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David S

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About David S

  • Birthday 08/24/1946

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Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Interests
    I play an Anglo G/D (originally Ab) Wheatstone Linota with rosewood ends dated 1926 and a slightly older Linota in C/G in an accompaniment style in the home keys. I also have a Norman anglo which tend to get used out of doors and on canoe trips and recently acquired an early Dickinson Wheatstone because it was available and because I would rather have the pleasure of a beautiful instrument rather than the measly 1% bank interest!
    I have also recently acquired a large Lachenal baritone 20b which growls away nicely and am experimenting with a MIDI conversion which enables me to play silently when I should be doing other things!

    I sing with the concertina - mostly 'traditional' English songs and also play English dance tunes, but am not averse to the odd Irish melody! My piccie is dated 1973 when I owned a Crabb 40 key Anglo and played for Aldbury Morris, but hard times forced the sale of that instrument and I was concertinaless for more than 20 years.
    Professionally I am a canoe & kayak coach educator, sailor and climber and run an outdoor centre.
  • Location
    Cambridge UK

David S's Achievements

Advanced Member

Advanced Member (3/6)

  1. David S
    Hi Lea - how about bringing the concertina (and Naomi!) down to Black Fen Fol;k Club?
  2. David S
    My surmise has always been that the anglo was originally produced in C as that was the 'people's key' The majority of single row melodeons given to farmers (and thence to farmworkers) in East Anglia by the Maltsters were in C and C is still the favoured key for tune sessions in suffolk. When the Salvation Army took up the anglo concertina then of course they needed instruments in Bb to go along with the brass band and that is a simple move from C with no additional engineering. I'm sure that Dan Worral will know the answer!
  3. David S
    I have a pair of Thomann T bone microphones and they work really well on anglos. I have made two small aluminium brackets which slip under the knurled screw that secures the hand strap. Instrument noise (part of the concertina sound anyway?) is minimal
  4. David S
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  5. David S
    I have always used Copydex to fix instrument case linings as it doesn't soak through the material. Brush it gently and sparingly onto the fabric and onto the inside of the case, allow to dry and then bring the two together for a permanent fix.
  6. David S
    I have a MIDI anglo which was made by Roy Whiteley and which works very well. However it is attached by a cable to the power supply and thence to the sequencer, so the Bluetooth system would be very attractive. One channel is pressure sensitive and so does support channel volume in MIDI. I'm not sure that there is an easy way around the mechanicals - keyboard and bellows - to be really playable both the action and the bellows have to be of good quality and I haven't played a Chinese concertina with an action or bellows that compared with a 'traditional' instrument, be they vintage or modern. Anthony James made me a 30 key anglo without reedpans for not a lot more than the cost of a derelict Lachenal on Ebay, so mine has a decent riveted action and bellows which perform properly. I bought it principally for silent home practice but it has been useful on a few occasions to add a solo track on other people's recordings in ' anglo-unfriendly' keys.
  7. David S
    I have a Microvox system that I no longer use at all - two M400 microphones that I have always fixed with velcro to the upper side of the handrails and the standard PSU with internal balance and an output volume control. Has had very little use and works fine. Have meant to put it on Ebay but not got round to it, so happy to sell for £70 if anyone is interested. PM me - I live in Cambridge, UK, but it is small and robust enough to post within the UK. David.
  8. David S
    The standard case from Hobgoblin (£35) has two catches whilst the case supplied by Steve Dickinson (Wheatstone) with my Dickinson Wheatstone has a buckled leather strap across the top which doubles as the carrying handle. Neither have ever let me down, The Wheatstone strap as it is foolproof and the case is carried 'lid uppermost' It would be a simple matter to add a similar leather strap (cut from a trouser belt?) to any other case.
  9. David S
    Now have "The Passing Moment"; played it several times and would endorse everything that Dan has said! Lovely lively playing of tunes from a wide variety of traditions with the bonus of some great tracks by Bob Davenport. Do get a copy. David
  10. David S
    Have ordered my copy today - thanks Dan for the heads-up. The English String Band (Liz Giddings) are booked for Ely Folk Festival this year; something to look forward to! David
  11. David S
    I have a 20 key Lachenal baritone No 113824 which I thought that I would use more for song accompaniment than I do. It measures 7 1/4 inches across the flats but has some very long reeds. Other baritones I have seen (30 key Dippers) are smaller - probably 6 1/2 inches. The reason for not using it more is that it sounds in more or less the same register as me and so occupies the same space in the spectrum and I often prefer to use my standard treble (32 key Wheatstone rosewood Linota) which stands out more. Frequently I am undecided! I have attached a short sample file with the baritone used first and then the treble so that you can make the comparison. David Fakenham Fair Baritone & Treble comp.mp3
  12. David S
    Don't forget Jody Kruskal - he has a couple of CDs available
  13. David S
    Good to hear Jody in Cambridge yesterday evening. Really enjoyable set of songs and some excellent 'non home key' playing. If you haven't seen Jody on tour, then don't miss him!
  14. David S
    I guess that is to catch those sellers (often from Hong Kong) who sell for 99p and then charge £20 postage? I have never bought from anyone who inflated postage! David
  15. David S
    Dear Joy, Faced with the problem - not neighbours, but family! - I obtained a MIDI concertina and play on headphones. There is a very good 'app' synthesiser available for Ipads,although I use a small MU50 synth. The MIDI concertina was made by Roy Whiteley, who does a first class job on the conversion of decrepit Lachenals. Roy also does piano accordions, so I'm sure would do a melodeon. www.accordionmagic.com Best wishes David
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