The Largest Concertina in the world?

[Alex West]

http://www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk/Catalogues/mi190310/lot0048-0.jpg

 

The attached picture shows a concertina coming up for auction this Friday at gardiner Houlgate.

 

 

Interesting and unique massive concertina made by C. Wheatstone & Co., to celebrate their centenary, with McCann duet system and steel reeds, eighty metal buttons on foliate pierced metal ends and ten-fold bellows, inscribed on both sides "Property of Phil Goldman", 16" x 16", case

*This concertina is reputed to be the largest concertina in the world and once belonged to the famous bandsman Phil Goldman. More recently this instrument has been in the collection of Ruth Askew and is illustrated in a biography about her entitled 'A Maid and her Music, Memories, Melodeons and related reed instruments of Ruth Askew' by Paul Marsh, see page 102*

Estimate: 2000-4000

There are a few lachenals also in the sale but nothing quite as spectacular as this!

 

Alex

[SteveS]

What a whopper!

 

Is it even playable? (assuming of course that it can be picked up)

[Boney]

Here's a picture of the same concertina with some context, which I got from a thread in these forums a while back. Click for full size:

 

Edited to add link to old thread.

Edited March 16, 2010 by Boney

[Ken_Coles]

There was a Dickinson Hayden on sale at the Button Box a couple of years ago that was over 80 buttons, IIRC. Similar in size to the one shown. David Barnert played that Hayden and perhaps will chime in here.

 

Ken

[Dirge]

What a whopper!

 

Is it even playable? (assuming of course that it can be picked up)

 

I'm sure it is playable; most people would play it on their knees as normal. It would be a good work-out making it play loudly, I'd have thought; that gets harder with increased cross section.

 

The key number is nothing odd; standard largest Maccan; there's plenty of them about (and mine is waiting for me in England as we speak). It's only the sheer size that is odd. The question I find myself asking is what the keys actually do. This is a special instrument we're told, made for p/r purposes presumably. Making the ends double the width of a normal 81 (rough estimate) would give a huge amount of extra space for more or deeper reeds or extra mechanisms. Because the size of big concertinas does work against you I can't see why Wheatstones would make it this big unless there was a good reason.

 

I can't imagine there being any call for a concertina that played a chord per button, although could it be 2 reeds per button, perhaps? Dunno but my own guess is that it is a bass, with the range lowered an octave throughout perhaps; that would put its lowest note 3 octaves below middle C and make it useful for seducing Whales and not much else.

[Boney]

could it be 2 reeds per button, perhaps?

Yes; in the previous thread, Geoffrey Crabb said it was double-reeded.

 

 

There was a Dickinson Hayden on sale at the Button Box a couple of years ago that was over 80 buttons, IIRC. Similar in size to the one shown.

I saved pictures of that one too. Looks a fair bit smaller than the giant Maccann. Maybe ten or eleven inches?:

 

[mike byrne]

Will it fit your boot (trunk), I took this picture at Witney in 2007.

[Ken_Coles]

Well, the memory plays tricks! Sure looked big to me at the time David played that Hayden!

 

Ken

[JimLucas]

Well, the memory plays tricks! Sure looked big to me at the time David played that Hayden!

It is big, Ken, especially compared to your anglos.

But it's

not

huge

!

This one is.

[Ken_Coles]

Looks like maybe 82 buttons/keys on the Hayden? I have to squint on this computer, someone else can tell for sure.

 

Ken

[CaryK]

Here's a picture of the same concertina with some context, which I got from a thread in these forums a while back. Click for full size:

 

Edited to add link to old thread.

 

Wow. Looks like a pair of band cymbals with bellows.

[Leo]

I would think it's a contest of which is bigger

http://sites.google.com/site/peterbgreen/theconcordeon

 

Thanks

Leo

[mike byrne]

I thought the Largest Concertina in the world was made for the Brothers Webb by George Jones.

The concertina is seen here with Arthur Jones, second son of George Jones on the factory roof of 350 Commercial Road.

[Larry Stout]

For a working version how about Bob Snope's Frankentina. See the thread at

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5775&st=54&p=60489&hl=contrabass%20EC&fromsearch=1entry60489

[m3838]

Looks like English concertina design is really geared towards small one voice instrument. I doubt Chemnitzers have smaller voices or less reeds. But look at their relative compactness.

Is there a way to listen to the sound?

How do we know it's not a movie prop?

Edited March 17, 2010 by m3838

[Henrik Müller]

What a whopper!

 

Is it even playable? (assuming of course that it can be picked up)

Amazing size!

 

Think, if it had been an English - it would have had thumb

straps and pinkie rests so you could wave it around!

/Henrik

[Dieppe]

Will it fit your boot (trunk), I took this picture at Witney in 2007.

 

Aren't European cars a little smaller than their American counterparts anyway?

 

Patrick

[Dirge]

Anyone know what it fetched?