Hereward

I was in Vermont staying with a friend a year ago and played my concertina on his porch a few times. Once a woodchuck came out of some nearby trees and sat a few yards away, whether in disgust at being disturbed or appreciatively I can't say.

That's where my bolt is placed David and I'm pretty certain that's the same as Robin did. So you're correct in every respect.

That is a fine looking instrument.

Since they forced metric sizes on us in England, it's 6 mm (a bit under 1/4 inch in real measurements.)

Thanks for posting this: nice tune and playing I think.

I've certainly never heard a better version of Lord Franklin.

ukmanohnzI bet you won't regret your decision to plump for the Minstrel. I am definitely a long way from being a natural musician. In fact, I struggle with it much more than anyone else I know of who has learnt to play. Experience has taught me that I have to have a reasonable instrument to have any chance at all. Less expensive models prove just too difficult to play, which just adds to the frustration and so on.

It is certainly interesting that your instrument features this because none of the others I have heard tell of do.

That is a shame. Call me a romantic but 'Phoenix' sounds better than 'no name at all'.

Thank you. So it sounds to me that mine is similar to yours. John Connor is now retired.

The whole instrument was built by Connor except for the reed pans and reeds which are Wheatstone. I don't know anything else about it.

Is the 'Shire' by Connor? I have seen his own models named down the middle as it were and I suppose that may be what you refer to. Edited because I now see it is another maker.

My John Connor Rebuild Anglo has the usual round hole on either metal end-plate for the maker's name but they are both blank and just empty holes. Is this usual and/or a problem? I don't want to mess with this and cover them (by making a label) unless it's thought necessary. However, the maker's name doesn't appear anywhere that I can find and that may mean in years to come, when it gets passed on, no-one may remember who made it.

I'm a beginner and also learning this tune. Your playing sounds to me like you've made a pretty good fist of it already.

Works fine for me in the UK.