conzertino

I own a 56-key Boyd Wheatstone, which looks just like this one. Mine has the name H Boyd in the fretwork of the right side. The pictures do not show this detail clearly enough?! Does anybody know how to determine the difference between a Lachenal and a Wheatstone Boyd ( other than from the reed-pans )? This should have an influence on the value.

After some discussion Juliette and I agreed that it must be an English system with with the finger-rests exchanged and a funny air-button...

Yes, we can... Check out this - brand new for 99$ or less...

The main problem seems to be that the poor man may well end up with the wrong concertina-system!!! What music does he want to play? Irish music ( anglo, different notes on push and pull ) or everthing ( English system, same note on push and pull )? It should be possible to find a second hand Chinese box for less then 100 Bucks?!?

It still didn't sell...

I contacted the seller. The box is 7,5" across. He played me a few notes on the phone - so I know that it is a double-extended treble or as you might put it a treble-piccolo?!? It seems to be air-tight and in good condition. She sounded really nice. Not for me though - I had hoped that it was a baritone... And he has a substantial reserve on it.

There is another fine Jeffries for sale at ebay.com here. It looks genuine and sort of reasonable...

This instrument has been on ebay a few times before - and didn't sell at that price...

Did it sell?!? I missed the end..

As far as I know this instrument was sold last weekend at the German-Concertina-Meeting directly?!?

For all of those, who only hang around the "Buy & Sale" ( like myself ) and don't make it into other sections: there are new great little concertina-apps for Ipod-touch and Iphone available!! Michael ( Eskin ) has programmed various systems and they are available now at the apple-store! There is an anglo-version ( Concertina ), where you turn the pod for push or pull, an ES-version ( Englitina ) which does both treble and baritone-range and the new Haydentina ( again with both ranges ). This must be the cheapest Hayden-duet around at 2,39$! I like especially the ButtonBox, which is a ES-fingered Irish accordeon... A McCann duet is on the way and and wireless midi concertinas-app is beeing developed. I must admit that I especially bought me an Ipod-touch to test these apps... They are not quite Aeola-level, but great fun. Last night I practised in bed... And there is much more... Check out this!

Michael, what do I need "on the other side" - what is the simlest test-configuration with - say a laptop?

I suggested to Michael that he should program the left hand as a seperate app ( or with a switch between sides ). So one could stick two Ipods with velcro onto a cardboard-box and play with two hands Hayden-duet....

With a bit of practise it is possible to tell an extended-treble from a tenor-treble on the pictures! First of all is a tenor-treble considerably bigger ( which can be spotted ), secondly can you tell by the position of the lowest keys towards the finger-rest. This is definitely an extended treble! Extended trebles were regarded as the true virtuoso-instruments, hence there are many top concertinas in this range, which is not very useful for folky-players these days. If you listen to Tommy Elliot play his extended box, you know why he needed it....

Sounds incredible!!!

Only two days ago I got my Ipod touch especially for Michael's apps - and immediately bought them all... They are great fun! Thanks Michael!

29815 was a duet in the ledgers ... maybe the serial number stamp is a bit blurred. Chris It definitely is 29816!!

Michael, I am still waiting for a bass Englitina! I own a double-action bass, but there should be better instruments around ( if someone can sample a bass-concertina for eskin!!! ). A bass would offer great new oper-tune-ities! Any luck with dynamics by tilting yet??

I just talked to the seller on the phone, because I didn't beleive him, that it played the same note on push and pull. He seems to be a nice man, but doesn't know anything about concertinas... I heart him play push and pull on several buttons over the phone - and it is definítely not an anglo ( despite the ledgers )!!!!! So either the ledger is wrong or it has been converted to Duet at some stage ( it is definitely not an ES mini! ). So either there is the extremely rare chance, to play a Duet mini - or convert it to Anglo... There is a new policy with ebay that they do not allow foreign bidders, unless the seller has at least 10 positive feedbacks. So do not risk a last minute bid, but get in touch with Marcus and ask him to enable you as a bidder ( which is possible ).

I was very amused by Lot 5. I never imagined such a thing, though Wikipedia tells me they are in common use in Romania. Those price estimates suggest that Bonhams are a bit out of touch. I used to own two of those ( phono-fiddles ) plus a viola. They also made cellos and guitars that way. Originally they were invented so that violinists could record on early cylinder-grammophones ( imagine a quartet aiming their horns at the recording horn... ). They were quite popular in Britain and America. I have seen pictures of phono-fiddles beeing played with brass-bands. And loud they are...

It has been my burning ambition to get hold of a good piccolo-sized treble ES Aeola. As there seem to be very few of them around, I decided to get a set of good Aeola reeds and have a second set of reed-pans made for my piccolo-Aeola - I know that it is possible to fit them in! Can anyone help me? A somewhat immoral option could be to salvage a big run-down Aeola-duet?! Any thoughts of offers?

I bought my 56-key Wheatstone Boyd for 110 Sterling some 35 years ago in Sunderland shortly after I had heard Alistair play his. The fast action and the sharp sound make it a great box for Irish music. The five-fold bellows were exceptionally thin and subtle, so I kept patching them until they finally gave in last year. David Leese made me a new set of 7-fold bellows with very soft leather. They are incredible, but take getting used to, especially when standing up! As my taste of music has changed over the years I now prefer my ebony-ended Aeola ( but I would never part with that Boyd! ).

I do beleive that the English system of fingering and holding is best suited an a keybord on the ipod / phone. However I was thinking of an extended version: The I-cordeon: Use the English system layout, but add various sampled sounds, like Irish accordeon, musette accordeon, medlodeon, bandoneon, harmonium, organ... And - Michael - to turn this toy into a musical instrument add dynamics! If the position-sensor allows 3D positioning, let it play softer when pointed down and louder when pointed up - ideally with an adjustable dynamic rage ( in the setup ). That would even allow some kind of vibrato... Surely dynamics could be introduced by turning the pod - but that wouln't be as elegant... If you want to break out of the c.net boundaries and hit the big billing, change the setup a bit and call it I-synthi!!! Using the "proven" English fingering and dynamic control, add cool sampled and/or synthesized sounds and use the tilt / turn of the pod as a pitch-bend... If you do a bit of work on the skin, you might hit the top of the charts, if the kids take to the I-synti... I wonder, how that would affect the English-concertina prices?!?

Another little change: On the older English instruments the bone buttons not only had the notes engraved, but they were color-coded: both outside rows ( accidentals ) black, inbside rows white, all "C"s red. That would be useful on the beginners-layout!

Thanks so much, Michael!!! Now I have no more excuses to buy me one of those apple-gadgets...