Hello to all. I'm newly registered to the forums, having followed some interesting links to here posted on thesession.org site by mutual member Ptarmigan (who I've heard only good things about, and who I hope to run into one of these days, perhaps at a session on the north coast somewhere..)
I have to confess that I've signed up here through a profound sense of guilt. I bought a concertina years ago, with the honest and earnest intention of teaching myself the basics, and playing it for my own amusement. That hasn't happened, because
1) I found that whatever limited co-ordination I have couldn't handle the EC fingering; and
2) Whenever I want to make a bit of music, I can't stop myself reaching for a convenient stringed instrument.
The result is that it's spent most of the last decade or so in a succession of cupboards, unplayed; hence the guilt.
So, I would like to pass it on to someone who wants to play it, and maybe give it the mild fettling it probably deserves.
I'm no expert in concertina matters, but this is my best shot at a description:-
Wheatstone 48 key Treble, serial number 6232 (which I guess dates it to 1854, though I don't see it in the sales ledgers), rosewood ends, white metal buttons (each button in the middle two rows save the Cs [wear?] being stamped with the note letter), 5 fold green bellows (look mainly leather), and brass reeds (but see below) in what seems to me to be concert pitch.
The general condition appears to be good, and probably original. It's obviously been fettled at some time in the past, as four or five of the reeds seem to have been replaced with steel ones. Bizarrely, these include the modification of replacing the right-hand A reed, on the draw only, with Aflat. I can't think why this might have been done, except to facilitate particular harmonies; obviously, there's a Gsharp key next to it, but the two are tuned about an eighth-tone apart. Otherwise, the fretwork and so forth is complete, all notes sound identical both ways, and apart from one or two tiny marks (mainly by the end screws), I can't see any other obvious defects save a tiny hole in each of the two corners of the right-hand bellows fold which would be most likely to chafe against the player.
It has a velvet-lined mahogany case which has seen better days, and which is missing its key.
I'm afraid I don't have the technology to post photos here, but if a helpful teenager happens by, I'll add some!
My idea is simply to see if any of this community is interested in it, and leave it open to offers. I'll not be offering it elsewhere for some time at least, if ever, and I definitely won't be listing it on Ebay! I don't have a particular price in mind, but it seems like a nice instrument; you'll have a much better idea of its value to a player than I. And if it does sell through any contact made on this site, it goes without saying that I'll make a donation.
If there's anything you want to know that I haven't touched on, please contact me any way you like. And if anyone would like to come and have a look, you're very welcome; I'm near the Lisburn Road in Belfast, and the kettle is always handy.
Thanks for reading this, and all the best,
Jerry.
