Is this a Jeffries?

[Daniel Hersh]

Looks like another one (a 26-button) just sold on eBay for £700.

Bought by me. Bit of a risk buying unseen like that, but I'll know in a couple of days if it was a good buy.

 

Well, best of luck! I hope you'll give us a report once you've got it.

[varney]

Was it a good buy, Theo? Any interesting points about the instrument? How does it sound / play?

 

Michael.

[Paul Read]

I have just bought one of these 26-button instruments myself. It was for sale locally and it was hard to identify so this thread was very useful. Unlike the others, I was lucky enough to get a good look at it before buying. Firstly, it needs a lot of work! What was confusing was that one end plate was a poorly made replacement for the original so a new end plate is needed and the other one has the usual cracking noted elsewhere. However, it has a beautiful set of reeds and a good set of bellows. Interestingly, there is also a drone button on the left hand. The reeds match my Jeffries reeds and the action etc is also very Jeffries. However, no stamp (probably on the side of the missing end if it was ever there). I'm therefore concluding that this one is a Jeffries or a Crabb. The question now is whether to return it to its former glory or use the reeds along with others I have in the making of a new 30-button