RP3

In speaking of hex cases, Carroll Concertinas has begun delivering their concertinas in a freshly designed hex case. The workmanship is beautiful. I have one of these cases and previously had a molded hex case. Hex cases can have their drawbacks which include being difficult to keep the case in place when inserting or removing the concertina. Some can “dump” the concertina out if the latch becomes undone while carrying - that is not an issue with the Carroll case which has double latched straps to protect the case from accidental opening. In general, I would say that the small rectangular cases currently made for concertinas are best for handling and stability, but cases like the Carroll one are well cushioned inside, are beautiful supplements for your “kit”, and do an excellent job of protecting the instrument inside - possibly a better job of protection than rectangular cases. Just one man’s opinion. Ross Schlabach

A couple of things that have been under discussed in this thread: weight and button spacing. Some years ago I ordered a new Ab/Eb concertina from Suttner with 38 buttons with my thinking being similar to others here about chords and the like. I quickly discovered that the instrument was much heavier than my 30 button Jeffries and the button spacing was more cramped. I re-sold it In short order and at the same time regretted my original choice because in hind sight I probably would have been delighted with a Suttner 30 button Ab/Eb. Ross Schlabach

Years ago at one of the Noel Hill US concertina classes, 1996 IIRC, one of our classmates brought a new (to him) 26 button Jeffries Anglo concertina as originally tuned in A/E. While obviously being a bit short on notes, that was one fine sounding instrument. Why it was tuned at that pitch combination no one knows, but when it sounds that good - who cares?! Was great on airs. Ross Schlabach

On account of advancing age and creeping arthritis I have decided to start thinning my small flock of concertinas. The one I’m selling is a nice 30 bone button C Jeffries that was fully restored (pads, valves, new action boards, tuning and dark green bellows) by Greg Jowaisas. It has a nice action and the sound is a bit more mellow and less barky than some Jeffries. I have another CG Jeffries so this one is one more than I really need. I will be in Raleigh, NC for the next two weeks if you would like to try it out in person - which I highly recommend. After that I will be back in Western NC 45 miles South of Asheville. The asking price is $7,000 (includes a hard case) plus actual shipping and insurance, and payment by PayPal please. Availability limited to lower 48 states. I’ve posted some pictures. If you need more, let me know. Ross Schlabach rpsqueezer*@*gmail.com.

Hi Everett, Play it safe and only use Registered Mail from the US Post Office. Everyone who handles the package has to sign for it, so risk of loss is much, much lower than FedEx and UPS. IIRC, there is a limit on the total insurance, but IMHO it is the best way to go if a bit slower. Ross Schlabach

Paul I never suggested that you ever implied that my concertina was a Jeffries. I clearly said it was a Crabb but had the additional stampings, etc. that went along with the Crabb history from Geoffrey Crabb’s musings as recounted in the ICA article. And in case there is anybody in doubt, you only ever represented that concertina to me as the Crabb that it was!! And a wonderful Crabb indeed. Jake you hit the nail on the head. Those two accidental row buttons were the culprits - mainly the A/Bb. I also had a 28 button CG Jeffries with an awesome sounding A/Bb to compare to so I knew how they could sound! Ross Schlabach

Many years ago I was looking for a better CG Anglo and Paul Groff sold me one he had been playing for some time. It looked very much like a Jeffries (end plates, bellows stamping, bellows papers) but was in fact a Crabb with the oval cartouche left blank. But that was not all. It bore a hand engraved brass plate on the right side frame and the plate read “Rushworth & Draeper, Islington”. AND if you looked very carefully at the wooden side frames, you could see the remains of a stamping “& Co, London”. So this instrument very likely was intended for Ball Beavon & Co. but before it was delivered, the ends were redone and it was ultimately sold by Rushworth & Draeper. This is my conclusion. It was in fact an excellent playing instrument with good tone and nice action. It was let down only by a couple of lower notes that didn’t have the fullness of the rest of the instrument. That concertina helped my playing advance a good bit during my early years with the instrument. Ross Schlabach

Olivia, You are misinformed. There is at least one concertina repairman south of Tennessee and he is quite well-known. He is Bob Tedrow at Homewood Musical Instrument Co and he even has his own line of concertina models ranging from Anglo, to English, to Duet. Good man to know! Ross SCHLABACH

Everett, that rice sounds very reasonable and maybe even a bit low. If it plays beautifully and sounds good, the only thing you might want to do is open it p t check the condition of the wood and the reeds: looking for rust on reeds or brass reeds substituted for steel reeds, and make sure all wood appears sound with no cracks or loose pieces. If available, having an experienced concertina repairman doing that inspection would be best. But, the fact that it sounds and plays well is a good indication of a nice find. Ross SCHLABACH

It was very nicely played. And if that box had been on this side of the pond, I’d be wanting to bring it home. Ross Schlabach

Played hammer dulcimer at the time and bought my first Irish CD: Noel Hill. Was smitten. Couldn’t play tunes fast enough on dulcimer, didn’t like tuning every day, and the HD was too heavy to carry around much, SO….. Found an Anglo nearby and I was hooked. Still can’t play fast enough! But I have fun playing with friends. I’d like to play at home more but my Aussie commences howling as soon as I hit the first note! Ross Schlabach

TJ, If you go to the Concertina Connection website, it still lists Clover as being sold and the expected delivery time. If interested, you might want to check again. Ross SCHLABACH

Ciaran, was one of the stolen Dippers a Shantyman? If so, this could be it. Ross Schlabach

Judging from the anchor and cable bellows end stamping, I’m guessing that this is a Shantyman model. It is a shame that there are no end photos or reliable information. Then, since they won’t ship to US, it is a moot point for moi! Ross Schlabach

Also try melodeon.net. They focus on accordions. Ross Schlabach

Kim, I Too have big hands and find Lachenal and Wheatstone concertinas generally too small for my hands. But Crabb, Ball Beavon and Jeffries concertinas work just fine. Surprisingly, the sizes of these three brands is usually about 1/4" smaller across than the Lachenal and Wheatstones, but the button layout on the Crabbs, etc are more open. This is what helps with big hands, not the overall size of the instrument. In fact I am more comfortable playing my Jeffries than a Wheatstone sized concertina. So unless your hands are really much bigger than my "farmers hands", concertina size is not the issue. Now, if you are sure you want lots of extra buttons, then size can be an issue.

Alex, you put the green marks in the wrong place. If you look carefully on either side of his second finger, you can see the edges of two buttons which would properly align with the rest of your green marks to create a uniformly spaced outer row. When Jeffries created 28 or 26 button instruments, he left off the top button on each outer row and shifted the remaining buttons toward the upper side (closest to the thumbs). I have a 28 button Bb/F and had a 28 button C/G with that pattern, have friends with 26 button models and I never have seen any <30 button Anglo Jeffries with the uneven button spacing you have suggested. Though I haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but I believe it is highly unlikely. Ross Schlabach

While i cannot personally confirm that it was exactly 5” across, there was a small 30 button Jeffries concertina at the 1997 NE Squeeze-In IIRC and that instrument belonged to Noel Hill. That same instrument was featured at the time in Big Nick’s Concertina Guide on the web but the guide is no longer posted. Never heard it play but I can vouch for it’s existence. Ross Schlabach

I remember that Mark Bickford had a 26 button A/E that Noel Hill played at our 1996 NHICS class at Bucksteep. He was able to play some wonderful tunes on that old box, and I agree with Larry that this pitch combination was delightful. Ross Schlabach

While my session playing days are now over and I was never that good, I can say fairly that “using dots” is not just frowned on in many sessions, but it has the ability to ruin a session. There are several reasons. Unless you only play in a single session with just people who play the tune exactly as your dots represent it, your following the dots can leave you out of step with any changes or variations that arise. And what do you do when they switch to a second or third tune in a set? Do you madly flip pages? Irish music in sessions is, in most instances, fluid while dots are not. Following dots, you aren't able to adapt because you can’t listen, play, and read at the same time. I imagine there are fixed sessions where Dots can find a place, but I would encourage you to develop your ear and learn as many tunes by ear as possible. Sit out for the tunes you don't know or are not yet comfortable with, and cheerfully join in on the tunes that are truly in your fingers. Then you can really sit in and enjoy participating in a session. Ross Schlabach

Thanks to all for suggestions. Distance doesn’t help: he has good hearing and kicks off when I do! The conditioning option is the only real hope. So before I open the concertina case, I put on my dog treat pouch. As soon as I start playing and Finney starts to sing along, I tell him to be quiet. If He does, he gets a treat. Of course to give him the treat, I have to stop playing so he gets double reinforcement. So I am not sure who is training who. But at least I’ve been able to squeeze out a few tunes - in peace and quiet! Ross Schlabach

Gosh Greg! How is Suzanne going to deal with your ego now! And the fishing. What with that glowing halo, you will never be able to sneak up on a choice rainbow or brown again. ? Ross Schlabach PS: I own several Jowaisas-restored Fine concertinas and I have to second the glowing kudos being bestowed - even if he is supposed to be retired and out fly fishing!!

As some of you already know, I have been playing the Anglo for better or worse since 1996. I have acquired some wonderful instruments and even enjoy practicing. But something unexpected has drastically affected my relationship with the concertina. In late July, I brought home a wonderful furry new friend - our latest Australian Shepherd - Fintan. And to my shock, when I took my concertina out for some long overdue practice, with the first note my playing was immediately accompanied by the joyful howl of my puppy dog. I tried different pitch models, I tried moving to the other end of the house from the dog, but his impeccable hearing allowed him to chime in no matter where, no matter when. Since that day I have not been able to play a single tune unaccompanied. What do I do - short of parting with our otherwise adorable pooch? Ross Schlabach

I would like to touch on two issues: one mentioned in previous responses and one not. First, as mentioned, the C/G offers the user the ability to cross rows on account of note duplication between the keys of C and G. This is a big deal. I have attempted to play tunes along the rows as might be done on a G/D, and I recognize that this was a style used in Ireland some time ago - and there may still be some adherents to this method. But the compactness of playing available when playing across the rows which allows one to make the best use of their first two fingers of each hand - the strongest ones with the most inherent dexterity - is the key to speed and timing which is integral to really good playing. The other thing is that C/G was not as prevalent as previous posters might have you believe. The first concertinas to make it into Ireland came from Germany and were more likely D/G. Later, many of the vintage C/G concertinas players rely on today started out in their lives other keys with Bb/F being a common tuning, and these concertinas were frequently retuned to C/G once the benefits of that latter tuning became known and accepted. The Salvation Army were known to order groups of Anglo concertinas and many of these concertinas were ordered in Bb/F but today many of those same instruments have been retuned to C/G. In this Chicken vs the Egg argument, it is hard to prove what came first but I suspect that C/G became the tuning of choice through trail and error where the speed and fingering advantages showed up. And when 30 button anglos started to become available, then the deal was sealed. One man's opinion. Ross Schlabach

Tony, another possibility. Do you have the reedpans that the C/G reeds will be coming from? If so, and you can not use the donor concertina body/bellows anyhow, then there is the possibility that you can fit the C/G reedpans into the Bb/F concertina with the C/G reeds in their original slots. The fit may not be precise but occasionally the judicious addition of more chamois in the recipient concertina bellows frames will allow the C/G reedpans to fit. Otherwise as everybody else has already told you, your suggested plan will be difficult. Ross Schlabach