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Just for fun, and available through www.zazzle.com (search "Rollstonpress"), here are some concertina t-shirts for Wheatstone, Lachenal, and even one for Maccannics that even includes The Professor's visage and signature. While The Wife prefers name-brand stuff with logos, I'd much rather have something I'm interested in that's totally obscure and that no one has any idea what it is. And, if anyone would like to be a human billboard, there's also a Rollston Press shirt with a sampling of some of the book covers. The shirts are high quality print-on-demand, you decide what size and color, and Zazzle often puts things on 20-30% discount. Thanks to Steve Dickinson for permission to include the graphic from an old Wheatstone pricelist. And as they should, a portion of the proceeds will go to CNET. Gary

WHEATSTONE AEOLA 81 KEY MACCANN DUET CONCERTINA S/N 35286 In great condition, fully playable and comes with the original Wheatstone box. The Wheatstone ledger (Ledger SD03, Page 037 - Serial No. 35277 to No. 35299) in the Horniman museum shows that this concertina dates to 1940. The eight-fold bellows are airtight and A is tuned to 440Hz. The following is an excerpt from "The History of The Duet Concertina". Many players became very proficient on the duet, notably Alexander Prince and Percy Honri. As the range of music increased so did the size of the instruments. Numbers such as the "Lost Chord" showed off the organ-like qualities of the duet, and Prince spent four years learning the complete overture to Tannhauser for which the 81 key duet was developed. Please see the accompanying pictures for more details. Should you have any questions then I will do my best to answer them. Worldwide shipping is available at cost subject to local customs restrictions / charges. Price £3,200 o.n.o.

Lachenal Edeophone Maccann duet concertina s/n 2654, brown leather 9 fold bellows, gold plated raised metal ends and amboyna woodwork. Serial number 2654 would make it around 1907 I think. The bellows are airtight, 6 keys only work in one direction and one silent key. This concertina comes without a box. If you have any questions then please let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Price £2,700 o.n.o.

1924 Wheatstone 46 button Maccann Concertina inc case and original bill of sale, serial number 28722 This is in lovely condition and was, I believe, in the same family for at least the last 50 years or so. I bought this for my friend who plays the piano accordion and has been talking about wanting to play one of these for ages, but it seems that they are too different, hence putting it back on sale. The bellows seem very good, I've played every note and they all sound although a couple of them are a bit squeaky so I'd say that it could do with a service - it has apparently sat in a drawer for many years. You're very welcome to have a look and a play if you can get to Winchester, in fact I would prefer it but I am happy to quote for courier - note, however, that I am offering this at buyer's risk I'm also happy to consider delivering within a 60 mile radius of Winchester, or meeting the buyer part-way for the cost of the fuel.

Hello concertina lovers, I am selling my Wheatstone Miniature Maccann Duet Concertina. I have a listing on ebay, check it out if you are interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/302791718981?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649 It is an amazing 12 keys Wheatstone Miniature Maccann Duet Concertina, serial number: 32154. From the serial number, we can estimate that it was made around 1929. It is in an incredible condition. All actions, pads, metal buttons, steel reeds and 8-fold bellows are impeccable. The metal ends are beautifully sculpted. It is "concert pitch" tuned and it sounds great. It is surprisingly powerful for the size (4.5 inches / 3 inches). I bought it from Chris Algar at Barleycorn Concertinas. It will come in the original box which is also in an amazing condition. If you have any questions or would like additional photos, don't hesitate to ask me.

So, what's this then? A MacCann Duett with the patent nr 4752 (MacCann?) stamped onto the wooden handle bar. But as to age and other history i am lost. It was bought in an auction in Sweden recently and probably belonged to the "Salvation Army immigration" wave to Sweden around the turn of the century 1900, not later than 1910. Any better bids? Ahh yes it also has a number stamped into the left side outer rim of the bellows, 181 0 71. Any clues? thanks

It has been quite a while since I last got a recording of the Maccann, but I've finally managed a pretty clean version of the lovely tune Dundas, by Rob Harbron. This fits on the Bb Maccann really nicely, though my success rate of hitting the descending base runs is not exactly 100%, so I fudged them most of the time https://soundcloud.com/robotmay/dundas I've been playing this tune for ages but it was a pig to get a recording without some interesting cock-ups. While I seem to be in the zone I'm going to try to do a few other recordings this week of fun new tunes I've picked up on this instrument

SOLD Serial no. 2046 Hexagonal ends; six-fold bellows with green and gold decals; metal buttons Includes original box with label In the collection of the late Bob Webb since 1975 Refurbished by The Button Box, Sunderland, Massachusetts More photos are available. Asking $1,400.

Hello, Time to repost this. This is essentially a high-end best-period Lachenal MacCann Duet with a slightly modified (Chidley) layout so that the pattern is uniform throughout by consistently repeating in all octaves rather than shifting in the upper octave. The difference is minor overall, but wonderful if you appreciate a fully isomorphic layout as I do. A notation chart is in the PDF, herewith. The concertina is in excellent condition with original glass buttons. In Summary:Vintage Lachenal 65b MacCann Duet in modified Chidley layout Hexagonal Wood Ends Glass Buttons Cry Baby and Whistle Wood Handles Leather Wrist Straps The original case in poor, but serviceable, condition as one would expect. I really do want to send this along to someone else who will appreciate it. Post-op prognosis renders it surplus. Please see the PDF, herewith, for photos, evaluation and documentation of work performed by Wim Wakker, and the previously mentioned notation chart. I may be contacted directly using: danersen@gmail Best wishes to all for an enjoyable and meaningful holiday season. Dan Lachenal Chidley SM.pdf

I've been learning the Maccann like a maniac for the past few months and I can't believe I've not recorded any of the tunes I've been learning. I've got a few others I should definitely put up as I've found a few tunes that are really lovely to play on the Maccann, which I haven't seen other people having a go at (although to be fair, I rarely see much Maccann stuff anyway ). I think this tune is Irish, but I'm not sure. I heard it from a couple of French friends, so having now Anglicised their version, I expect this is pretty far from the way it's played originally: https://soundcloud.com/robotmay/her-long-dark-hair-flowing-down-her-back Nice to have finally got the hang of G on the Bb Maccann. D is still a bit tricky (the C# is in a horrific location) but I'm slowly getting there. I'm almost session friendly on it now

Jon Boden´s interview about going on a solo tour. You can hear it singing an playing his nice Maccann Duet Concertina around 1:40 [YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE]

My Lachenal Maccann duet arrived yesterday! I got it as a backup concertina to take with me everywhere. I bought it from Chris Algar like my previous Wheastone Maccann. I have to say it is always a pleasure deal with Mr. Algar. Sounds great and I´m finding bone buttons to be more comfortable than metal buttons. I love these small 46b duets. Easy to carry and easy to play stand up. Perfect for singing accompaniment. pics:

I've decided to sell my 62-key Wheatstone Aeola duet concertina that I acquired a few months ago rather unexpectedly while looking for a Hayden. Mechanically very sound with beautiful sounding reeds, the casework was worn and had the previous owner's postcode crudely scratched into the surface. I stripped it down and after receiving some very helpful advice on this forum (see "Ebonizing tips?" in the construction and repair section), I re-ebonised the ends using black spirit powder and French polish to finish. I also replaced the key hole bushes and the key cross hole bushes. Apart from a gentle cleaning, the reeds and action mechanism needed no further work. The concertina internals were restored and it was tuned by David Leese in 1998 but from what I can gather, the instrument has had relatively little use since. The pads and valves are in very good condition and the top quality reeds are in great shape. The 7-fold bellows and concertina itself are perfectly airtight. The concertina is in modern concert pitch and is in tune with itself. But there’s a twist: instead of the “home key” being C like a conventional Maccann, it is in B flat, presumably to facilitate playing with brass bands, which ties in with its West Yorkshire origins. This means that when you would normally be playing in C, you are actually playing in B flat and so on. This may be useful for a singer or as an additional instrument for a Maccannic that would like to be able to transpose into more difficult keys without changing his/her fingering. I would describe the condition as being excellent with just two things to mention: there is one patch that seems to have been done by an amateur as the leather hasn’t been skived, although it is perfectly sound, and the thread on one of the strap thumb screws has stripped so I’ve replaced it with a normal machine screw of the appropriate thread size. The original thumb screw will be included with the sale. The original leather box is also in very good condition, although an extra strap has been stapled on. While I’ve really enjoyed my brief ownership of this instrument and been extremely impressed by the quality of workmanship on these Aeolas, the concertina is not my primary instrument and I can’t devote the time required to learn the Maccann system properly so it is time to part with it. I have lots of additional photos that I can send on request via a PM. The price reflects the smaller market for a B flat Maccann concertina: £1600 or reasonable offer (or the current euro equivalent) includes postage within Europe or half the postage cost to countries outside Europe and I’ll also absorb the PayPal fees. Thanks for reading. PS. I can't edit the title but it should obviously read "B flat" Edited to add photos below.

So my Wheatstone 46b Maccann duet finally arrived a week ago and now I am a very happy person This is the concertina I was looking for all this time. I tried English and Anglo in the past but now I know now that the duet system is the right for me. In my opinion this is the best concertina system to sing with (just my opinion) I got it form Chris Algar of Barleycorn Concertinas and I had a really good experience dealing with him. I highly reccomend Chris if you are looking for an expert restored and fair priced concertina. pics: serial number: 35.333 (i think it places it 1938-1939?)

Hi! I´m still looking for a Duet Concertina. 46b Maccann system or 48b Crane sytem in restored condition. Please contact me if you have something to offer. Shipping would be to Miami, FL. Thanks a lot! Gaspar

In a recent thread, some members mentioned that conversions of Maccann to Haydet duet system had been done by Dana Williams and the late Neville Crabb. I found this intriguing, given the cost and wait-times of concertina-reeded Haydens, and would like to hear more about this! Inventor noted that wooden-end models are easier to convert than metal: does that imply that the conversions involve actually relocating buttons? To maintain the revertability of the conversion, is it possible to just leave the buttons in place and work the Hayden layout into the existing configuration as best as possible? Another member had noted that 6-across doesn't give one the full isomorphism of the Hayden, but then again even the extensive 52b Beaumont only has one row of seven on the right, and I've rarely found that limiting since I don't play in the deeper flat/sharp keys as much as Bb/F/C/G/D/A Is this an extensive and complex process that involves modifying the reedpans, or is it a pretty straightforward matter of playing mix-and-match with reeds of approximately similar size that can drop into each other's chambers? Any notion of what current luthiers might be able and willing to do such a conversion?

So this video is the reason why I wanted to play concertina. I know Jon plays a MacCann Duet here but I don´t know wich one. Lachenal, Wheatstone? 39 keys, 46 keys? I appreciate your help Thanks a lot

Hi! I´m looking for a MacCann Sytem Duet Concertina. 46 buttons would be great but I´m open to your suggestions. Lachenal or Wheatstone (I guess those are the only MacCann system Makers) Please contact me if you have something to offer. Shipping would be to Miami, FL. Thanks a lot! Gaspar