Gentry

Hello, I just got a Wren 2 yesterday, shipped from McNeela in Dublin to the US, and as I was playing it, the D5/E5 key on the right seems to be sticking just a tiny bit. It's not enough for me to notice by feel, but when I play another note it stays open and just plays that note too. I got a care guide with the instrument that showed what to look for to fix it but I still can't figure out what's wrong with it after opening it up to look. I have a feeling it might be that it's got some friction against the side of the hole it goes through on the top plate, because when I pull on it just a little it comes back up. Is there anything I can do to try and fix it? I sent McNeela an email but they're closed until Monday I think. I'm nervous about tinkering with it too much since its so delicate and I'm so inexperienced, but I can at least open it up and look around it. Thank you!

@papawemba I'm actually moving to Ireland in around a year for school, which is why I'm not sweating too much where I get it from. It might end up being easier to get a Wren fixed than a Rochelle if I'm over there to be honest. I am looking at paying a little under $400 for a Wren since I've found one on sale, and that's a lot more budget friendly than $600 something. And thank you for the book recommendation! I won't have anyone to formally teach me for a while so any resources I can get to self teach is really valuable!

I've asked this question over on Reddit as well, and I think I'm going to look into buying a Wren 2 around black friday and pick it up when I visit Ireland this winter, because at least from what I've learned talking to you all, the Wren 2's size will be better than a standard Rochelle for learning and playing on, it's less than a Rochelle 2, which while really nice and in the US is just more expensive than I can really justify spending with my budget at the moment, and since I have plans to move to Ireland for school in the near future would probably be easier to sell if I wanted to upgrade. Plus it comes with a free hard case. Please correct me if I got any of this information wrong, it's a lot of information to compile into a cohesive thought process and I might have gotten it mixed up. I heard from someone on Reddit who told me that the McNeela instruments are better suited for Irish music than the Concertina Connection instruments, which is what I'm going to be playing at my school. I have no way of comparing as I've never actually been in person with either brand to know, so if anyone has input on that I would love to hear it. I would also like to hear from @gtotani about why you say you don't like the Wren 2? You said you knew someone who replaced it in a year, do you mean got a new kind of concertina or just another Wren? I'm just curious as to what you think because I would like to hear from both sides with both favorable and unfavorable opinions on them. I did go ahead and email Concertina Connection inquiring about any used Rochelles to see if they had any at a discount I could afford, but I haven't heard back yet. I've got a bit until I'll be buying anything anyway, because I do still need to save up a bit. I just like doing my research and making my decisions early on such things. I appreciate you guys telling me about flying with concertinas, because I had heard about the concertina wire thing at TSA, but not the rest. Definitely good to keep in mind if I'm flying home with one. Wouldn't want my brand new instrument being confiscated at TSA haha. Thank you all for your help and if anyone else has anything to add either positive or negative on either the Rochelles or a Wren 2 I would love to hear it! Any opinions at all help me make my decisions since it's hard to compare instruments I've never even held before.

@Brevei am in the DFW area! North of Dallas to be specific. I'll have to look into that festival, I've not heard of it before but it sounds interesting. Thank you for letting me know!!

@pentaprism thank you for your suggestion! I definitely think you get more bang for your buck with a 20b, however most of the music I want to play would need that extra row of keys. I'm planning on joining a Irish trad group at my school at some point after I've learned the basics, and from what I've heard you really need a 30 key for that. I don't mind having an instrument that's maybe not as nice if I can have the more keys, just because I don't want to feel limited in the songs I can play. I'm not going to be in the financial position to upgrade within a year, which is why I'm looking at maybe spending a bit more and getting one that'll last me, and if I'm ever in the position to upgrade it'll be because I sold the one I have. Thank you for all your advice!

Hello, I am looking to start learning concertina, and I'm trying to determine what kind of instrument I should get. I know I want a 30 key Anglo, and my budget is under 500USD. I'm perfectly fine with a beginner quality instrument for now, I'd just like one that won't break on me or sound terrible. I'd prefer to avoid buying second hand unless from a reputable shop, just because I don't know enough about the instruments to judge their condition on my own. I am from Texas, and as far as I know, there are no concertina dealers here. I don't mind ordering online from a reputable seller. I will be visiting Ireland in December, which is a good opportunity for me to pick up a decent one there since they'll have more variety. If I can pick one up in the states however, I'd rather do that just so I don't have to worry about travelling with it. I have my eyes on a Wren 2 that comes with a hard case for 420EUR in Ireland where I'll already be visiting, but that's the sale price and I have no way of knowing if it'll still be that price by the time I visit. If I were to get it for that, I should be able to get VAT back when I return to the states, and should bring it under my 500USD budget. That same shop sells a Tina for a similar price if I were to not be able to get the Wren. I've also been recommended Scarlatti, Stagi, Rochelle, and Tina instruments all in around the same price range, but I really don't know much about the difference between all of these as I've not gotten to see any in person to know. That's why I'm coming to all of you, the experts, for help. I have been told I can grab a Rochelle here in the states from a couple of places, without a hard case, and that they're pretty good instruments, so that's looking the most promising to me right now. It has the added bonus of being eligible for trade-in some places for a higher quality instrument if I ever decide to upgrade in the future. I would probably need to invest in at least a nicer padded bag for it, and eventually a hard case. My question to you all is which do you think would be the best for me with my budget? Also, have any of you had trouble travelling with your concertina through TSA? I'd be a bit worried about having all the weird mechanical stuff show up funny on an X Ray and causing problems. Thank you all for your advice!