Ken_Coles

I visited Dana last week. I went with his family to a fine session in Bethesda on Sunday and then spent part of Monday in his shop with him. I'm having the handles on my Kensington altered, as I need much higher support at the little finger side of my hand. My Kensington (number 8) is rather heavy (a la a metal ended Jeffries) but in spite of wrist problems I had long before the Kensington I enjoy playing it. With the new hand rest it should be easier for me. Dana said he used thicker reed shoe stock in numbers 4 to 8 but they were loud enough already so he went to lighter stock after that, and I should tell anyone who asks that they are about 3 ounces lighter than mine now. That would still come in around 1350-1400 grams. Those Jeffries you lust after are not much different in weight if they have more than 30 keys. The resin/wood used for the end frames goes by the trademark of Dymond wood. Don't laugh, but I divide my playing time at home about evenly between my Dipper, my Kensington, and my Morse Ceili! First two have great dynamic range; last is light and I can play for hours (and I worry less about it in a pub/airport). Dana has been building for years, has immense knowledge of variables in concertina construction, made the prototypes for Morse, and did and still does some parts for them. He has all sorts of computerized manufacturing machinery in his shop. He set out to make something similar to a Jeffries. Some like it, some don't (compare the world of guitars, you get the same variety of opinions). I think he doesn't bother to advertise because he gets plenty of referrals and doesn't see any advantage in a four-year waiting list (a bit like Hamish Bayne of Scotland, perhaps). Dana told me last week that a well-known maker (no names please) said to him, "It takes eight years just to get to know what you are doing and how it all works together" or something to that effect. Given that I saw him with a prototype anglo in 1997, he has been at it considerably longer than that. Last Monday we tried playing all together, Dana, me, and his wife Becky. A loud, but in-tune, din! A bit like a pipe band. I asked when was the last time three Kensingtons had been played together, and he said for him at least this was the first time. Then he went and got his fiddle! Ken

Ross, emails to you are bouncing. Is your e-address up to date in your member profile? Ken

In the early days of ebay I recall an early Suttner up for sale. It was a three row anglo in B/C/G. This has been tried in a number of variations over the years. Didn't catch on, but that doesn't tell you if it was a great idea or not.

I'm interested in commenting on this, but I'll ask you to repost it as a new topic. 1) go to http://www.concertina.net/forums/ 2) click on the appropriate forum (either General or Instrument Construction, probably the latter, but please folks, let's not start debating that here) 3) You'll see a button (to the upper right of the list of current topics on my browser, scroll around if you can't see it) "New Topic." Click it. Ken Coles

I would recommend a modern strap screw and threaded insert that goes into the wood with the same threads. I get mine from the Button Box. Ken

Bob, a lot of us remember you. I mentioned you in a "Where are they now?" thread that I started a while back, and someone mentioned your hand problems. Having had a mild case of something similar, I know how frustrating it can be. Hearty thanks for all the good advice you gave me as a beginner, and if we can do anything to help, just yell. Ken Coles

I have one of the early Morses. I have the impression it was a synthetic bookbinder's material. It stood up to flexing very well (books also flex alot), just not abrasion along the leg where it rested (done more with concertinas than books, I suspect). It was airtight in spite of the abrasion, but I had the free upgrade done a while back. So for top runs you tend to see leather on concertinas and metal or special tape on accordions.

Since no one else has weighed in, I can venture the following. I had an encounter with an inexpensive Wheatstone anglo a few years ago. It had 20 keys, mahogany ends, I forget what the buttons were (bone? not metal); a model 51, their most basic anglo in the early 1930s. It had the famous name stamped on the hand bar. I asked about what was a Linota. Several folks (here, maybe?) responded and one opinion was that Wheatstone stamped all their anglos "Linota" for some period before WWII. It did not seem to be a specific model the way an Aeola was. So I was told, and that would explain seeing the name on Wheatstone's "cheapest" anglo of the era (though it was still a promising instrument; unrestored so it was hard to be sure).

I have no idea, but I presume Paul or the Invision guys he paid to upgrade us a while back did something. A few features (fast reply) no longer work for me, but it is time I updated my web browser. Hmm, I was going to put a smiley there, but they don't work for me either. [imagine smiley here]

Also, If you have ever scrolled through all the stuff on the home page (I'll clean it up one of these days, but need to be sure all the links are archived) you'll find stolen instrument notices at the bottom. This has been much debated in the past. Some say really savvy thieves can disguise a stolen instrument they want to sell, but I suspect they'd do that anyway. There are enough stories of recovery of instruments stolen by people who don't know what they are that I believe it pays to inform dealers and the community if you are ever in this sad situation. Ken Coles

Folks, this is Concertina.net. We are here to discuss concertinas. Please take this discussion elsewhere. The management

Allan, I'm sure I speak for Paul when I say we'd be happy to post your information. Just let us know by email through C.net when your information is ready. Ken

Well, I don't know what they are for, but we'll leave that ad up...it gave me a welcome laugh after a hard day at work. Just don't buy anything from the guy, folks, or he'll/she'll try to sell us old cadillacs next.

Sounds like it might be an anglo-german? Does it give different notes on push vs. pull of the bellows. As always, a photo or two would help us identify it for you.

Wondering if any of you Morris types in my region (Jim Besser? David Barnert?) know if this event will happen this year? There seems to be no Morris at all in my end of Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh CDSS chapter has no info; they just do ECD. It would be nice to connect with some of the teams, even if they are not local to me. Ken

I can't speak for duet systems, but I have experimented with English after playing anglo extensively. For me personally, it has been great fun. I was able to get C, G, and D scales and then a few simple tunes pretty soon, but I have also enjoyed taking a bit of time to get used to it. I find I can now pick up the treble and play dance tunes in G right off, even though "I don't play English concertina." So Ivan's approach may not be for everyone, but it does match my own approach, which is to choose one layout and work at it for awhile to see what it does for me personally. Horses for courses, as Chris Timson says. Ken PS, love the sound of my Lachenal treble, several of my anglos, etc. etc! Guess I'm lucky!

We would love to know more about your and your family's playing and the concertina in S.A. music, if you care to tell us more (while waiting for the valuation experts to respond). Ken Coles

Thanks, David. Either I edited this too long, or not long enough!

All you duet afficionados, or wannabes (so many instruments to learn, so little time) may enjoy reading a comparison of duet systems from the point of view of someone considering what to choose. Ivan Viehoff submitted this at the start of the year, and we edited and revised it over some months. That was all done in mid-summer, so it is long past time I posted and linked it and let you all continue your ruminations on duets. While I was at it I rearranged the index of links on the Main Buyer's Guide page into approximate categories by system, where to buy, general thoughts, etc. A bit complex to do but it may be improved over the previous listing. Back to playin'! Assistant Editor

Richard, I don't know if I'm buying or not, but I'd love to try it while it is still in Pittsburgh. Maybe its time we finally met up...maybe at the Thursday Irish Centre session next week, or before or after? Ken

That's all I need to know...will add it to my calendar, as I would love to hear Mr. Peters in person. Here's hoping he is invited back to Pinewoods some time as a staff member. Niel Wayne was at Old Songs a year or two ago and I wished I had been there to hear his presentation. Us newbies (only a bit over a decade myself) in the concertina world have catching up to do. Ken

Barely ten years in North America. The first Herrington I spotted was in Fall 1998 at Noel Hill school. At that time other makes (Morse) were rumored but not in production yet. The Morse Ceili demo model (not yet for sale) turned up at the Fall 1999 Noel Hill school. Only at the turn of the century did these instruments really become available. And yes, they have wrought a considerable change. As long as demand grows, new makers will appear, and some of them will be very good. That's good for us, if we are just a little patient. Ken

I've been playing a Morse Ceili anglo fairly hard for three years and have never had a reed get stuck with dirt or something else in it that had to be removed. I do notice in several trials that a Dipper will start at lower pressure/volume than my Morse; don't know if that is reed type or just a matter of who made it. I have a Geuns baritone anglo and it sounds nice and is pretty responsive, though I'd still love to try an antique baritone. I love the sound and resonance of my beat-up, well worn-in Lachenal C/G anglo, and bet a lower key could be great also! There's no end of this, is there?

We do need to insist that copyrighted material not be posted in the Tune-O-Tron. Otherwise Concertina.net (IOW Paul, and maybe me too) is liable for fees or damages to the copyright holder. Sorry, gang, that's life in the big city. In the USA, pub performances require fees to be paid by the owner/manager to groups like ASCAP and BMI. Often the performer is not part of the negotiation, unless e.g. performing their own, original material. Commonly the owner just pays a set annual fee that covers everything, and ASCAP is supposed to know how to divvy up the royalties. The common complaint is the big artists (McCartney, Jackson, etc.) always get their share from ASCAP but the rest of the music composers do not. I have no idea what happens outside the US. A fee of $50 to $100 a year is not unusual for a rights to perform a song in the case of full-time, big-name, performing musicians. How often people ignore or sneak around this requirement (probably a lot) others can tell you better than I. A creative alternative is Jay Ungar's approach. On his Web site you can fill in a form to get a mechanical license (i.e. for recording your performance on your own CD) for "Ashokan Farewell." So many people have recorded it that he automated the process so he could get back to doing his own music. He figures fellow folkies will mostly do the right thing and as long as it doesn't show up on TV commercials etc. he didn't authorize he doesn't worry much about it.

I could do Labor Day or late October. In fact, I usually arrange my life to make sure I can attend. This year I couldn't do that. It was fun, admittedly, to get the VIP tour of the telescopes on Kitt Peak, but once is enough for that, so I hope to appear next year whenever you do it.