VernLindquist

The concertina is now sold.

Purchased from Button Box in 2014. In good condition in original fitted case. Responsive with a lovely tone. Rosewood stained cherry ends, serial # 1151. Instrument is located in Richmond, VA.

Picking an instrument up personally from Mr. Chesters might be safe. However, if my experience speaks to anything, it should warn others away from doing mail-order business with him on Ebay. I consider his dealing with me to have been most unsatisfactory. He didn't pack the instruments well enough to give them a fighting chance of arriving in good order, and when confronted on this deliberately put me off with false promises until I had no recourse against him--and then he refused to communicate with me further.

Sold.

Hi all. I've actually used whitening toothpaste and a dental pick to good effect on bone buttons--no harsh chemicals. You do have to remove the buttons first, of course. All but the deepest gunk yields to one or the either of these tools.

I'm reluctantly selling my old standby Lachenal to finance my new Hooft, and a new house. You can't have everything, at least not on my salary. I listed this earlier but asked too much, I guess. So I'll lower the price to $1,000. I purchased this concertina from Chris Algar, who had given it new bellows, pads, and valves. I've had it for about 20 months I guess. It's not fancy, but it's reliable and loud. The ends show some scuffing near the endscrews where careless folks have let the screwdriver slip, but that's the only downside. It is in modern concert pitch. Serial # 151151. lindquist@usadatanet.net Vern Lindquist Grahamsville, NY

I've fixed this problem myself on a few 20 key Lachenals. For one instrument, the warping was a bit less than what you describe. I replaced all the chamois on the reedpan, adding an extra layer (skivved on the edges so that the "wedge" would leave a smooth top) on the sides where necessary to compensate for the warp. That seemed to do the trick. Another instrument, which I currently have in hand, had a warp about the size you describe. I did steam it flatter (not entirelly flat, because the corresponding piece was not iself flat) with good results. I did it as follows: I took a wire rack and placed it over a pan of steaming (but not simmering) water. (The curve in the warp facing such that the concave bit faced down.) The warp reversed itself, and I then removed it from the rack, clamped (very carefully) the reedpan and left it overnight on my workbench. The steaming process went very quickly indeed--about 8 minutes or so. Even under the clamp, the warp reappeared somewhat, but it was lessened enough that I was able to add extra chamois, as above, to repair the problem. I now keep a little humidifier (designed for a violin/viola) in my concertina case so that the problem won't happen to my good concertina!

Hi All. I'm reluctantly selling my old standby Lachenal to finance my new Hooft, which just arrived. (And it's pretty spectacular, by the way.) I listed this earlier but neglected to put an asking price on, which led to much confusion. And then I left town for two weeks, which led to even more confusion. So I guess I'll ask $1,200 and consider all reasonable offers if no one offers to take it at that. And I promise not to leave town. I purchased this concertina from Chris Algar, who had given it new bellows, pads, and valves. I've had it for about 18 months I guess. It's not fancy, but it's reliable and loud. The ends show some scuffing near the endscrews where careless folks have let the screwdriver slip, but that's the only downside. It is in modern concert pitch. Serial # 151151. Please respond to this listing so that everyone interested can follow along, and email me privately as well if you like. vlindqst@yahoo.com or lindquist@usadatanet.net Vern Lindquist Grahamsville, NY

I've posted a picture. I have more if anyone's interested.

Hi All. I'm reluctantly selling my old standby Lachenal to finance my new Hooft, which should be arriving next week. I purchased this concertina from Chris Algar, who had given it new bellows, pads, and valves. I've had it for about 18 months I guess. It's not fancy, but it's reliable and loud. The ends show some scuffing near the endscrews where careless folks have let the screwdriver slip, but that's the only downside. It is in modern concert pitch. Serial # 151151. Contact me by email if you are interested, and I'll send you pictures. vlindqst@yahoo.com or lindquist@usadatanet.net Vern Lindquist Grahamsville, NY

Please add my name to the list of parties interested in learning about your method. I've patched a few bellows (and done a reasonably good job, I think), but I haven't built from scratch yet. Frankly, I have spent nearly a year tracking down the materials and tools! I've done a bit of layout/typesetting in my day, so should you decide that this project should become a booklet, I'll be happy to contribute my labor towards it as well. Thanks for your generous offer! It does support my previous experience with the concertina-crowd: helpful, insane, generous, dedicated, and quirky all at once. Vern

Hey Bill. I may have one for you. What counts as inexpensive? Send me an email--