Doug Creighton

Posted June 7 I have a few, new, R. Morse & Co. Céilí model anglos for sale. These were recently made by Bob Snope, and are first-quality, original concertinas from The Button Box. I have: - C/G, with Wheatstone or Jeffries note layout - G/D, with Wheatstone note layout All have rosewood-stained cherry woodwork, 6-fold leather bellows, standard reeds, and come in a fitted, hardshell case. Selling price is US$2,825.00, including shipping to the US or Canada. Happy to quote shipping to other locales. Sorry - no other models are available. -- Doug Creighton/The Button Box

I have a few, new, R. Morse & Co. Céilí model anglos for sale. These were recently made by Bob Snope, and are first-quality, original concertinas from The Button Box. I have: - C/G, with Wheatstone or Jeffries note layout - G/D, with Wheatstone note layout All have rosewood-stained cherry woodwork, 6-fold leather bellows, standard reeds, and come in a fitted, hardshell case. Selling price is US$2,825.00, including shipping to the contiguous 48 states. Happy to quote shipping to other locales. Sorry - no other models are available. -- Doug Creighton/The Button Box

There is a small supply of brand new Morse Céilí anglos for sale. These are the last instruments we will make from the remaining materials and components we have available: - We have 1 G/D, with Wheatstone layout and 6-fold bellows - We have a few C/G's, in both Wheatstone and Jeffries layouts, all with 6-fold bellows - price is US$2,825.00, including a fitted hard case. Sorry - no baritone, English or duet models. Please contact me directly if you are interested. -- Doug

Hello all, Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm looking forward to cutting back on work and spending more time at home with my wife & toys. I'm planning to use some of my time working on my anglo, so look out! Our concertina manufacturing will continue for the summer months. We'll be finishing any outstanding orders and producing as many Céilí models as we have time and materials left. We're going to focus on the Céilí since it's the most popular model we sell. The concertina workshop will shut its doors at the end of the summer, but Bob Snope will continue to do repairs from his home for the foreseeable future. I'll be keeping the books, packing & shipping, and ordering parts and materials to keep Bob free to work his magic. Our website will have details about how to get your instrument to us for repair once the store closes. In the meantime, you're welcome to email me with questions. Regards, Doug Creighton/The Button Box

Good luck with the concertina, Brian. I grew up in Owen Sound and drove through Meaford many times. I'm happy to ship instruments to Canada if you see something that interests you www.buttonbox.com

Thanks for your generous comments, everyone. This transition won't happen overnight, so concertina production will continue as usual for the time being. My focus is on finding a buyer and moving the business to a new chapter. In answer to your question, Jim, I inherited the business from Rich when he passed away in 2009.

After 31 years managing The Button Box, I have decided to retire and put the business up for sale. I am posting this in hopes that someone in the c.net community might be interested in becoming the next owner/manager. The sale would include the retail business, and R. Morse & Co. Concertinas, our concertina manufacturing operation. Our building in Sunderland, MA will also be available as a separate transaction, but does not need to be included in the purchase of the business. The Button Box was begun by Rich Morse in the mid-1980’s and has strong connections to the accordion and concertina communities in North America and beyond. It has a customer base that includes over 20,000 people in 30 countries around the world. If you’re interested in exploring possible next steps, please send me an email at doug@buttonbox.com so that we can set up a time to talk when I’m not working with customers. I'm not often on this forum, so responses to postings might take a bit longer. Doug Creighton

Oh, guess that's nicx66's box. Never mind.

It appears we may have a Tidder anglo here for repair. It has several of the features mentioned above: baggy gussets, dull mahogany fretwork, broad brass reeds (a la Jones). The serial number is 5504.

Now available! Check out our web page for photos and ordering info. Doug Creighton The Button Box

Our new R. Morse & Co. model, the ESB baritone anglo concertina, will be available soon. We have a few preview sound clips on our website courtesy of Jody Kruskal. No photos yet! Here are the highlights: - one octave below a standard anglo, in the keys of C/G or D/A - measures 7" across - hand-finished (tipo a mano) reeds standard - 31-key Wheatstone or Jeffries note layout - rosewood-stained cherry ends, 6-fold leather bellows - cut brass lever arms, stainless steel springs, riveted action - extended chambers on lowest notes to enhance response and volume - selling price $2,850.00, including a fitted, hardshell case. - estimated delivery: Fall, 2014 For order information, visit our website, our call us at (413) 665-7793, Regards, Doug Creighton The Button Box

I expect that we'll have some baritone anglos to offer in the coming weeks and months. A used, 30-key Dipper C/G (Jeffries layout, 7-1/2" raised rosewood ends, 8-fold bellows) is expected in the next few weeks, and our own R. Morse & Co. baritone anglo model will be available soon (??) in either C/G or D/A. -- Doug

We, that is The Button Box, decided to give the Northeast Concertina Workshop a rest, at least for 2014. We haven't decided on future years. It was losing money - not a lot, but considering how much effort it took we thought there might be a better way to promote the concertina. If we host a workshop in the future, I think we'll try a different format. Past workshops have had a very few classes filled in advance, while most others had too few participants to break even. Perhaps we were trying to provide instruction in too many styles, or for too many systems? Your suggestions are welcome.

As it happens, The Button Box currently has two Wheatstone English concertinas in stock that are virtually identical except for the pad pans (aka sound boards); one is a model 21a from March 1924 and the other is a model 21 from Sept. 1923. The model 21a has a sycamore pad pan, the model 21 has mahogany. There is a distinct difference in the tone of the two instruments, with the sycamore pad pan being much brighter than the mahogany.

Ha! No plans for either, but you'd be welcome to pay us a visit and try one here in Sunderland.

After countless hours of tinkering, we dropped the linkages. We couldn't get them to the point were the linkage button wasn't noticably more difficult to depress, and that only after many costly hours of adjustment. We're disappointed - it seemed like such a great idea. But in the end we're very pleased with the final product.

We were trying to come up with something that a) wasn't going to run afoul of existing trademarks had a certain positive feel to it and c) would have an association (for us) with Rich Morse. He was a big fan of rags, and "Beaumont" seemed like a good choice.

The Button Box is very happy to announce that our new Hayden duet model concertina - the "Beaumont" - is now available. Here are the specs: - 7" hexagonal format, with natural finish cherry ends and a 6-fold leather bellows - 52 keys: 23 left (B-flat to b1) 29 right (b-flat to d3). See note chart. - 1/4" Delrin™ buttons in rows parallel to the handrests - responsive, high-quality Italian accordion reeds - fast, light, riveted action with stainless-steel springs Selling price is $3,850.00, including a a fitted, hardshell case. Photos and more info at: http://www.buttonbox.com/morse-beaumont.html

I picked up on this thread rather late, but I thought it might help to talk a bit about the reed choice for our concertinas. We use Voci Armoniche "Super Durall" for all of our concertinas. (Note, these are not "Machine" reeds, which are a lower grade, the difference being the higher quality aluminum plate on the Super Durall. Voci Armoniche uses the same steel (C110S) on all of their reed grades.) When we originally made our prototypes, we found that blind tests were consistent in judging the higher grades of reed overly bright and harsh-sounding, without an appreciable improvement in response. So, rather than picking a reed for status alone, we opted for the reed that sounded and responded the best for our instrument. Doug The Button Box

Thanks to the diligence of our repair staff, our repair wait list is now around 4 weeks. Drop us a line if you're considering having some work done. -- Doug Creighton

Just a reminder that there are still a few spaces available at the Northeast Concertina Workshop on April 9th. More information at our website Northeast Concertina Workshop

You beat me to it, Ken! -- Doug

If you're planning to buy meals on sight, it's best to register in advance. Otherwise you can just show up and register when you arrive. If you contact us at The Button Box, we can provide you with directions. -- Doug Creighton, The Button Box

It’s not too late to sign up for the 2009 Northeast Squeeze-In, coming up on September 25, 26, & 27 at Bucksteep Manor in the lovely Berkshires of Washington, Massachusetts. Consort with assorted box players & their associates while admiring the brilliance of a New England autumn and eating meals prepared by someone else.* Spaces remaining: ♫ a few deluxe accommodations (indoors with plumbing) ♫ a couple of cabins (shelter, beds, and some bedding provided; no electricity or plumbing; facilities building nearby) ♫ lots of camping (share facilities building with cabin-dwellers; tent camping or camper camping, but no hookups) ♫ daytrippers welcome all day Saturday * Campers and daytrippers have the option of bringing their own food. See http://www.buttonbox.com/s-i.html for rates and further information.

I'd be happy to tell you when one of our concertinas was made. You can email me at The Button Box <squeeze@buttonbox.com>, or through c.net if you prefer. Doug Creighton Manager, The Button Box