Latticino

Wow that's pretty, and huge bellows. Do I count 10 folds?

I'll be going for the first time, which makes sense as I'm essentially a rank beginner with the concertina. For those who have attended in the past, I know that bringing other instruments is encouraged, but what about sales of non-free reed instruments? I've got a small collection of inexpensive instruments that I no longer use that I would love to get off the shelf. Anything from an old 5-string Harmony Bakelite Banjo to a Xaphoon that my wife thought I would be interested in. Should I bother bringing these for the sale table, or is the group so free reed centered that it would be a waste of time? Thanks

Rob, Greg is a great guy and has a tremendous selection of repaired vintage concertinas. I was going thru the same search as you a couple of months ago and he really helped me out with a lovely instrument. If you just want to get a feel for what a concertina is like you may want to try the Rochelle that is listed elsewhere on this site for sale. Most will agree it is a good starter instrument, and at the listed price I don't think yo can go wrong. Good luck.

In this particular case to scammer appears to have stolen another person's account. That is why the listing requires the potential buyer to go directly to the seller not thru e-bay proper. As a general rule this is unsafe and certainly not encouraged by e-bay (as they don't get their cut). The real question is why they even allow this kind of a listing to be posted, though I guess it is just due to the huge volume of listings they have worldwide. Jim-Labs is a whole different kettle of fish. They sell a pretty wide variety of instruments, mostly lower end I believe. There you get what you pay for, and their prices do seem relatively lower than the competition (though be aware that they often have used instruments that they take in as an exchange). I'm not sure that they are qualified to check out a used instrument (or do any repairs), so it is a caveat emptor with them. In general I've had fairly good luck buying instruments off e-bay, once I educated myself on what to expect, but even better success going directly to previous owners or semi-professional repairers via sites like this one. The best guidelines I can give for e-bay purchases is: if the deal seems too good to be true it probably is...

Am I missing something or did this one just go for about a third of it's value? Wheatstone Anglo 40B

I will definitely attend, bringing my wonderful(new to me)Anglo 26 button C/G antique Nickolds concertina. Of course this has already had Greg's capable hands-on renovation, but I look forward to meeting him face to face and learning more about keeping it in tip-top shape. Any idea which day/s you will be holding the workshop and when that will be (hopefully during the afternoon lecture time)?

I'm sure the puppy would be happy to help you with the chewing. She is 8-weeks old, and bidding fair to be a great chewer indeed. Rescue dog, so no real idea of what kind of mixed breed, though foster caregivers said Rat terrier and bulldog mix...

Finally got the right hand side open. Did end up breaking off the head of one endbolt, but I don't suppose this will be completely impossible to replace. Are they ever just screwed directly into the wood? I don't see any kind of end bolt nut at all, though the end bolts do show signs of being screwed into some kind of brass nut (perhaps below the surface of the bellows frame?). Fortunately I was able to remove the headless end bolt, so at least I have a pattern to work from if I'm going to try to remachine one. End bolts themselves appear to be steel, not brass. Is that typical, or perhaps they are nickel silver??? Vinyl tape made it tough to remove the padboard, but once that was taken off it wasn't too hard to lever it off. The good news now is that I have STEEL REEDS in screwed on brass shoes (typical Lachenal style hook and post mechanism as well). The bad news is that one pair is missing . That is going to be tricky to replace. Counting keys it appears that the two reeds missing are for the last key on the second row (E/B ). Coincidentaly there is a pad missing from this location as well, but I doubt that the previous restorer would have removed the reeds for that reason, as the open holes would have worked like an open air valve. Can't honestly imagine why they would have been removed,but guess that is something else to add to the list. All pads and valves are shot (only to be expected I guess), but so far springs are still good. Quite a bit of slop in the holes the keys fit into in the padboard, but none broken so far either. IF I can get the face reassembled I am considering bushing all the keys as well. Also reedpan has a fairly profound dish to it, but I would guess that is the result of pressure over the years on a thin piece of wood supported only on the edges? Rather daunting project so far. Think the first order of business is going to be repair to the main cabinetry. Appears that virtually all glue joints have given up the ghost. Not sure whether the face will be repairable. Since it isn't particularly nice wood, perhaps I should think about replacing it altogether? One small piece of vinyl tape on the inside fold of the bellows as well. Clearly someone has been inside this box since it was built. Mr Google says that vinyl tape came out in 1946, so the repairs must postdate this at least. Sorry of the long post. If you have read this far I applaud your patience.

Got the concertina today. On the plus side, and there is just barely a plus side, there is a Lachenal style number on it (152236) which puts it in the early 1900's, and I don't see any evidence of woodworm (so far). On the negative side, the handles don't say "steel", so most likely brass reeds, the bellows move a small amount, but seem to be frozen open. Poor repairs have been made to a couple of the bellows gussets, and the wrapping around the bellows end connection with vinyl electricians tape, I can only loosen 5 of the 6 end screws on one side and 4 of the 6 on the other, so taking the ends off to repair is difficult. The fretwork is badly damaged, and the action boxes and pad board are sprung. May have bitten off more than I can chew on this one We also just got a rescue puppy, so am a bit distracted with that as well.

Thank you all so much for the extensive and heartfelt advice. After reading the encouraging posts here, and getting David Elliott's excellent book, I'm feeling a bit more confident regarding essaying the repairs to the instrument. As a mechanical engineer I appreciate the complex, elegant mechanisms that makeup a concertina (though on the other hand, I can't help wondering about the potential for things like teflon ball and socket joints and 4-bar linkages...). Rest assured, my plan is to attempt to repair in kind as much as possible. After looking at David's book, I can also see the relative elegance of the English system's mechanism in relation to the Anglo. The radial pattern and relatively equal length levers certainly make more sense to me from a design standpoint. However, the general impression I have gotten from a variety of sources is that an Anglo is more appropriate for the type of music I am looking to play. So it goes. I think I have most, if not all, of the tools necessary to work on the concertina, but will certainly need to source replacements for pad material, gusseting, felt and the like. I do have a pretty complete set of wad punches, so the tip about self manufacture of pads is much appreciated. My concertina is due to arrive tomorrow. Needless to say I'm pretty excited. I'll probably post here again asking for help as new questions come up during restoration. Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

I’ve been interested in concertinas for ITM and folk music accompaniment for some time, and have recently “taken the plunge” with the purchase of a Hohner D-40. Trying to plan ahead, and beginning to notice some of the limitations in the D-40 (though I’m sure it still has plenty to teach me), I’ve been searching for an alternative and finally located an antique 30 button (un-named, but most likely a budget Latchenal). Unfortunately this instrument is in rather poor condition and most likely in need of significant repair before being able to be used. While waiting for shipment I have taken the step of purchasing Elliot’s repair text and searching the internet for information on concertina repairs in the hope that I will be able to do some of the renovation myself. I’m pretty handy, have a decent selection of tools to work with, and have successfully reclaimed a handful of antique wooden simple system flutes to date. I have a couple of questions to pose to the experienced renovators to avoid going down the wrong path: As a rank beginning player, should I even be considering making repairs given that I’m not completely sure what the end product is supposed to behave like? The concertina I have on the way (see pictures below) appears to have significant damage to the ends. Would it make sense to attempt to repair these, or should they just be remanufactured and replaced in kind? After initial inspection, should I attempt to do some of the simpler repairs myself, and then pass on the box to someone more knowledgeable for the fine work of bellows, springs, tuning, pads… or would it make more sense to just send it off for everything? Needless to say I’m trying to be economical. If I had the wherewithal I would have just purchased a good modern hybrid. I know it isn’t really possible to give a repair estimate from a picture, but is there a general order of magnitude for the cost of overall repair of an Anglo in this poor condition (assuming reeds are at least all still there and no woodworm or destroyed reed plate)? Are there any specific newbie concertina restorer mistakes to avoid doing (aside from trying to clean the bellows with solvents and the like, or losing track of which endplate screw is which)? Thanks in advance for any advice.

See details here:My link

Yes and now has numerous almost definitely fradulent listings. I reported a few and hope that e-bay has some avenue to find and block this thief.

Saw that one today also. Most suspicious part of the advert, IMO, is that the seller will NOT be selling via the bidding, just at the unofficial "BUY-IT-NOW" price posted. Essentially they appear to be using e-bay as an advertizing service (which, as far as I know is against e-bay policy). I suspect the intent is to sell the item outside e-bay and avoid their fees (taxes, VAT...). Needless to say, e-bay takes a rather dim view of this type of sale (and I'm surprised that no one has informed e-bay as yet and had the ad pulled). Looking at the sellers other items it appears that they usually only sell relatively lower cost fishing items. Possibly an account hijack. I wouldn't touch this one with a 10' pole, and I've made a lot of e-bay purchases (including a car).

I was watching that one as well, but was put off by the condition of the bellows, possibly stuck key, and lack of mention of tuning of reeds to modern pitch. I'm a pretty much complete novice at concertinas though, just looking to upgrade my current Hohner D40. Right now I'm more into playing and repair of antique simple system flutes (often called, inaccurately, Irish flutes). I'm a little flute "rich" at the moment, so if anyone is interested in a flute for concertina trade... I've got a nice 6-key, cocus Metzler that isn't getting much play time now.