Jeffries 30 button for sale

[Schnefsky]

This is Paul Read's assessment:

 

Hi Geoff, It was a pleasure to get to chat with you today. My assessment of your concertina from today's meeting is as follows: 1. It is a 30-button plus drone C. Jeffries concertina, bone buttons in Bb/F, 6-fold dark green bellows. The drone is Bb. 2. Overall it is excellent unrestored condition, good action, very responsive reeds. 3. Reeds: In original, untouched condition, no rust. The reeds are in old pitch, tuned to around 50 +/- cents sharp of modern A=440 pitch 4. Bone buttons all good, minor wear. Bushings are still good, One button sticks but this requires minor adjustment of the lever to correct. 5. Action tight and fast. No wear evident. A couple of temporary springs (as advised by you) but it plays well - even with the bellows leaks. 6. Pads: Instrument is tight but pads should be replaced 7. Valves: Mix of original and replacement valves. New valves would be advisable. 8. Bellows: The bellows have been patched at various times and some leaks are still present. Gussets have dried out. It could be patched up as a short-term measure but replacement is advisable. 9. Reed pans are in excellent condition, some support blocks are loose and some have been reinstalled incorrectly (then packed to level with leather shims). All should be removed and re-set. Not a big job but necessary. 10. Action boards both ends in good condition, no cracks evident. One minor gouge adjacent to one hole was noted. This would be easy to fill and does not affect playability. 11. Nickel end plates in good condition, no evidence of over tightening of the end bolts. In summary, I would say this instrument is potentially a top notch Jeffries, with careful restoration. It plays well in its present condition and has the classic Jeffries sound. To restore it to top condition, I would estimate the following should be performed: New bellows (Dipper or Connor quality) $650 New set of pads installed $80 New set of valves installed $80 Retune to modern concert pitch $280 New handstraps installed $25 Re-set reed pan support blocks, tighten reed pan, replace bad springs etc. (allow $100) $100 $1215 (more than my guesstimate!) I hope that meets your requirements. As discussed, any potential buyers are free to contact me through c.net. Best regards Paul

 

 

Note from me: the brass knob on the right hand side is held in place with a small piece of leather wrapped around the bolt-stem. I presume this is because the hole in the wood is a bit worn. But it does hold tight. GS

[Paul Read]

Just to add; if I was in the market for a 30-button Bb/F I would definitely be pursuing this one.

[Dave Weinstein]

It's in old pitch, but is it in equal temperment? The one the Button Box restored wasn't, if I recall correctly.

[JimLucas]

This is Paul Read's assessment....

The prices Paul quotes for work, are they in Canadian dollars, or US?

[Paul Read]

Equal temperament. The difference was pretty consistent on the notes I checked. Jim, C$ but there isn't much difference these days. I should add that I assumed 7-fold bellows. It would be a bit less for 6-fold and there are makers who could do them cheaper but I would go to Colin or John for bellows on an instrument of his quality.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Paul Read

[Schnefsky]

Hello everyone, to be fair, I will make a decision on any offers for the sale at 5 PM Eastern today Sunday. The Current highest offer is making me consider to close a deal today and not do Ebay. My email is accman7@hotmail.com thanks

 

Geoff

 

FYI, If it sells on Concertina .net I will make a donation to the site.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Schnefsky

[Schnefsky]

hello all,thank you for your interest and offers. I have concluded a deal with the highest offer, and this Jeffries can now be considered sold. Geoff