gcoover

Looks like this is a fairly high-quality Chemnitzer-style concertina, once very popular for playing polka music in north central USA in places like Chicago, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc. Lots of good information in the FAQ section of the Cicero website, also music and instruction info can be found here: https://concertinamusic.com/ Gary

Perhaps a converted Jeffries Duet (almost identical button layout to my 50-button JD), or perhaps originally an Anglo from about that same time period. There has been some discussion about Jeffries using the same end plates for both. Looks like his "in/out" is reversed - or else it's some strange backwards Anglo! Gary

I'm not sure where the sound comes out, but here's a video of an early version of the instrument. '

Here's a quick mp3 of my 35-button double-action stretched-hexagon black Lachenal bass EC. The instrument's range starts at middle C and goes down 2-1/2 octaves. You feel the bottom notes as much as you hear them. Awesome sound! Gary Bass Concertina 2.mp3

A higher handrest of 1" is probably the easiest and cheapest way of making the buttons more accessible for larger hands. I've done this with all my Anglos and Duets and it works wonders. As others have noted, a larger instrument will be heavier and that's not necessarily a good thing. As for arthritis, the Anglo is probably the best instrument for that condition (which I have a severe case of) since the range of motion and finger bending is much less than other instruments, and being diatonic you get the added efficiency of two notes for one button. Gary

The nice thing about YYYYMMDD is that in a spreadsheet or file listing everything can be easily sorted chronologically by year, whereas with MMDDYYYY everything sorts by month and the years are scrambled.

"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from..."

I think you'll appreciate the logic of the EC, coming from piano, but the vertical "crossed fingering" of scales will drive you nuts until you get used to it. The Frank Butler book (available as a download at concertina.com) will help immensely. A lot of English folkies have successfully accompanied their singing with EC, check out Louis Killen, Tony Rose, Alf Edwards, etc. Gary

Bonjour Didie - the Tricolor playlist I've put together - 98 videos so far - can be found on the "angloconc" channel on YouTube. Yuka mostly plays fiddle, but there are some with concertina. Also, some very tasteful piano accordion from Hirofumi (and nice guitar work from Koji). Gary

And you've found a video of Koji, Yuka and Hirofumi (Tricolor) playing it live - thanks so much for finding this! I will add an updated QR code to Anglo 1-2-3 to reference this video. They are such nice folks and really talented, with an amazing feel for the music. Their website: https://tricolor-web.com/ I don't know who Sakiel02 is who has posted this on YouTube, but if you have any doubt about the Irish music scene in Japan he/she has done a fantastic job documenting it by posting hundreds of videos of various live performances over the past several years. I've also added this to a Tricolor playlist on YouTube that now has almost a hundred videos if you want to hear more. Gary

Ok, it looks like Stephen was right on this one - the good folks at the auction house have sent me a photo of the left side, with this comment: "most keys play a different note on pulling and pushing". Obviously an unusual one-of-a-kind instrument that sure looks like a Jeffries Duet but apparently isn't - hope whoever gets this lets us know the layout. Gary

I have been in contact with Graham, who graciously allowed me to include SoundCloud excerpts of John Watcham's playing from Anglo International via scannable QR codes in The Anglo Concertina Music of John Watcham. And yes, I suggested he look into some of the print-on-demand or download-on-demand services for this recording as well as for English and Duet International. He has all the digital files, so it's just a matter of him having the interest and taking the time to find the best way to make them available for download. His initial impression is the market is pretty much played out, but if there were an easy way to set up download sales I think he could be convinced to give it a try. Gary

Sorry for any confusion, I corrected the serial number of the Wheatstone instrument in the photo to #30740. It was built on Oct 1925 and listed as "A.G. Duet N.P. R.E." in the ledgers and is obviously a Jeffries Duet with nickel plated raised ends. I think the story of a later conversion is incorrect since it appears to have been a duet from the beginning. Wheatstone #30374 is owned by Greg Jowaisas and it is definitely a 61-button Jeffries Duet that was listed in the ledgers as "A.G. Duet N.P. R.E. Octo", Nov 1924. Based on other Jeffries Duets built by Wheatstone, I'm pretty sure they called the Jeffries Duet system an "A.G. Duet", in the same way they never used the word "Maccann" - don't give the competitors any advantage! Looks like Wheatstone only made 10 Jeffries Duets total between 1922 and 1930. There are a couple of other ledger listings that might be Jeffries Duets, but there is no way to know without seeing the actual instruments. Gavin Davenport once owned an unusual Anglo that had a lower row of drone notes, and it was listed as a 50-button "A.G. Octo Black", #30998, in April 1926, but was never a duet. I'll throw a bid at this Lachenal, and if successful I'll let you all know. Here is what the Lachenal looks like. Gary

My guess is Jeffries Duet, based on 68-button Wheatstone #30740, although this is the only 5-row one I've ever seen (see attached photo). I'd be curious to see the left side of this Lachenal (the Wheatstone only has 4 rows on the left side). In talking with Chris Algar while writing the Jeffries Duet Tutor, he said to his knowledge Lachenal had never made a Jeffries Duet, "but everything turns up eventually". Perhaps this it? Gary

So it looks like the original owner only played along a single row at a time, but wanted to play in those 4 different keys. It will be interesting to see what sort of unusual chords and tunes you can play across these very strange rows! Gary