Strange 30b 'Lachenal' Anglo

[nkgibbs]

Dear All,

I have just received a strange beast that looks like a Lachenal on the basis of its fretwork but has hardwood three ply ends, 91882 stamped on the inside of the bellow frames, 'hooked plate' pivot posts, plastic buttons and quite strangely, aluminium reeds shoes with brass plates and steel reeds.

 

What is your diagnosis?

 

Best Regards,

Neil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2011 by nkgibbs

[Daniel Hersh]

Dear All,

I have just received a strange beast that looks like a Lachenal on the basis of its fretwork but has hardwood three ply ends, 91882 stamped on the inside of the bellow frames, 'hooked plate' pivot posts, plastic buttons and quite strangely, aluminium reeds shoes with brass plates and steel reeds.

 

What is your diagnosis?

 

Best Regards,

Neil

 

My guess is that someone built a concertina out of a mix of spare parts from different makers, perhaps combining Lachenal ends with postwar Wheatstone buttons, pivot posts and reeds. But there are others here who are far more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than I...

[nkgibbs]

Dear Daniel,

 

Thanks for your comments........I read somewhere that Lachenal were pioneers at using aluminium reed shoes but apart from this concertina have never come across them before in a Lachenal.

 

The number (91882) on the reed pans (and presumably the reeds) would date the concertina to around 1900 if (big if) it is a Lachenal..........what date do people reckon aluminium was first used for reed shoes?

 

Did Lachenal ever use plywood for ends?

 

I may be barking up the wrong tree here but I did notice a similarity between the lhs reed pan layout of my 30b oddity and that of a Crabb 31b (NB an extra button on the lhs) on this webpage. The number on the bellows frames is obviously much too large for a Crabb...........

 

 

 

Best regards,

Neil

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2011 by nkgibbs

[Marien]

Looks like a home made reed pan and home made action. A close look on the end for the right hand makes me think - that one may be home made as well.

Marien

[Theo]

Dear All,

I have just received a strange beast that looks like a Lachenal on the basis of its fretwork but has hardwood three ply ends, 91882 stamped on the inside of the bellow frames, 'hooked plate' pivot posts, plastic buttons and quite strangely, aluminium reeds shoes with brass plates and steel reeds.

 

What is your diagnosis?

 

Best Regards,

Neil

 

My guess is that someone built a concertina out of a mix of spare parts from different makers, perhaps combining Lachenal ends with postwar Wheatstone buttons, pivot posts and reeds. But there are others here who are far more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than I...

 

I have seen Lachenal Edeophones with Al reed shoes, also suffering from the white powdery corrosion on this one.

 

Wheatsone completed some instruments from parts obtained when Lachenal went out of business and their stock was sold off in the 1930s. If this is an example then the serial number on the bellows frames is from a much older instrument.

[Paul Read]

Looks like a home made reed pan and home made action. A close look on the end for the right hand makes me think - that one may be home made as well.

Marien

 

I'm thinking this instrument may have originated in South Africa. Maybe one of their makers?

[nkgibbs]

Thanks for your comments,

 

Curiouser and curiouser;

 

Both ends and action pans are made out of mahogany faced plywood. Interestingly, there no 'corner reinforcement blocks' on the ends or the action pans (they are on the bellows frames) which seems a bit odd..........maybe more evidence that both were home made??

 

Neil

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2010 by nkgibbs

[Frank Edgley]

Perhaps one of the last Lachenals?

[Paul Read]

That looks like a 50s Wheatstone case but if it was a Wheatstone or Lachenal you would expect a radial reed pan. The cailking on the pads is definitely something I've seen done South African repairers. The action looks 40s Wheatstone to me so I'm leaning towards a copy of a 50s Wheatstone - but how come the parallel reed pan?

Edited June 8, 2010 by Paul Read

[Daniel Hersh]

That looks like a 50s Wheatstone case but if it was a Wheatstone or Lachenal you would expect a radial reed pan. The cailking on the pads is definitely something I've seen done South African repairers. The action looks 40s Wheatstone to me so I'm leaning towards a copy of a 50s Wheatstone - but how come the parallel reed pan?

Lachenal used parallel reed pans too, at least on 20-button Anglos (not sure about 30's). But if the reed pan was home-made, it might just have been easier to build a parallel one, since there are more right angles.

[nkgibbs]

Many thanks for all comments on this concertina which has recently been sold. The buyer, from Ireland, reckoned that the concertina may have started life as a Lachenal as the company collapsed and was then finished by Wheatsone who are known to have bought up many ex-Lachenal components.

Neil