RP3

As fast as we alert eBay and our fellow squeezers, the crooks do it again: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-C-Jeffries-anglo-concertina-/281054226437?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4170232805 Same instrument, etc. the shocking thing is that these cretins have managed to steal so many legitimate eBay IDs! Ross Schlabach

Wow! A concertina with an interesting provenance. I even saw the movie. Ross Schlabach

Just spotted this new listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheatstone-43-Key-Piccolo-English-Concertina-W-6-Fold-Bellows-/290846566383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b7ce67ef Looks to be in excellent condition, but the owner doesn't know much about concertinas. So, there's some kind of story there. Ross Schlabach

I think that one possible reason the scammers want to use private contact is that they have stolen an eBay identity and the private contact will go to a separate e-mail address and the legitimate owner of the identity won't be aware of the activity on his/her account. It also can make it harder to track the bogus identity thief. Ross Schlabach

The two potentially scam Tina's are back up again: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vintage-W-Jeffries-English-Concertina-with-Original-Leather-Case-c-1920s-/300845787546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460bce699a http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-C-Jeffries-anglo-concertina-/300845787370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460bce68ea These were two instruments that sold recently and can be seen on eBay's completed auctions. They were both bought by the same buyer, but his feedback was 6 and this "Seller" is 288 so the likelihood that the auctions are legit is low. And they both have these "Contact me before you bid" nonsense. So buyer beware. Ross Schlabach

Paul, was your old Rushworth & Draper badged Crabb a John Crabb? I remember it as having nice tone and excellent action. Regards, Ross Schlabach

You can get the info you are looking for indirectly at the Suttner Concertina website. On his catalog page, you can access a PDF file for the 31 button Wheatstone C/G button layout and just drop each note by one full step to get the info you are looking for. Understand that (for most concertinas that have not been modified), the only real differences between the Wheatstone and Jeffries note layouts are concentrated on the right hand outside row of buttons and the bottom button on the right hand inside row. Otherwise, the other notes are identical between the two models. Hope that helps, Ross Schlabach

I don't remember where I heard this, but I remember hearing that Chris is planning to do some home remodelling and was selling off some special tinas to fund the project. If accurate, there's no need to worry for our most prominent concertina dealer AND there may be a once in a lifetime to scoop up rare concertinas. Ross Schlabach

Hi Flo, I was tickled to see your new website and even more pleased to hear you are going to be back at the Southeast Tionol next February. Please bring some of your lovely waltzes for us to learn. Ross Schlabach

OK, Greg has delicately dragged me into this thread, so here goes. I have two 28 button Jeffries concertinas: one C/G and one Bb/F. Lets just focus on the C/G. When you play in the keys of C & G, the 28 button plays just like a 30 button because you don't normally have to venture into the third row. BUT, when you move to the key of D, all bets are off. Trips to the low A and the low C# are expeditions into the great unknown because they are each displaced one position to the bottom from the layout on a 30 button. Greg is correct, these notes require the use of the pinkie or some form of awkward finger crossovers. And on the right side, the first button is C#/D# and it is in the second position. The rest of the third row RH notes are in the same positions as they occupy on a 30 button Jeffries layout. If you didn't before, you now know where the most important 3rd row notes are. But how does it play? Just like a Jeffries should. Because I didn't find the differences crippling, I bought from Greg the Bb/F member of my brace of 28 b Jeffries. I buy concertinas based on their tone and playability, and the 28 button Jeffries models are just as capable and desirable as their more profusely buttoned brothers (sisters). They have neither an advantage nor disadvantage where tone is concerned IMHO. But they do offer fingering challenges. Tunes like Master Crowleys and The Morning Lark require convenient access to the low A. My 28 b Jeffries only has one low A at the bottom of the third row, while 30 b models frequently have a second one at the bottom of the G row on the draw. So tunes like the two I mentioned force one to attack the low A with the pinkie or substitute a higher pitched A from the top of the C row (LH). Probably the greater challenge is the C# because its location puts it somewhere between the the optimum position for operation by either pinkie or third finger -- kind of a Neverland! you just have to work on it and see which finger works better for you. As for the right hand side, I decided I didn't really need the D# all that much and put a second C# in its place. So the right side feels very much like that of the 30 b. If one practices regularly, the switch from 30 b to 28 b can be done virtually seamlessly. And since 28 b Jeffries can usually be had for slightly less $$$$ and gets ignored by the folks madly looking for 30 b models, you can have a very nice Jeffries at a more attractive price. Don't get me wrong, I am not recommending a 28 b in preference to a 30 b! But if the 28 b comes your way at an attractive price, go for it. You can always search for that 30 b while happily playing away on your 28 b. Remember, John Williams won his All Ireland with a 28 b Jeffries. Need I say more? Ross Schlabach

Bmhester, you didn't mention what kind of music you are interested in playing. If Irish or Morris is your primary interest then the logical first choice is an Anglo. If you would want to play in lots of different keys, then an English model might be a better choice. The Anglo play very much like a harmonica with an in/out bellows movement as you go up the scale and notes are in order as you go up the scale on a row. The English model is quite different in that it plays the same note whether you squeeze or pull on the bellows. And notes alternate between the left and right side and between your index and second fingers as you proceed up the scale. Many people favor this system and can play quite fast on it, but I find it almost unfathomable and prefer the Anglo. Of course the English players can equally denounce the alternating bellows as being a pain. So it probably boils down to what you think you can your mind and fingers would be most comfortable with. And with a rental, if one doesn't suit, you can always try the other style. Lastly, your profile doesn't say where in the Southeast US you call home. I live about 40 miles South of Asheville and would be glad to let you see and try out an Anglo if you live close. And, as a no cost extra bonus, I have a nearby (less than a mile) English concertina playing friend who I am sure would let you try one of her English models too. Good luck on your search? Ross Schlabach

For the purpose you mentioned, some of the miniature concertinas would fill the bill. While they are small and have less than 30 buttons, they are fully capable of playing music. Noel Hill plays a very small Jeffries miniature Anglo. Of course miniatures are pitched in higher octaves and usually only have enough notes to support playing in one key, but they can make fabulous music and are quite challenging to play. These do come up for sale from time to time with differing sizes and number of keys. Randy Merris has compiled an interesting history on miniatures but I don't know if it has been published yet. You could check with him on through this website to see where to access it.It may be on ICA. Randy could also be a good contact for where to find one to buy. Ross Schlabach

The Dipper Clare model is one of the smallest 30 b models at 5-5/8" but I remember a couple of friends having 30 b Lachenals that may have been smaller. I do remember the latter were too small for my hands but the Dipper is not. And I don't remember if the Lachenals were even C/Gs? The real limiting factors are chamber and reed sizes. To stay in the C/G range, you can only get them so small. While your question may have been exclusively academic, from a practical standpoint an Anglo smaller than the Clare model would likely be very difficult for most players to manage. Just not enough room for the button spacing to serve normal size hands, and I's hate to be the guy bending and installing the levers and springs!! Ross Schlabach

There's a nice one on eBay right now with a Buy It Now price of $1,800 but unfortunately it is located in Kansas USA: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tedrow-C-G-Anglo-30-button-aeola-style-concertina-/190741533598?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6914d39e Just mentioned it in case...... Ross Schlabach

Shelly, I'm sure you didn't mean to demean him by calling them "homeworked", but just so folks know, Greg is making top quality bellows in his own shop after making bellows for Carroll Concertinas for a number of years. He recently completed a lovely set of bellows for a me on a Jeffries that he fully resurrected from the dead, and it is now an instrument of both cosmetic and aural beauty: a real keeper! On mine and now on this latest Lachenal, Greg has gotten new and finer stamps for use in embossing the end runs, and the results are excellent. If anybody needs a new bellows for their concertina here in the US, I would think that they couldn't do better than to contact Greg. Obviously, I am a very satisfied customer!! Ross Schlabach

That's an interesting approach Moira but Dipper is not the same as somebody doing a garage sale. Other than instrument repairs, his prime business is the manufacture and sale of concertinas which IMHO most likely falls under the category of tangible personal property. Based on my reading of the text, overseas sales get no special treatment: they are considered the same as something bought in the next state over. Most states want everyone to voluntarily report and effectively pay sales taxes on all purchases brought into the state. This is the crux of the battles between states and Amazon. But once the state becomes formally aware of a purchase as it might easily with items coming through customs, the buyer becomes a deer in the headlights and states are currently too needy to let these kinds of revenue opportunities pass. And since, in addition to the tax, penalties can also be assessed for non-compliance, it just isn't worth it to try and fight it. Better to pay the tax and get out of the Revenue Dept's crosshairs. Ross Schlabach

That is not the best way to have bellows redone IMHO. It is better to send the entire instrument to the bellows maker. That way he/she can check the fit and make sure that the bellows fitting doesn't mis-align the end mounting holes by distorting the frames. And, they can Custom fit the chamois and adjust the corner blocks as necessary for an airtight fit of the reed pans. Ross Schlabach

While the focus of this thread may be toward more modest bellows, I'd like to recommend someone who can make top quality bellows -- including papers and embossing. Greg Jowaisas has just finished a high end concertina for me and, included in the full restoration of the rest of the instrument, he made me an outstanding new bellows. People (myself included) have talked up Greg on this forum for quality concertina tuning and repairs, but he also makes some of the finest bellows available. Check out these photos from this Jeffries he just delivered to me at the Midwest NHICS. Ross Schlabach

I think you would be much better off getting a Rochelle than one of these other CSOs (concertina shaped objects)! Any extra expense will pay dividends in playability and reliability. Ross Schlabach

Before you jump, be aware of three things: first is that concertina sizes vary so what may fit one model may not fit another. The second and more important thing is that the old cases were hard on the contents. They sat upright which can cause the valves on one side of the concertina to droop - something not good for the playability of the instrument. These cases also can be hard on the wooden ends and the bellows too since there is no inside padding. Overall, a modern case is much better for your concertina. Ross Schlabach

I'm aware of several D/A tuned 12 sided Wheatstones -- Grey Larson has one. These were custom made by Wheatstone for customers in the Cincinatti, Ohio area. If I remember correctly, at least Grey's came with a second set of reedpans but I don't remember their tuning. If you check back on old threads you can probably determine when these were made because they've been discussed before.. Greg J. will likely remember, but he's currently at Irish Arts week. But, I don't think that many were made in that tuning. Ross Schlabach

When I started checking out the pictures, I began to wonder if there were any of concertina players? But with a touch of patience, I found them. And I must say that in the almost 20 years that I've known Noel Hill, I have never seen him so dressed up and brushed down! A lovely group of photos. Thanks Peter. Ross Schlabach

If I'm not mistaken, Ben was the seller. Ross Schlabach

Wonder if William Kimber was related to the famous founder of the MG Car Company, Cecil Kimber. As a lover of both concertinas and old MGs, that would be a wonderful convergence of interests for me. Ross Schlabach

David, I agree that Tunepal is not all that accurate. Not even sure it hits the mark 50% of the time. I accept that my playing could affect the results but on a couple of occasions I repeatedly played a tune I knew into the Record function, and each time it gave me a different answer. But sometimes it is spot on. I think it is best to try to use it to see if it will point you in the right direction. Since I can read dots and can whistle, I can select the tune it names first and let it pull up the sheet music. With a quick scan of the melody, I can tell if it has identified the tune I was looking for or completely missed the boat. In any case, it can occasionally be a useful tool to help track down elusive tunes and their names. Regards, Ross Schlabach