Gan Ainm

I would rather sell this concertina here, to someone who understands the Jeffries Duet system and wants to buy one. But, I am now considering using other sales channels. I would prefer not to lose money on the transaction, but, at this stage, I would consider reasonable offers. Pat

I am seeking £2,200 for this beautiful Jeffries Duet, which is excellent value, given that it's a recently-serviced Jeffries concertina with 51 buttons - that's 102 original Jeffries reeds!

If there's no interest in this lovely Jeffries Duet on this site, I plan to put it on ebay in the coming days.

Some photos of the 51 key Jeffries Duet:

I bought this Jeffries Duet, from Chris Algar of Barleycorn Concertinas, shortly before Christmas, with the intention of converting it to an Anglo. However, I can't bring myself to sabotage such a beautiful instrument by converting it. So, I'm offering it here, in the hope that someone out there wishes to play this intriguing Jeffries Duet system and is seeking an instrument. Chris Algar's description of the instrument is as follows: "Jeffries 51 Key Duet Concertina Description One of those rare beasts - a Jeffries Duet. This is one of those with Jeffries own Duet system and complies perfectly with the Nick Robertshaw layout, which can be found at http://www.concertina.info/tina.faq/images/finger2.htm with the exception that it is based around Bb, rather than C. It is scuffed on the woodwork and the bellows ends but, other than that, it is in very good condition, with good reeds, solid bellows and no major damage or issues. It is stamped 'Jefffries Brothers 23, Praed St'. It has been restored with new pads, valves, straps and tuned to concert pitch. These Duets are not what everybody is looking for, but they sound great and are very hard-wearing - and they are not easy to find if you are hunting for one." My preference would be to sell it, via concertina.net, to someone who has been a member of concertina.net for at least a year - this is in response to recent posts about scams, such as this one: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=20052 Send me a PM if you are interested and we can discuss price, etc. I will try to upload some photos later.

If you don't want to sell it, perhaps you could learn to play it.

I have a Lachenal 30 key and a Lachenal 32 key, both with Rosewood ends and steel reeds. They both require work. I've sent you a PM. Pat

Surely one option must be to return it to the seller and get your money back.The ebay listing said "The concertina is in a good working condition", but, if some of the reeds are out of tune and others don't speak at all, that's hardly good working condition.

We're gone a bit off topic here, but I think I know why Kitty Hayes played in C. I sat with her in her kitchen and played for hours on two Stagi G/D concertinas, which is what she played from the time she returned to music until she made the CD. When the idea of her making a CD was mooted, someone advised her to dump the Stagi and buy a "standard" C/G anglo. I, for one, would have much preferred if she had been recorded her on her beloved Stagi octave box, to which she had a strong emotional attachment, because of who purchased it for her. When she switched to the C/G, she continued playing up and down the row, the same way she had always done, so it came out in C. I think it was a missed opportunity to record one of the last remaining old-style players on an octave box. I'm aware of the C/G octave box that was circulated among six Clare women to make the "Tripping to the Well" CD and I also held it in my hands. But, I am somewhat surprised that it's in C/G - all of the recordings that I have been able to find of Ella Mae O'Dwyer are in F, played on the outside row of an F/C box, a photograph of which I have framed in front of my desk, having got it from Neil Wayne some years ago. If anyone has a recording of Ella Mae O'Dwyer playing in G, I'd love to get it. > But you couldn't rely on them being in C/G and had to take "pot luck": If you wanted to play up and down the row in D & G, you needed a G/D, but the pot luck element remains. By the way, in the meantime, I also ditched the Stagi and I now play up and down the row on a custom-built three row octave box in D/G/F. The F row is so that I can play along with Ella Mae O'Dwyer in the key she recorded in - I'm a big fan! Pat

Not necessarily the case. Some of us still play Irish music in the old style, "on the row", like Kitty Hayes, Ella Mae O'Dwyer and lots of the previous generation of players did. When we say C, we mean C. I understand from Dan Worrall that this style of playing is also popular in South Africa, so it might be that the OP actually meant C, as in C/G or F/C. Pat

If anyone would like to see Cormac, with his range of concertinas, in different keys and octaves, he's starting a tour of Ireland within the coming days - details at: http://www.irishmusic.net/CC/

He is a member of a well-known and well-respected family of West Cork musicians. His mother, now deceased, was recorded by Neil Wayne for his Irish Concertina Styles LP and by Tony McMahon for RTE Television. He has produced his own CD, which he regularly sells on ebay, under the same username. I have bought from him on ebay in the past and I have met him personally a couple of times in Dublin. I would have absolutely no hesitation in buying from him again. ------------------------------ Update: I note that the original listing has been withdrawn due to an error in the listing and the concertina has been re-listed.

I have sent you a PM

I have used donedeal both for buying and selling and I had no problems. It's just an ads site, on which anyone with an email address and a phone can advertise. When I last used it, the cost was 3 euro and the payment method was to phone a premium rate line, which I considered to be quite clever and very easy to use. I think other ads sites now use the same method to collect fees. Like most sites nowadays, they use a contact form for the "contact the seller" link, so email addresses are not exposed. It might be that, because of the payment method, it's limited to people living in Ireland, but I'm not sure about that. Hope this helps.

Some Irish Traditional Music is played in F. For example, the brand new CD of concertina music by Cormac Begley and Jack Talty called Na Fir Bolg has several lovely tracks in F. Cormac plays Bb/F Baritone on some tracks and they both play a variety of concertinas throughout the CD. From the day I got this recording, it instantly became one of my favourite CDs.

Be careful what you wish for! Juergen is a world class instrument maker, who sells his work at below market value, as evidenced by the typical prices which his instruments fetch on the after market. As Geoff (another world-class instrument maker) points out, setting the price when the order is placed is to the benefit of the buyer and not the instrument maker. If Juergen was to close his waiting list and instead sell to the highest bidder as each instrument is completed, he would almost certainly achieve a significantly higher price. This could potentially push prices beyond the reach of budding young musicians and result in a situation where most of his great instruments go into storage, as collectors and well-heeled impulse buyers snap them up. Anyone placing an order is fully aware that the deposit is non-refundable, but also knows that, in all probability, the agreed price will be less than the market price when the concertina is delivered. If, as seems to be the case from other comments, it is allowed to transfer the deposit to another buyer if the original buyer is unable to proceed, then this seems to be a very good deal for the buyer. Pat

Thanks, I have sent you a PM.

Posting for a friend who is not a member of this forum: "Seeking a good quality C/G anglo concertina in playable condition, with at least 30 buttons. Preference for Crabb or Jeffries. Based in Clare, but willing to travel to view." Update 25th October 2010: No longer required. Concertina sourced locally by other methods. Many thanks to those who responded.

I just spotted a typing error in the above listing, which I have now corrected - it is of course stamped "C. JEFFRIES MAKER" and not "G." as originally stated.

I have a lovely 67-key Wheaststone MacCann Duet, which is indeed seeking a new owner. It is in perfect working order, just waiting to be played. It comes with it's original black leather-bound Wheatstome case, which is also in great condition. I am in Dublin, Ireland, so I probably won't be of any assistance to you with the first stage of your buying process, but, let me know when you are ready to buy and I can send you more details. In any case, I will most likely post a separate "MacCann Duet for sale" message on this forum within the relatively near future, as soon as time allows, so you may well see that posting before you have reached stage 2 of your buying process. Of course, if you happen to be visiting Ireland while it's still available, you are very welcome to try it out. Pat

see above

The Lachenal is sold and the relevant donation has been made to this site. I am withdrawing the Jeffries at this time, as I need to think about whether I really want to part with it. I may re-advertise it at a later date. Thanks to everyone who expressed interest.

Dave, Many thanks. You did a really super job on the concertina and it is still in exactly the same great condition as the day I collected it from you. In the meantime, I have decided to have a go at learning the button accordion (melodeon) instead of the concertina, so I'm looking to find a new home for this very fine instrument. Pat

I sent you a PM just before Christmas about a Lachenal Bb/F Baritone Concertina that I have for sale. Once the holidays are over, perhaps you could send me a PM or email to say whether or not you are interested. The F row on the Bb/F baritone is, as far as I am aware, in the same octave as the F row on an F/C box. If you are interested, perhaps the best way to proceed would be to meet up somewhere - either one of us could probably pick up a cheap flight across the Irish Sea.

and sometimes, they count the reeds! A German concertina described as 80-reed (or 90-reed), is, with two reeds per note (and three for the lower notes), actually a 20-key instrument. Also, the German convention is to put the inside row first, so a G/D in anglo terminology is a D/G German terminology, a C/G in anglo is a G/C, etc. And then of course, the German scale goes: C, D, E, F, G, H, C - the letter B is used for B-flat