Jim Bayliss

I'd like to add my comments to this thread regarding the Stagi Hayden duet. The big problem with this instrument is that the buttons are arranged asymmetrically. The C button is a different distance from the F button than it is from the G button on the adjacent rows, and so on down the line. This is different from the other Haydens which have been made, including Bastaris, Wheatstones, Tedrows. Because of this, I would tend to hit the buttons off center, and I found this very annoying. The larger buttons (~8 mm diameter) help this problem, but it doesn't change the fact that the button arrangement on these instruments is illogical, wrong, and user unfriendly. We Hayden players deserve better. Stagi needs to re-tool and make these instruments correctly.

This is a great, dancer friendly, free event for free reed enthusiasts in historic downtown San Antonio. Go to <http:www.internationalaccordionfestival.org> for more information. The only concertinist on the bill is Austin's Bradley Williams of the The Fabulous Polkasonics playing Polish music on the Chemnitzer concertina. Musics represented this year include Creole, Canary Islands, Bulgaria, Chicken Scratch, Those Darn Accordions, Argentina, Irish, Conjunto, Quebecois, Texas Swing. See you there.

I'm selling my 46-key Stagi Hayden duet. I bought it new from the Button Box as a back-up instrument and it has been only lightly used and plays like new. I'm asking $650 USD, postpaid in the US. Email me at <jmbayliss@juno.com>.