Search the Community

PLESE NOTE THIS HAS BEEN SOLD: A P James Miniature Anglo Concertina in G and custom wooden box. Excellent condition, hardly ever played. You can see photos on the AP James website here. Price AUD$990 [aprrox GBP657] plus postage* [*Item currently located in Melbourne, Australia. Postage dependent on location.] Selling because it rarely gets played and deserves a good home.

Appearing at DC Folk Music Festival in Glen Echo Park THE SQUEEZERS Jim Besser - Anglo Concertina Gus Voorhees - Melodeon Randy Stein - English Concertina Saturday May 31, 2014 5:30 PM on the Crystal Pool Stage http://fsgw.org/myorgnet/public.php Featuring traditional tunes from different cultures, jazz and pop standards, tangos, English music hall songs and more. We celebrate the incredible versatility of bellows-driven free-reed instruments.

Appearing at May Revels Celebration at the Strathmore THE SQUEEZERS Jim Besser - Anglo Concertina Gus Voorhees - Melodeon Randy Stein - English Concertina Saturday May 4, 2014 12:30 PM and 3:00PM Free to the Public Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, MD 20852 http://www.revelsdc.org/events-calendar.html

Hello all, Further to reading the "what pop songs do you play" thread - which I'll go and add to shortly, I recorded this version of "Ocean Rain" tonight just as a bit of fun. I must admit I struggle with the Big Finish, but then Ian McCulloch has to really force his voice up there these days too... The Bunnymen marketed the Ocean Rain LP as "the greatest album ever made" with typical modesty. And if that's the case then this is the greatest song from the greatest album ever made. Just one verse and chorus, repeated in different moods, perfectly balanced. I love it. https://soundcloud.com/5357311/ocean-rain-echo-and-the Played on a 36-key G/D Norman anglo.

About a year or so ago Jim Besser and I started playing together and found music and ways to make the anglo and the EC work nicely together. We then added the young and very talented melodeon player, Gus Vorhees and started the Squeezers. Our repertoire seems to defy categorizing as we play an eclectic selection of styles and music from genres, and time periods.. In searching YouTube I found several groups and bands that have a concertina in them or the lead is a concertina or accordion. There are groups like Rachel Hall's Concertina Orchestra, the Bootle Concertina Band and others that have more than one free reed player in the group. Also a few that have Chemitzer concertinas Like Bill Czerniak Band. So anyone else have a group of multiple free reed instruments currently performing? If so what is it, where are you, and what kind of music do you play? rss

Hello all. I was directed here from another forum. I expressed my interest in finding a good cheap concertina to knock about on and they directed me to both the 20 button anglo and this fine board. I understand that that model is a bit limited, but due to how likely it seems that I will be able to get one within my budget and how easy it should be as a starter instrument I think it is a good fit. It also seems to be the perfect fit for the sort of music I'm interested in playing. Sea chantys, fiddle tunes, backup to a few drinking songs, that sort of thing. From what I understand I could then move on to a quality 20 button or even upgrade to a 30 button without having to relearn much if I ever feel the need. On the subject of budget I can potentially go as high as $200, but if at all possible I'm hoping to find something a bit cheaper. Thanks for taking the time to check out my request.

"The great thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from" - Andrew Tanenbaum Since the very first concertina tutor (Hoselbarth, c.1840), there have been over 130 tutors published for the Anglo, many with widely differing button numbering and tablature systems. The result of numerous attempts to try to make sense of the Anglo having two notes in different directions for each button, plus having alternate notes on other buttons. Standard musical notation by itself does not indicate which alternate note or direction is preferable, and since many published tutors print the music an octave high or low, learning actual notes still might not help much, hence the various attempts at tablature systems. Tablature patterns are easily transferable between instruments with different keys, so that's a good thing. Beginners often buy one or more tutors, only to be faced with having to sort out wildly dissimilar ways of counting buttons and indicating bellows direction. So.......here, in all its insanity, is a first draft of a notation "Rosetta Stone" translation chart for the 30-button Anglo showing about 30 of the different notating systems. Additions, corrections? What an embarrassing gawdawful mess! I know many systems have their adherents and staunch defenders, but could we make it any harder to learn this somewhat intuitive instrument? Pity the poor beginner! Gary 30-Button Notation Translator.pdf

Appearing at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington Mid-Winter Music Festival THE SQUEEZERS Jim Besser - Anglo Concertina Gus Voorhees - Melodeon Randy Stein - English Concertina Saturday Feb 08, 2014 at 5:15 PM Takoma Park Middle School (Takoma Park, MD) Event info: http://fsgw.org/myorgnet/public.php

C Jeffries CG Anglo with 45 keys. The cartouche reads: C Jeffries, 12 Aldershot Rd, Kilburn NW6. Stamped on the left hand side is the text: A.G. Littleboy, April 25, 1925. The instrument has raised metal ends and seven fold bellows, which had been newly replaced when I purchased the instrument seven years ago. As expected from a Jeffries, the instrument has a clear, strong voice. The 45 keys give great flexibility in chord choices and excellent opportunities for legato playing. I understand that a number of similar keyed Jeffries from this period were originally made as Jeffries Duets and later converted to Anglos. For this instrument there is little evidence of any conversion work, and I believe it to have always been an Anglo. As a player's instrument, it has been well maintained and is in great condition. Additionally, the instrument comes with a modern bespoke case fitted by Kingham MTM Cases. Thinning the Anglo side of the herd as I'm now concentrating on my Wicki/Hayden instrument, and feeling this fantastic instrument should be regularly enjoyed. The usual cnet donation applies! Asking Price: £5000.00 Keyboard: Jeffries key layout.pdf Photos:

Please help Caroline Regan track down her stolen Concertina; It is a Wheatstone 40 key anglo with black bellows and metal ends. It was stolen this afternoon (Sunday 15th December) from the Crown Moran Hotel in Cricklewood. The case was dumped outside the pub. If you see or hear of anything please get in touch with Caroline at caz4regan (at) hotmail.com Caroline would be extremely grateful for any help spreading this message far and wide Thanks

24 key Silber & Fleming concertina: to restore or not restore, help required I recently “won” (as they say) a 24 key Silber Fleming anglo concertina on e-bay. It resembles a Lachenal but has some significant differences, although it is very similar to the one illustrated in the Concertina Museum as specimen C-304. The keys are marked 1-10 on both sides with the extra keys on the left as G#A and right as C#D. One # sign acting for both notes I assume, as I would expect B flat and E flat respectively. Superficially the pictures showed some holes in the bellows and some low keys indicating broken springs and the usual rubbish leather wrist straps and missing knurled nuts to adjust the straps so I thought it worth buying to see if it was possible to refurbish to playing condition as my first restoration project. Following its arrival and a visual appraisal, I removed the first end bolt and it came out easily, followed by the two pieces of mahogany forming the side of the key box that the bolt went through. Then the pads and leather discs tumbled out of the hole, those that were not wedged in the springs, together with the corner pieces and bits of spring. Being optimistic I proceeded with dismantling. No matter how careful I was, all the end bolts sheared, either the heads came off or they broke further down the shaft. It took me two days of careful work to get the end bolts out sufficiently to remove the ends and get to the action. I did have to resort to drilling out some of the bolt heads. All end bolts were steel and, apart from the first one, had heavily corroded within the wooden parts/sides, so I had to resort to some mild heat and a drift to get the corroded parts out of the wooden sections, leaving more broken bits in the captive nuts for later. Having removed the ends and the sides of the action box the (cardboard) action plates fell off complete with levers, keys, springs and the remaining loose pads etc. this was the same on both sides. The instrument was never fitted with supporting pillars between the ends and action plate. Surprisingly, none of the (bone?) keys or levers are damaged. No woodworm either, however its (original?) wooden box has some worm holes and is in rubbish condition, although I do have some ideas about how to salvage and improve it. The reed pans were in reasonable condition and still well fitting. Shoes are brass as are the reeds, which are held in by two bolts. Reed shoes are marked with the note. The pans and action boards are numbered 18273 The green leather bellows are not too bad, the gussets appear to be whole, some repairs needed on a few corners, perhaps a rebind in places, may suffice temporarily, but they are old and the internal card is beginning to denature and become powdery. Some lost pads, sampers and other bits were also wedged inside the bellows. These extraneous bits look like new, not dirty and showing no wear, so I am presuming they were dropped during assembly and left there. Further investigation and appraisal shows that the glue has dried and is no longer effective in all areas. The air button spring is broken and is of a different size to the other springs. Some levers are fitted with two springs. The end bolts are different length and diameter to Lachenal end bolts and the thread pitch and count is also different. I've not had time to measure the shaft diameter with a micrometer yet or count the TPI, but end bolts from my Lachenal Anglo and Wheatstone Model 21 don't fit, they are too large diameter and too short! I have also carefully raised the chamois leather from the inside of the reed pan box to expose the captive nuts, which are simple flat brass plates drilled and tapped and inset into a hole the width of the wood and then glued in place, the tapped hole lining up with the holes for the end bolts. I managed to remove one as the wood holding it in was so damaged by iron corrosion if fell apart. Use of a blow torch and a clamp on the metal screw end got the stump of the end bolt out. I could not have got this far without using David Elliotts book on concertina maintenance. I now have to work out if it is worth trying to restore this 'tina, and I have some questions the Concertina.net community may be able to help with to enable me to make up my mind. Assuming new end bolts of the correct size are not available I will have to fit what I can get hold of. I am fairly sure that the captive nuts for these will be too large for the size of wood I have, but I may be able to redrill and tap and existing captive nuts. Where would I get a suitable tap from? Unless you know of a source for end bolts of the correct size? Are springs of a thicker/stronger material to normal concertina springs made and available? Who from? I only need one for the air button. I need more springs for some of the other keys but these appear to be similar to those I know are available. Would one from a melodeon fit? ( I don't want to take my Erica apart to find out). Costs for these would also help if known. If I decide to go ahead and repair I have also been thinking about the additional buttons and the accidentals. Why would anyone need two G#A buttons and reeds on the left? To my way of thinking it would be better to have one of these as an A push E pull reversals on this side ( I use the A push on the accidental row quite a bit on my 3 row) and on the right instead of two C#D# change, these to an F# push C or G pull. Any advice as to what might be better than what I have or propose would be appreciated? I don't suppose anyone has an inkling as to the age of the concertina? I know the Silber Fleming factory/department store burned down in the 1860's and were bought out in the 1880's, but none of that helps with dating. Does anyone have a working Silber Fleming Anglo? How does it play and sound? I know there are others out there as questions have been posed in 2010 and 2002 on various forums about them. Thanking everyone in anticipation Mike

Kensington 30 button anglo C/G modified Jeffries layout, Made 2003-4 Excellent condition. This concertina is from my early instruments which were not light. It has had the reed shoe ports brought current with the way I make them now, and has excellent response and sound from the lowest notes to the highest. This is a concertina reeded instrument, not a hybrid. Like all Kensingtons, it has a substantial dynamic range making it great for expressive airs and strong rhythms in Irish traditional playing. It is well able to hold it's own in a session, slow or fast. I am always amazed when I get one of my early instruments back in for tuning, how good they sound. When I first send them off, they have a little edge to the tone that smooths out with playing, and I don't get to hear them at their full potential. I made them to sound the way I like best, and I sold my excellent C/G Jeffries while I was still playing #005 because I never played the Jeffries. That would still be the case with this one. I do like my current one better, but not by that much. I will sell it on approval, but shipping must be paid by the buyer, with refund on receipt of the returned concertina. The price I am selling it at is only slightly above it's original price representing the upgrade work I've done on it and tuning. If you are in the neighborhood you can come by and try it. A picture of a concertina exactly like this is on the front of my website at www.kensingtonconcertinas.com. Dana Johnson Kensington Concertinas

Wakker/Crabb GD Anglo One of a kind Wakker/Crabb GD Anglo with 31 keys. This instrument is a Wakker rebuild from the salvaged elements (reeds, reed pans, action) of an antique Crabb. Wakker saved the maker's cartouche which reads: H. Crabb, Maker 158 Liverpool Rd, London. This suggests the original instrument was made between 1903 and 1923/26. The instrument has a beautiful amboyna carcas and seven fold bellows. As expected from top quality period reeds, the voice sings strongly and clearly. Additionally, this is the lightest and most responsive GD concertina I've ever had the pleasure to play. The restoration was commissioned by Chris Algar, from whom I acquired the instrument. Wakker's restoration/rebuild is of a very high standard; this is a beautiful and remarkable combination of antique and modern. The instrument comes with a modern case. Thinning the Anglo side of the herd as I'm now concentrating on my Wicki/Hayden instrument. And, am feeling this fantastic instrument should be regularly enjoyed. The usual cnet donation applies! Asking Price: £6300.00 Keyboard: Crabb key layout G_D.pdf Photos:

Hello, friends! This is my last concertina video (by the moment). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j9Ng5vgOxY

Gardiner Houlgate, the well-known west country auctioneers are holding another sale of musical instruments on June 13th. Among the for sale items, are some concertinas, including a unique double-reeded 32 key Dipper anglo and a 46 key Jeffries anglo. See this link for more details. http://gardinerhoulgate.co.uk/Catalogues/mi130613/page004.html Chris

Hey all.... I like to spend my vacation time volunteering on tall ships. I was thinking of learning to play the concertina to entertain people during tours etc. I used to play trombone/bass back in highschool but haven't had much music experience since. I was leaning towards getting an English concertina cause it just sounded easier to play with one button doing one note reguardless of whether you're pushing or pulling but my understanding is that in the age of sail (18th/19th century) Anglo styles were commonplace on ships. Soooo, my big question is since my primary draw to concertinas is to entertain people with sea shanties on tall ships A) what kind of concertina would be most historicly accurate and are there any good song books or training videos out there specific to sea shanties/nautical music.

The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society is pleased to announce two performances by noted Anglo concertina player Jody Kruskal (who frequents this forum) and his musical comrade, fiddler Paul Friedman. Jody is a remarkable player - it is probably fair to call him virtuosic - who has expanded the horizons of his performances on the Anglo to many styles of music. He has won particular acclaim for his use of the concertina in old-time American music - blues, ragtime, traditional country music, Tin Pan Alley songs and more. A sweet-voiced singer with an engaging character, he draws his audience into his songs. He’s also a noted composer of music for folk dancing and theater. Paul Friedman is a veteran New York fiddler. I would like to say more about Paul, but perhaps I will just refer to him as a man of mystery? Paul & Jody will perform in a 333 Coffeehouse concert on Friday, May 17 at 7:30 PM. They will perform music from their 2010 CD, Paul & Jody, and from Jody's new CD, the sublimely titled "Sing To Me, Concertina Boy." Or, at least, that's what we presume they will perform. We haven't seen the set list, and we're ready to be surprised. 333 is a listener-centered, volunteer-powered event. Inexpensive snacks, desserts, beverages and pizza are served. For more information, see fsgw.org/333, write to 333coffeehouse@gmail.com, or call +1 (443)-333-9613. Paul and Jody will be joined by pianist Marc Glickman to provide music for the Annapolis Contra Dance on Saturday, May 18 at 7 PM. The dances will be called by Greg Frock. For details see contradancers.com/atds, or write to annapolis.contra.dance@gmail.com. Both events take place at Annapolis Friends Meeting, 351 DuBois Road in Annapolis (21401). Admission to each event is $10, or $8 for students, seniors 65+, and members of ATDS and affiliated groups (including FSGW, BFMS and CDSS). Thanks for reading... I'll do my best to follow up here as needed. Tom Rhoads 333 Coffeehouse/ATDS

Jim Besser and I have organized what we hope will be a new musical venture... Squeezers. The group is made up of me on English, Jim and Craig Packard on Anglo, and Gus Voorhees on Melodion.As Jim describes it: Featuring traditional tunes from different cultures, jazz and pop standards, tangos, English music hall and Yiddish songs with squeeebox accompaniment and more, we celebrate the incredible versatility of bellows-driven free-reed instruments. Our first gig is on June 2nd at the Washington DC Folk Society Music Festival in Glen Echo Park, MD. http://fsgw.org/myorgnet/public.php?NoTitle=1&Org=fsgw&ProgramID=10 Visit our FB Page https://www.facebook.com/DCsqueezers Oh and by the way...Ein Lanu Z'man is performing the same day at the festival also. rss

I'm still trying to sell my Jones Anglo concertina. I'll be at the gathering in Massachusetts this Saturday if anyone wants to try it. Also have a good quality 2 row I had from Chris Alger a few years ago. It's a no name but has real concertina reeds. Was repaired by David Leese at one time. Mahongany ends. Asking $700. Jones 3 row Anglo – 30 buttons. 6 fold bellows. I believe this is what they call a broad reed concertina – good for song accompaniment. Bought from Chris Alger 6 years ago – serviced at Button Box 3 years ago, it is in good working condition. 1 button, the C# on the 3rd row is in an unusual position. Not played much recently as I switched to English. A/F A/Bb C#/Eb A/G G#/Bb C/Eb G#/A C#/Bb A/F C/Eb Asking $1400 or would be willing to trade for a comparable English concertina. It will come in a padded bag. Will make the usual donation to concertina.net if it is sold here. Bob Lusk 845-594-4412

Hi folks, hopefully I am in the right area to advertise a concertina. I’m not actually a musician but the grandson of one! Following my grandfather’s and now, grandmother’s death, we are beginning to part with some of his possessions. I believe he played it for open air services when he was a minister, and this site seems to have members genuinely interested in the instruments and their music. It is a Lachenal Concertina. I believe it's a 56 button ‘duet'? possibly a baritone? with metal fret ends, metal buttons and it looks in nice cosmetic condition and it’s in its original case. (serial number 58874) My ignorance means I don’t know if it makes a good sound (it certainly doesn’t in my hands) - every button creates a sound although one of the buttons sticks a bit and one of the finger straps has broken. I don't know it's value so I'd be pleased to get members' input on this, or make me an offer. I have attached photos and will endeavour to answer any questions to the best of my ability.