Ed Rennie

Hi Amanda Sorry for the delay in replying, I went on hols. Yes, this is still available. Many thanks Ed

What it says on the tin really. PM me if you have one for sale. Cheers!

Hi Ken They're great concertinas. I'm very new to playing, 40+ years a melodeonista and 18 months for concertina! I also have a GD Marcus deluxe. I love them both, but the Marcus is Wheatstone tuned and the Morse is Jeffries. I figured that as the CG is going to be easier to replace, the Morse needs a new owner. If anyone has a 30 button Marcus Deluxe in CG they want to move on, I am all ears. Ed

Here is my very early Morse Anglo Concertina (No 23) in immaculate condition. It is in Jeffries tuning. In common with the first Morse concertinas, the material used for the gussets became porous over time. The Button Box recalled them all and rectified, but obviously this one missed the boat and was not completely airtight when I bought it. I have had them lined with new leather by Nigel Sture and it's now as sprightly and responsive as it should be. Here are some videos and photographs. You have no idea how much trouble I had reducing the size of the photos. I wanted to make a slide show, as I have take pictures from every facet of the concertina, but I was thwarted by the awful software and my own ineptitude. I would be happy to send the additional 12 photos (one of each face of each end) if that's your idea of a good time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ggDvs5JM9k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Q4KNX8E5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzRFzZeJi28 £2,200 Sorry, I meant £2,000 (US $2,500 or €2,300)plus £20 shipping within UK by Royal Mail Special Delivery I would be happy to ship to the Eire, Europe, USA and Canada but we'd need to discuss that.

Thank you, that's very kind. I''m looking at a number of options at the mo. so don't got knocking yourself out. Cheers Ed

Hi Would you ship to the UK? Many thanks Ed

Morning all (well, at least to those for whom it's morning just now) I thought I'd float this in the general discussion forum as, although it concerns buying an instrument, I'm a long way off from parting with the readies. Yes, I'll explain. I'm after a robust 30 key Anglo to use for playing for dance. I say robust, because i have been a robust melodeon player for darn near 40 years. I have a basic 20 key Lachenal which is coming under heavy fire atm. That's my entry level box ticked, but I need more buttons and would like to move to a decent long term instrument, rather than the intermediate step, if you know what I mean. As with all things, budget is a big consideration so mid range. Now i remember trying a Morse box many years ago at a festival and was very impressed by the weight of it (and price!)compared with a metal ended Lachenal or Wheatstone. Seemed responsive too. But they are now as rare a hen's teeth. So what's about? I've seen Red Cow Music were selling the Concertina Connection Minstrel, which seems to have the same air about it, at least as far as i can tell from the pictures. Also McNeela seem to have some nice looking boxes. But there's the rub. I can only see pictures of various models and makes and being in rural Devon (and at the end of the festival season) i can't lay my hands on anything. And of course i want it NOW! 😄 So. which of the new concertinas have folks tried and what did they think? And we can probably include Marcus's. II guess a good datum for price and weight/playability would be the Morse I tried (assuming it is robust, I never tested that because at the time I was clueless how to play it, so i just noodled a bit). If you've managed to read this far without dozing off (or swearing), well done! Ed

Hi Stephen 12 guineas sounds a lot, so presumably better quality? (I'm such a greenhorn to all this!) Thank you! I'm intrigued by the Louis Lachenal connection. Clearly this is going to be a very deep rabbit hole of which I'm teetering on the edge. Down I go! Ed

Just bought a Wheatstone English concertina, which appears to have the serial number 7520. It has wooden ends with metal buttons and inlay in the corners. Seems sound in wind and limb, but I think the 6 fold bellows are a modern replacement. Can anyone tell me more about it please? Cheers Ed

Hi Stephen That's excellent, thank you! Ed

Hi I have a 20 button Lachenal Anglo and I was wondering if it was very early. The number on the paper on the left side is pretty indecipherable, but inside it bears the number 118070 on both reed plates. Any help gratefully received Cheers Ed

Hi all My how time flies! I'm here once again to do a bit of missionary work. Happily I am once again running both Absolute Beginners and Improvers Melodeon workshops every afternoon from Monday 4th Aug to Friday 8th Aug at Sidmouth Folk Week. Both series will be progressive, so very advisable to start at the beginning. They are at a new venue this year, The Kingswood Room at the Devoran and Kingswood Hotel on the Esplanade. There are two Absolute Beginners workshops, just so I can fit them all in: Workshop I: 16:15 - 17:00 Workshop II: 17:15 - 18:00 No need to be able to read music, but you will need access to a D/G melodeon though, thanks to Spinningpath Arts CIC, I shall have a banks of about 12 melodeons available for those who would like to try out the melodeon, but don't have access to one. They shall be allocated by means of a lottery, forms for which will be available from the Box Office on The Ham. SO it's an ideal opportunity to find out what "those people" have been on about! The Improvers Workshops (if you are already a closet member of "those people") is where we look at different techniques and sneaky stuff for showing off. They are at 14:45 - 16:00 each day. Again music reading is not necessary, but you will need access to a D/G melodeon and be able to play a few tunes with simple bass accompaniment. So there we are, tell the world! You never know, someone might be interested ... Ed:-)

Hi Gary Ta for asking and Yes there is! £25 + £8.50 p&p will get one winging it's way to you. Go to Paypal and send to account spinningpath.music@hotmail.co.uk Sorry you can't do direct from the website at the mo, it wouldn't lt me do drop down menues. But that's got me thinking. Hmmm... Ed

Hi Paul You're not wrong. I already bent their ear about this earlier! Ed

Hi all. I decided this was the best place to post this as there doesn't seem to be a topic heading for instruments of a lesser god. And I can't remember if I told you about it at the time, apologies if I did and or indeed didn't, but there is more news now. So, for them as might be interested, read on... The Melodeon Tutor by Ed Rennie Three years in the writing, The Melodeon Tutor is published this Summer. Starting from absolute beginners the step by step approach takes you through the mysteries of playing the D/G melodeon all the way to advanced techniques playing in C major and A Major. There is no need to be able to read music with this book as Ed has devised a unique numbering system to get you playing from the start. It’s also handy for explaining the more complicated fingering patterns. Many who have been taught by Ed have inadvertently learned how to read music as a by-product of this system! This 54 page book comes with a 42 track CD, so you can hear what things are supposed to sound like. It also comes with a DVD of 30 video clips with right and left hand techniques shown in close up. Sometimes the written word just isn’t enough. Finally I have managed to set up a website so that one can buy The Melodeon Tutor book online instead of messing about with emails back and forth and all that malarky! http://www.spinningpathmusic.co.uk/ I'm more than happy to ship worldwide you'll just need to check with me for the postage to lands outside the UK using err... emails back and forth and all that malarky. Ah... Thank you for your indulgence Ed