seanc
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Posts posted by seanc
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7 hours ago, Clive Thorne said:
The problem I have with salvage hunters, bargain hunt, antiques road trip etc. is that the people all know that they are on the telly, which I am sure affects the negotiation process and the final agreed price. After all, no one want to look like a pratt on the telly.
The little inside info I have is that at least antiques road show is mostly staged… at least in the us.
meaning the items are all vetted/ assessed/ valued by staffers. the intersting story pieces and pushed on to the celebrities with the camera crews. Much of the expert’s script is written out And any sale has been agreed to well before the cameras are running.
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16 hours ago, alex_holden said:
That's really bad behaviour.
I had a situation once where I saw a used tool on Facebook Marketplace, messaged the seller, agreed to buy it at the advertised price (I don't like haggling), and arranged to collect it at a particular time the next morning. When I got there on time, cash in hand, he told me he'd already sold it ten minutes earlier. It seems that he was fed up with Marketplace buyers not turning up when they said they would, so when two (or maybe more?) buyers said they wanted it, he agreed to sell it to both of us, and the first to arrive got it. He didn't seem to understand how rude that was.
I have never done anything like that?
several times, I had multiple interested buyers. And it was always first come first served. First one with the cash takes it. Many of these times buyer one would come. Make an offer, or low ball. I would then say that I have multiple people lined up. If they fall through. I will consider your offer and let you know. Many times they leave, then call back saying they want it. But., they go to the end of the line as others are lined up with appointments.
i had one guy, selling a very desirable vintage synth. A guy came, asking price $1000. Guy makes an appt. Shows up an hour late (he did call). Came, played for an hour, badly. Fiddling every knob, every key multiple times trying to find a fault. Turned on his flashlight on his camera. Looking for any small blemish.. it’s a 30 year old synth, dude.. finally. He says. Ya, it has some issues, but I’ll take it for 250..
I asked… what issues? He got all righteous.. well this pot is kind of scratchy. Then, how did you come up with 250? Well there was one for sale a few months ago. Oh, you mean that one being sold as parts as it was not in working condition? Oh, well they are all over the place for short money! Cool, you should buy one of those… and I have 3 other people lined up.
he drove away upset. About 20 minutes later.. he calls.. ok, I will give you 300. I’ll turn around right now and come back. No thanks. You’re never going to sell it for that obscene price.. ok thanks, ill consider it…
next guy, looks at iit, spends 5 minutes. Hands me the money. As he’s walking away. You know, you could have gotten quite a bit more for this, in this kind of condition.. yes, I know that, enjoy it.
another guy, similar situation.. but, really pissed me off. Calls the next day. I’ll come back and pay your asking. Me: you don’t deserve this. I will not sell it to you..
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12 minutes ago, digver said:
That's something I thought about since it looks like most, if not all, have wheels. I tend to like sitting cross-legged with one knee over the over, so only one foot is on the floor. I can see myself rolling all over the place if there were wheels. I'm not quite sure I would like that. Though if I got good enough to play in performance it might be a crowd pleaser!
I think you are looking at the wrong thing if you are finding wheels.
a drum throne is meant to be very stable. And is not meant to move around. Feet on pedal placement is absolutely critical.
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I have been selling music gear since the 80s. Selling used guitars in a music store..
so, I always post it with a reasonable asking price, but with the expectation of haggling and buyer feeling like they walked away they haggled and got a discount.
but I just do not understand this mindset of whatever is posted. Offer half. This is not a Moroccan marketplace. And haggling is not generally regarded as the premier sport it is elswhere.
I have had people agree to buy something at the posted price. Come to my house to look at it and make a final decision. And THEN after showing up and hour late, fondling it and asking a ton of questions for an extended time to then offer half.. I have got quite a bit of satisfaction of saying thanks for coming have a nice day.. and them getting all butt hurt and driving off offended and empty handed when I would not take their deal. -
I have been actively trying to downsize. Over the past few years, I have sold off a TON of gear. Mostly guitar related. But also, i have swapped, traded and sold a few concertinas. Most all has been sold on various sites with a face to face sell/ pick up. Buyer looks, knows what they are getting. No surprises. No hurt feelings, etc.
Generally, there is some degree of haggling. I have come to appreciate that this is an almost mandatory process in the selling ecosystem. There are those people that almost compusively will offer half of whatever your asking price is..
Example: I am selling $20 bill for $18.50 (as they are used)
Potenial buyer "I will give you $10"
Many will get upset at you NOT taking their offer. "That $20 is only worth $10!"
These people I generally say, no thanks to and move on. Then there are those that engage, and if I get a good vibe from, I will counter, if I think it is too low. And go from there.
Recently, I put my 57b Wheatstone Maccan up for @ $2800 (less than what I paid from the Cornell estate) it is absolutely new condition and looks like it could be on the shelf at a store as new. After quizzing me about function and condition. And having mutilpe pics posted. A guy offered $700. I quickly said, thanks not interested and ended that conversation..
I think getting offered 25% of asking is a new low. is there some point where an "offer" is it just an insult?
rant ended...
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21 hours ago, digver said:
@seanc a drum throne? I had to look that up! I can see how the right shaped seat could be pretty comfortable.
You will generally find that in thrones..
They will tend to be a lot less $$$ than most "furniture".
They are meant for sitting for extended periods of time. So, they tend to bve very comfortable.
They are also made such that they adjust. So your feet are flat on the ground. If you use your legs at all to hold you concertina, having your leg at the correct angle is important.
And finally, they are all made to be portable and to (generally) break down for travel and storage.
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Maybe not the answer to what you are asking.
But a good drum throne, is a very nice option. They tend to have a lot of padding for extended sitting, Back rests on many. Height adjustment, etc.
Generally easily avaiable for short money.
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15 hours ago, PaulDa321 said:
Excellent feedback so far and thank you. Regarding was Seanc and Jillser said, I really thought I was a by-ear learner, having been improvising guitar chords for so long and disdaining reading music or tabs. As it turns out, I remember and interpret tunes incorrectly. I end up reproducing some alternate version of things if I don’t look at the written notes—even tunes I’ve heard weekly for years. This might be great once I have the base tune and can deviate slightly, but for now, I really have to look up the ABC to play the tune remotely correctly, and then get it into memory. Hopefully I can put some personality on it after that.
Everybody is different. And everybody learns differently.
All I can say is that when I try to learn something by ear, it will be close. But, generally, not really "right". And if depending on one person's by ear take that may or not be correct.
What I have also learned, is that even though I think I have good rhythm. When put to the test of a metronome, I will always be off. Especially, when "playing" rests. If left to my own devices, I will almost invaiably rush the rests. And once I have learned a song, it is more difficult to unlearn it.
In ITM, rhytms tend to be more straight than others. But, then a tune like "Butterfly" comes around. Where there is a LOT more space than a typical ITM tune. And really knowing where the notes are supposed to be and learning to nail that down correctly is important.
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Not sure how relevant this is.
but I find that it tends to “stick” with me better this way.
have the music in front of you.
go through it very very slowly.
Get each note perfect at slow(est) speed.
Once you pretty much “have it” add metronome.. again at slow speed, get each note in the right space.
then slowly, increase tempo to playing speed.
any time you make a mistake, go back to the start.
at least for me. This seems to work, it may be tedious. But it gets burned in and then muscle memory takes hold.
i always find that once I think I know the tune, it all goes to hell once the metronome comes in. And it’s almost like having to relearn the tune over again.
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If there is an option to look at and play it, and make an informed decision based on actually having it in your hands. There is no comparison. Do That. And also, bring yours with you. Ted may be able to take yours in trade.
But, more importantly, having the two next to each other is HUGE. When you are looking at something new. There is always that impression, temptation to think that the new one is superior, better, etc. . In many cases, that is not the case. And being able to directly compare yours to theirs, (hopefully objectively) can save a lot of buyer's remorse.
Also, if you go to Ted's.. Chances are very good that he will have a selection of instruments. Many may be out of your price range. But, still look at, play them, and get an idea for different makes and models and what a step up price range gets you (or doesn't). At least at that point you'd be able to make a far better determination as to buying something remotely.
After trying out. You might find that the "step up" you may be considering, really does not get you what you are looking for. I assume that you are probably looking for a faster box. You might actually find that the proposed step up, may be a bit nicer aesthetically. But not in terms of speed and response. And that you'd be better waiting for a different option, or possibly saving up for something different.
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I would go with tenor- extended treble?
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I'd be very hesitant.
I have had far too many issues selling things on EBay to ever sell anything there again.
In my experience, you really have to go with your gut feeling.
If somewhere in you, there is something saying that something is not right here. You are probably correct. You have probably bought and sold stuff in the past. You know how a buyer "should" act. And if it is not heading that way.. I would cancel that transaction and relist it.
There are also those buyers. Where you know they are for real. But you know one way or another, they are going to bail. They get buyer's remorse even before it is in their hands. And you know they will use any excuse to get you to take it back, with a 100% refudn AND pay the shipping.
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On 2/7/2024 at 7:58 PM, SIMON GABRIELOW said:
Breathy and sometimes windy😊😊😊may be description!
I propose we just quantify all of these nebulous perceptions in wine terms to just make it completely ridiculous and more unfathomable.wheatsone metal ended… “earthy and fragrant”
wheatstone wood ends.. placid.. yet absurd…
jeffries.. astringent, complex notes of purple
Lachenal strong marshmallow with notes of flannel and an orthodox finish..
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2 hours ago, Łukasz Martynowicz said:
Two separate questions are being conflated to one in some of the answers above: „what is the useful language to describe the timbre” and „how and by what the actual timbre is created”.
The second one is quite „easy”, with the answer being „by everything”:D
The first one is a trickier one, because we don’t really perceive the timbre objectively. Not only from person to person, but also between pitches, even within a single instrument. I don’t have absolute pitch hearing. Feed me pure sines and I can only tell you a general octave. Give me some time with a specific instrument, and I’ll tell you the notes, because with enough practice I can recognise the individual character of each note.
So, when describing the timbre, IMHO the best way is not to try to take the timbre apart into small pieces like bright, mellow, muddy, round etc… because those are useful only in a relative context: this specific concertina has a mellower tone, than that specific concertina, etc, because you’re merely labeling some audibly different qualities to another person who can also clearly hear them. You might as well say „this concertina’s timbre is more red and the other one has a colder tone” and you will be understood. A better approach is the same, that is used to describe accordion registers: by invoking the general impression of another instrument. I’m currently restoring a 70 years old accordion. It has three voices, two of which have reeds in brass frames, one has aluminum frames. The differences are clearly audible between them - one invokes memory of an organ flute stop in the upper range and leans toward a bassoon in the lower range, and the second one clearly sounds trumpet-like. That is until my wife takes out her trumpet, then it sounds nothing like a trumpet. Same goes for the other voice. I have a virtual organ set up around Organteq software. Flute and bassoon stops are not even the same family of stops and both sound completely different than my accordion.
One last example: as with any accordion, I can also mix voices. A mix of the basoon one with a third one, also a „trumpet-like brass” but detuned by 20 cents, commonly named „sax”, has a timbre that can be best described as a creepy circus, and I can bet most of you have now a very adequate impression of this timbre in your heads
This analysis kind of reminds me of the old days when I was growing up. Many friends had big organs in their houses. I especially remember a friend that had a Conn organ with tons of little tabs/ buttons. They would be labeled, clarinet, violin, oboe, piccolo etc..
You'd hit one then instantly say.. How does THAT sound anything even remote like a whatever it was on the tab... What were they thinking?.
But I do agree that describing this is very difficult. And everyone's perception is different.. Clear vs Muddy, dark vs bright, round vs nasal, Great! vs Awful!, are all different for each person doing the hearing.
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13 minutes ago, Matthew Heumann said:
Trying to assign a specific "Timbre" to any particular maker or type of concertina is useless because timbre is determined by the combined interactions of outside-end material, reed metal, frame metal, sound board wood, internal volume of bellows, volume of the reed pan, and pad chamber volume. I've had metal instruments that were screaming bright, but now have one that is soft and mellow. I once had a lovely Amboyna Aeola that would blast a bagpipe away (that's why I sold it) but also had one that was so soft and mellow that you could barely hear it when you played "quietly".
So "Timbre" can be objectively/subjectively assigned to individual instruments, but I'd be wary of any maker's claim that all their instruments were that way.
I agree that every individual specimen is going to vary.
In the case of most concertinas, much of this is going to be affected by age and how it was kept or cared for.
That said. I would suspect that in the case of Edward Jay, where he is using composite materials through out, will be vitually identical in terms of tone and volume.
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Pretty hard to describe..
I would say that my Lachenal Crane, sounds very "reedy" and Oboe like.
The Wheatstone m22 I had with metal ends was very cutting, clear and nasal.
My wood Aeola, tends to be more clarinet like than my lachenal, and much less honky then the 22
In my very limited experience assessment...
Wood ends tend to have some of the highs rolled off in comparison to metal ends
Wood ends tend (imo) have more warmth in the lows and tend to sound more full, round and possibly muddier.
Metal ends to to sound clearer/ sharper
Metal ends tend to be louder.
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I would suggest a CC Jackie.
they are decent instruments at a great price.
Being plastic, they are reasonably durable. And if they stick with it, I think they still do an upgrade program. that would get them a step up if/ when they are ready.
I think that is a very good option to get a start and see if it is right for them. And if they look around, chances are reasonably good they can pick up one used for even less money.
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7 hours ago, Richard Mellish said:
Listed on eBay again https://www.ebay.com/itm/325259378720
If this is the same person still trying to sell it, maybe someone should offer a more realistic price.
You All need to get better Maps..
Vauderville is located just east of Podunk and north of Boondocks..
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They really are completely different.
I don't think that experience on an EC or Anglo is really going to be specifically a direct benefit here. My feeling would be that if you starting off and want to play duet. You will have much better sucess putting those initial efforts into learning a duet. Rather than learning an Eglish and then trying apply what you have learned to a duet.
Regardless of what platform you decide. Your efforts, especially initially would be better focused on whatever platform it is that you really want to ultimately play.
With a duet, you have 2 things happening.
1 you have to learn the button positions, which you would need to do on any instrument.
2. Then depending on HOW/What you play you will need to develop some measure of hand independence. Regardless as to you wanting to hold down chords on the left and play melodies on the right. Or, if you want to do walking bass lines on the left and choppy chords on the right. You will need to learn and develop that skill. And that really is unique and specific to any duet.
3. if you go with go EC first and then move to duet. You will have to unlearn the button pattern and whatever muscle memory you have developed. And then learn whatever duet system you have chosen. It is not like a piano where you learn the key positions and take that same muscle memory and apply that knowledge and just learn the Rhodes or Hammond organ idiom/ style.
But, if you need more info or want to come look. ping me sean.casler@gmail.com
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Not to get too off topic..
but, trying to make an Anglo sound English. Or an English sound Anglo is largely a fool’s errand. While similar, they are just different and have different techniques and idioms.
what it really comes down to is… does what you or they are playing sound good?
and especially when playing with others. More often than not, Less is more.play the right notes, in time. And leave it at that.
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Could someone point to a video of these techniques?
this is really interesting. But I could use a visual for clarification.
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tim tedrow used to make “fretless” concertinas. Possible solving this issue..
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It was a constant downward spiral of despair and depression.. exacerbated by much peer pressure..then finally hit rock bottom. For a long time . I dabbled in playing an Anglo in the closet. Just a little at first. I could stop any ime, I told myself. unfortunately too soon that was not enough. Leading me further down the path of evil. Leading me to plunging into playing an English openly, to my utter shame.. By this time even that was just not enough.. I sunk so low. I started to dabble with crane..
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When I saw the section for "covers" and the little graphic in the book. My assumption was the "cover" covered the entirety of the finger rest (top/ side/bottom).
By these pics, I am guessing the leather was on the underside only?
If that is the case, it may be worth geting some sort of ultra suede or squishy fabric with a sticky back and giving it a try to see if it makes sense.
I do find that the edges of mine are a bit rough/ sharp and tend to get irritating on the pinkie after rubbing for a while.
a short rant about trying to sell stuff...
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
Ha. That’s nothing! I was threatened with a baseball bat because I refused to give a guy more free batteries then we were supposed to at a radio shack.. he won . 2 extra AA batteries.. and then held at gunpoint and robbed while making the night deposit at a bank..
The joys of working retail!