Paul Read

I had the same thought although everything else looks OK. Somebody needs to ask if they can go and look at it. Anyone nearby?

The market wants anglos. The number of people wanting duets is small and demand dictates the price.

Now here is someone heading for a New Year letdown. I suggested to him that he was wasting his money but he's convinced this is the value. It will be interesting to see how it ends. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...Q%3ACA%3A1&rd=1

Almost definitely a Lachenal

I feel for you Ken. it's amazing what some people will do. I've had more than one instrument with the whole end glued together (including to the bellows) in the past.

One of the first things to try if the end slots are damaged is to try mole grips to get the bolt turning. The heating option can work but not with advanced corrosion. In an extreme condition - and not before all else fails - you can ease the leather back adjacent to the bolt location and cut the bolts with a dremel with a cutting blade attachment. This assumes you're talking about a cheap Lachenal anglo (on which this is a common problem). The threaded plate is installed about 1/4" below the face of the bellows so you should cut about 1/8" down. You will, of course then have the problem of removing the remaining piece of the bolt and the anchor plate and following this with repair of the wood and reinstallation of the plate. It makes me tired to think of it . The ends can now be carefully eased apart although there will be a short stud left that can be carefully hammered through to loosen the bolt. As I stated above, this is the last resort and somewhat destructive. You will probably have varying success with other methods, depending on how advanced the corrosion is.

There are two decent looking instruments on the buy and sell page of this site.

Geoff, You're safe with 'colour'. Robin's based in Canada.

We'll probably all be wheezy if we get to 100!

Well, a decent restored tenor treble aeola English from the same period would cost you around GBP2500 from a dealer. This one would be less because it probably needs work, it's a duet and it has a (relatively) small number of buttons. However, it is a rather rare instrument, made by Wheatstone and looking in fair condition. Yes, I would say it is a reasonable price and I watch these prices quite closely. Edited to add: The seller wants payment by Paypal so the seller will be protected. If he insisted on Western Union I'd avoid him like the plague.

I see it sold for a reasonable price. I suspect it was one of our number that was the lucky winner too!

At this rate there'll be no time to visit the family! Thanks guys.

Paul, They're all mixed. The Coopers Session mostly English but there are a few Irish players and maybe a song or two. Holbrook the same. I haven't been to Whatstandwell for some time but I'm told that anything goes. There is an Irish session at the Derby Irish Centre, fortnightly on Tuesdays I think. Let me know if you're interested and I 'll get more info. Howard Hi Howard, I prefer the English sessions myself but my wife is a keen Irish player so we sould be interested. Thanks

Hi Howard, Thanks for that. Are these sessions generally Irish or English?

Thanks guys, Lots to work with here. Have a great Christmas and New year.

If you open up the end again and remove the reed pan from the bellows, you may find a number around the edge of the bellows frame and possibly a lablel with the maker's name on the other side of the reed pan.

I have a 28-button G/D Jeffries that has 'the sound'. What I really like is that the accidental row on the right hand is set up so that there is no need to go to the left hand for the tune most of the time, leaving that hand completely free for chording (basically, the second button down is the reverse of the D/E top button of the middle (G) row). it has fat metal buttons that (I believe) have replaced the original bone buttons. The only improvement I could ask for would be an extra fold on the bellows.

David, I think Frank is now doing ends with a raised edge (like on the Jeffries). I'd certainly go for that option. Stainless stell is a good call also as it doesn't discolour.

Thanks Peter. We'll see if we can get to it. Do you know of any folk clubs happening at that time?

I'm going back to the UK for Christmas for the first time in 25 years. We'll be in Nottingham for three days after New Year's. Does anybody have suggestions for sessions/shows around that time?

I would suggest Dave Leese. Look at the concertina spares ad. on this web site

Wow! That album must be about 20 years old? I didn't realise AA was on it though.

Good point. For some reason I assumed anglo.

If you are buying second hand, you'll find that C/G is by far the easiest tuning to find. A lot depends on the style of music you're playing. If it's Irish, it is almost always C/G. This gets you C/G and D relatively easily (he said!). For English, the G/D works really well and gets you G/D and A.

It is usually chamois leather. I know some of the later/better Wheatstones had a soft leather. I would say would not tbe the same leather as valves. This is a very specific type of sheep leather