tony

Hi, yes it is still available. Sorry I didn't reply sooner but I haven't been around lately. I've had a couple of other enquiries but nothing has matured yet.

Sorry I've not been around for a while. The instrument is still available.

Sorry I've not been around for a while. The instrument is still available.

Bump

In my experience: because of the orientation of the keys, a hand strap on a EC is likely to limit your reach to the higher keys, particularly if you have any mobility problems (in my case arteritis). If you do have a mobility problem with you fingers and you play an instrument with a hand strap you might find an EC (without a hand strap) a solution. I have a Jackie and I’m getting on with fine so far, as long as I don’t attempt to support the instrument with my thumbs. I traded a very nice EC some years ago in favour of my McCann because I found the duet key layout more intuitive than the EC.

I’m open to offers. If you’re anywhere near Birmingham you are welcome to visit me and ‘try before you buy’.

Thanks for your replies. There is no urgency and I’m more than happy to consider offers. My concertina is in very good shape and anyone can come and view it anytime. I continue to play it for short sessions each day, however my main concern is to find a good home for it before my demise. LOL I doubt the family would know what to do with it.

I’m having difficulty in knowing what price to ask for my concertina. Please see my listing in the Buy and Sell forum. There is one for sale here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325875638157 but it seems overpriced to me.

Just to add: 46 keys, steel reeds, S/N 1684

I've had this lovely instrument for a little over 15 years. I had it re-tuned to "modern pitch" soon after I bought it. It's been a great pleasure playing but unfortunately old age and the onset of arthritis limits my playing to only a few minutes a day. My intention was to pass it on to someone in the family but not one of them is interested in playing any kind of "squeeze box" so I feel it's time to find a new home for it. However I don’t really know how much it’s worth so a little assistance in valuation from you good people would be most helpful. Thanks

I could be interested in an English. What do you have?

Now that's a strange looking EC. It only seems to have three columns of button plus an odd one at the top and it has a full hand strap as opposed to thumb straps.

What Dirge said. I play a lot of melody only on my 46 key Maccann and there is very little I can’t play providing I have the dots.

You can verify from the pics of the concertina for sale that it has no low E in the LH. To make it easy, the names of the notes are on the heads of the keys, the LH end is shown in pic no 12 (only). Diagrams of 39-key Maccann key layouts in Maccan's own New Instruction Method and Gaskins chording book on concertina.com show no E, though Gaskins' wording gives some indication that this may not apply to every specific instrument. Every 46-key I have seen has this E, and it is shown in the diagrams in the same books mentioned above, though I think some early models may lack it. Yes Ivan, I think you are right. The attachments are not very good but you can probably see there is no low E in either the 39 or 47 Key.

Why on earth would someone "mainly interested in playing single line tunes" buy a duet concertina? Why not? It has a number of advantages over an EC or an anglo and the Maccann goes a good way to having the best of both.

I couldn’t possibly agree with you Ivan. The “white keys” as you call them are identical on the 39 key as are on the 46 key with the exception that the high notes E,F and G in the right hand of the 39 key are missing. The 39 key plays very well in the keys of G and D, so if you are into Irish music and are not happy with the anglo then this could be the instrument for you.

Hey, you could pour your hot chocolate into your cup, pot and all. Or how about a chocolate-covered manhole cover? But seriously, with 30 % more notes than the Elise Hayden duet from Concertina Connection, including G#'s and D#'s, I'd say it's at least as useful and should be worth at least as much if it's in good condition. More, since it's a Lachenal, with typical "vintage" construction and "concertina-type" reeds. It's also smaller, and I suspect lighter. And though there aren't any internal pictures, the external appearance and that of the case suggest that it's been well cared for and quite possibly needs no restorative work. (Are any of our members located where they could easily visit the seller and report back?) While it doesn't go down to middle C in the right hand, as the Elise does, its top in that hand is a fifth higher than on the Elise, giving it enough range for (among other things) nearly all Irish tunes. And occasional crossing between the hands for particular notes will likely be a necessity on the Elise as well as on this Maccann. Both have limited overlap... 5 buttons on the Maccann, and 7 on the Elise, though the overlaps cover different ranges. Make no mistake, I'm not knocking the Elise, but I do think it's seriously unfair to deride even a 39-button Maccann, at least as a starter instrument. Edited to add: And for the Maccann, the upgrade options are still much more varied and even generally less expensive than for a Hayden/Wicki. My thoughts exactly Jim

Noooo! Not for English music. That's one opinion I suppose. Remember it is chromatic and, if like me, one likes to play from the written music, without having to transpose, blah, blah, blah.

Hi halimium, I have a B/C box you can have a look at if you're anywhere near Birmingham. I don't use it these days since I went over to a CBA.

That's not the way I'd play the piano either... Neither would I. Many do though. How would you play a PA or CBA or even a melodeon?

Another factor is that a 48-button Crane is quite useful, while I believe that Maccann players don't usually recommend a Maccann with less than 57 buttons. Now that’s not true Daniel, some may but they are probably the ones attempting to play it like a piano, that is to say harmony in the left hand and melody in the right hand. Some of us, especially when we play the smaller instruments, play it the way it was designed to be played.

Think piano!

The contact details at the bottom are given as: William Stamp Unit 1 Avalon Park Bancombe Road Business Park Somerton Somerset TA11 6SB United Kingdom Phone: 01458273813 Email: sales@gbcyclesltd.co.uk Has anyone tried contacting them to see what they say about it?

Not sure I agree with that - I am a learner and slow sight reader, but I tend to play by a mixture of relating the lines to a button, and the interval. I think I play faster and more smoothly when my brain gets into "interval" mode, and I have to stop and think to actually name a note. And I am not a singer - I haven't sung since school days. Just goes to show, perhaps, we all have different ways. Malcolm Yes, but with enough practice that may go. You will probably see the dot/interval, hear the sound with your inner ear and press the key.