Lofty

Put a finger through the hole in the reed pan and pull firmly. It should come out but might be a tight fit. As already said, putting your finger through towards the smaller area of the reed pan might help. Before looking for complicated/difficult solutions, check that the reed frame hasn’t become loose in its slot. Just pushing it back into place might do the job. If the problem recurs with the same reed, a very thin paper shim (cigarette papers are good) at the wide end of the reed frame should help it to stay in place. Don’t shim the middle of the reed frame as this might bend it inwards, thus touching the reed. Steve

Excellent video. Well worth watching. Steve

Definitely try before you buy if you can, based on my experience. I have owned English system Edeophones and never really liked them. I wasn't happy with the tone, volume, responsiveness. I used them as “reserves”, but sold them eventually. Against my experience (and my advice above!) I bought a small (46 button) MacCann Edeophone without trying it. I think it’s a great instrument: fast, responsive, loud, great tone etc. It was meant as a smaller, lighter, alternative to my large (69 button) MacCann Aeola but I prefer playing it, despite its limited range. I wish I had a large Edeophone which was as good as the small one as well! Steve

If you take your finger off the button momentarily when you change directions, you should avoid this problem. It will also make your playing a bit “crisper”. Steve

I agree with what Geoff said earlier. If you can, try a Wheatstone Model 22 or 24. I find Aeolas to be quite “polite” tonally, on the whole. Model 22s or 24s can sound significantly more “pushy”. Steve

Colin Dipper tuned my Wheatstone Model 24 in 1994. It has been played a lot since then and its tuning is still excellent. I recently looked at the set of a few reeds which needed a bit more pressure than others to start sounding and that is much better now. I think it’s probably not the reeds: more likely to be valves or reed shoes being a bit loose. Perhaps modern homes with low humidity are to blame. Others who have more experience of maintenance and tuning may have different opinions. Steve

The ledger for this serial number is available online and you can see the relevant page at http://www.horniman.info/DKNSARC/SD01/PAGES/D1P0270L.HTM The ledger entry shows that it was made in 1912. Enjoy your concertina! Steve

For a moment I thought you were going to say you would practise in the river..... Steve

Thanks for that, Dowright. Steve

I have a 46 button MacCann Edeophone, serial number 2097, which I thought dates from about 1910. The large Lachenal MacCann discussed in the Buy and Sell forum is claimed to date from 1891 and has the serial number 2093. As as there are no ledgers, 1891 seems over precise and I imagine that Lachenal produced more MacCanns than those dates and serial numbers suggest. Does anybody have any information which would clarify the date of mine, please? Steve

Rod. When your quote refers to the size of the bellows, it means the cross sectional area, not the number of folds which the bellows has. This is a different issue from what McDouglas was asking about. Steve

People tend to advise against using these boxes. If the concertina is kept in one, and the box is stood on its base, the valves hang down and will tend to form a permanent curl. It is better to store a concertina on its side for this reason. Of course, you could keep the box on its side. In addition, if the concertina fits too tightly inside the box, it can be hard to remove it. This can result in damage to the instrument. If you still really want one, Chris Algar from Barleycorn Concertinas often has them. I expect most other dealers and repairers will come across them quite often. Steve

If it’s in such a bad state, you don’t have a lot to lose. Why not not buy the book I mentioned earlier and use your duet to learn about concertina repair, tuning and maintenance? These are skills which will be useful in the future as most instruments are likely to need a bit of tweaking now and then. Steve

Removing the reeds should be simple: just push the shoes out. Tuning them is another matter. It isn’t just a matter of where to file. Unsuitable filing will destroy the reeds and they are probably the most important part of the instrument. It is best done by somebody who has built up the necessary skills. I suggest you buy a copy of the Concertina Maintenance Manual by David Elliot. It is full of helpful information on maintenance, tuning, etc. Steve

How did you resolve it? Others who have a similar problem might like to know..... It is potentially useful to have a recording of a problem, then a solution. Steve