more to consider. look around each pad, check the springs for any that are soft and look at the split in the pad board. The split can give three separate issues:
- an air path between one or more pads
- an air path under where the pads seal
- a discontinuity in 'level' providing leakage between chambers.
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Wheatstone's offered four pitches as standard on their price lists, One was 'Continental Pitch' where 'C' is 517.3 Hz. This equates to A= 435Hz.. at A4 1 Hz = circa 4 cents, so this would be 20 cents flat to A=440Hz. I would suggest that the OP has/ had a concertina in it's original 'Continental' pitch. This pitch was established through French Regulations in 1859 and was known as :“Diapason Normal”
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Don't forget that the anomaly is the expression 'Tenor Treble'. by rights it should have been termed a 'Treble-Tenor' as it is a treble extended down through the Tenor range. There were a few Tenor instruments made that had the low 'C' on the Left hand side. I suppose that some might think of them as a short baritone?
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Are all the reeds with the same reed tongue metal?
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If the thumb strap centre lines are positioned opposite the note key centre lines as for a standard treble (C on Left and D on right), then it is a treble, extended up and down to baritone range. If the keys straps are set for a treble then it is not a baritone, which is a transposing instrument and has it's straps set for the C & D one octave lower.. The scale shown in your picture is not a full octave down, it is the tenor range, and upwards so the 'Baritone' label does not apply.
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I have glued the buttons together again as David Barnert recommends, then I have splinted the repair with a wrap of superglue and paper. once fully set I re- cut the cross hole etc with a scalpel before re-bushing.
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I saw that too, this notching is not uncommon where the vent is close to the chamber wall. The situation that I refer to is when the chamber wall distorts leaning over towards the adjacent valve, sometimes pushed by the clamp & screws of the reed beside the wall.
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I have also seen this technique used where the chamber walls have developed a lean over the valve' 'air space' there is usually more clearance near the root of the reed. Of course there is the potential of a penalty in reed responsivness.
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It is a Flutina, not a concertina. I think you will need to make your own way with this one. Reed tuning will be as per concertina, ditto valves and pad facings. The rest will be applied common sense, and logical craftsmanship.
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The ebonised concertina appears to utilise brass reed frames, the metal ended instrument Aluminium reed frames. there will be a weight difference, as was intended.
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The raised end was supposed to provide a better sound 'projection' and as such was a more expensive option on the better instruments. I have never been convinced that it makes any real difference, other than to add to price and these days, saleability.
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To make a Jeffries duet, I think you would need to get a full replacement set of reed blocks, and then make sure that the ones you get will fit on the chambers (by waxing), The chambers are rectangular holes cut into wood, probably by laser, I did not dismount a reed block to check.
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Wunks, It was the Marion concertina that I looked at, If I were to upgrade such an instrument I would simply fit conventional replacement separate card bellows to the existing frame. If you look at the Hobgoblin site photographs you can see the card folds where the inner hinges would normally be seen.
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virtually all bellows are leather over card, the issue is if it is folded card or cut card panels. the latter are more expensive to make and are easier to break in and play. If the wrist straps on the example I played were leather then they must have been heavily plastic coated, and they still had a synthetic and slippery liner. The shape of the wrist straps also did not conform to the usual wrist strap design, although this can be a bit variable. I can only report what I found on dismantling the concertina.
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Today I had the opportunity to assess a 1 year old and fairly well played in Sherwood C-G 30k Anglo 'Marion' Model concertina. As sold by Hobgoblin in the UK The accidental row being the Lachenal configuration.
I 'client' brought the instrument in to me because she was finding the instrument 'rattley' and uncomfortable to hold. The rattle was nothing more than the resonance on some of the bigger reeds once they started to wind down after key release. The comfort factor was simply the very poor wrist straps on her very small hands. Wrist straps changed and comfort re-gained. She also had the straps too tight. The original straps that were fitted appeared to be synthetic leather with a synthetic inner, all very slippery. Whilst the instrument was here I was asked to check it over, so I had the opportunity to have a poke around inside.
Cosmetically, a pretty instrument with light wood ends and fretting. The fretting being a pleasingly complex design. The casing is nice and compact and about the same as any traditionally built instruments. The keys are domed black nylon, and bushed through the end plates in red fabric, again pretty and very smooth running. Overall a light(ish) weight, light coloured pretty and effective
The bellows are folded card based, and I found them air tight but relatively unyielding; stiff compared with a traditionally built instrument of a similar grade.
The reeds are accordion pairs mounted onto aluminium blocks, then waxed into place, like a Morse, and therefore not as maintainable as some other hybrids. I have never been a fan of this form of accordion reed block mounting, preferring clamped or screwed reed blocks. Better still a traditional reed assembly. The instrument tuning is accurate with the odd wobble, at worse no more than 3 cents from nominal. The sound is clear and bright especially for a wooden ended instrument.
The action is interesting. The lever end grommets are clear plastic beads, I think a soft plastic, threaded onto the end of the arm and then encapsulated by glue onto the pad backing card. The pads are grimly awful: squares of hard card with some form of thin facing fabric, no felt padding or leather involved. Very airtight but percussive. The keys have no guide pegs, but are set into a clearance holes of the same basic diameter as the keys' bodies (like on a Mayfair) the cross hole in each key is parallel but with another soft plastic bead pressed into it to accept the key end of the lever arm. Unusual but effective. The lever arms are pivoted in round slotted brass posts with pins through to make the fulcrum, very positive and with non of the potential for the Lachenal style wear issue. Again most satisfactory.
In summary, this Sherwood model is let down in terms of potential playability by it's stiff bellows , poor wrist straps and the pad design, each of which are clearly cost inspired. Having said this, the concertina is an excellent starter instrument. Robust and well presented. A very good starter hybrid and capable of being upgraded with different pads, new wrist straps and replacement bellows. The waxed reed blocks will generally be no problem unless something untoward happens.
I hope that this brief review will be of help to anyone looking at buying one of the plethora of reproduction Anglo concertinas as a starter/ improver instrument, or a main squeeze.
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Because Anglos come in different Keys, and have odd and non-standard notes on some keys I find it helpful to chart pad holes to keys, and then chambers to pad holes. I always start with the inner complete row as 1, any odd extra keys nearer the palm rest as 0, Second complete row as 2, and the accidental row as 3. The first key in each row (thumb end) that is not an extra key is 1, then count down to 5, 6 or what ever. This way you can plot the notes from a meter against a key. You can pencil the key reference on the underside of the pad board, and then identify the reed pan chamber to the pad position. I would pencil 3-5 for the fifth key down from the thumb end of the third row. Also saves a lot of time when tuning too. Extra notes neared to the thumb end than no.1 are again 0. so 2-0 would be the second row extra key at the top position, 1-6 would be an extra key tagged onto the end of of row 1. Left hand Drone key I designate as 'D'. By charting the Key locations you can then map out the notes as played push and pull. To be able to identify the concertina keying, note switches etc. etc.
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Steve, The bellows frame gaskets are already ruined, so sacrifice them. Grind an old hacksaw blade and cut down the inside of the chamois leather.
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The surface mounting of reeds is far from unusual on Lachenal instruments. Although more often seen on big reed instruments (Bass & Baritones) as well as these inboard reeds. Looking at the fretting picture, the added reed positions were part of the original build. As to the two over-long reeds what note positions do they relate to? If they sound as the normal fingering would dictate then they may just be replacement reeds.
Or is it a converted Jeffries Duet???
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I too have always associated Jones with a broad reed style, indeed my piccolo English system instrument is fitted with them. I cannot remember any Jones with a more conventional reed shape, certainly never a long series reed set.
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This question about instrument experience, and some quantification has sent me stumbling to my repair archives, and has made me scratch my.....er, head, whilst trying to work out just what I have done, and how best to answer fairly accurately. The best way I can come up with is as follows:
I can divide my concertina experience into four groupings:
- My own playing menagerie of instruments: Bass (single action), Baritone (single Action) , wooden ended ET; metal ended Aeola , Piccolo, and metal ended Miniature, plus three CG Anglos used for loan/ fun: 30K Lach , 26K Jones; 20 k Lach ( this last was played by Peter Capaldi in the recent David Copperfield film).
- Instruments I have with the intention of re-building them, as needed or if I run out of other stuff to do: 10 misc Anglo & English trebles of various grades. I also have two duets to do up one day
- Instruments I have sold on, or have been nicked by my daughters: 9 ET's, 2 Anglos, and a Baritone double action
- Instruments I have restored/ serviced and played as part of my repairer activities over the last 28 years, say in excess of 700, plus again, those brought to me at clinics, talks or emergency repairs. These are mostly English system, a good proportion of Anglos, and a small number of Duets, mainly Maccans with a handful of Crane. Of the English I would guess at 20 plus were Bass, then double that of Baritones, then a very small number of Piccolos and a handful of oddballs. The repairs are mainly on traditional build instruments. However some were hybrid which were a mix of waxed in, and mechanically retained reeds.
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I am surprised that there is no indication of the wood or the keying of the instruments. RW for rosewood, Eb for ebony. M or Mahog for mahogany.
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some smaller reeds will stall or be too slow if valves are fitted.
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Interesting notes on "Old Pitch" in concertinas
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
The 'descendant company ' that made the tuning forks is still in existence in Sheffield.