Garvey concertinas

[P.con]

Does anyone know anything about the Garvey concertinas advertised on the all about accordions website? They're advertised at 825 euro .. are they a good beginner concertina? Thanks!

[JimLucas]

Does anyone know anything about the Garvey concertinas advertised on the all about accordions website? They're advertised at 825 euro .. are they a good beginner concertina? Thanks!

I just checked the All About Accordions web site. I haven't a clue.

 

Maybe someone who lives in or near Dublin could go try one out?

 

I'm also curious about their "Dubliner". Are they making it themselves?

[P.con]

I havnt a clue ,perhaps someone is making them for them

[Cogsey]

It's rare that I'm able to contribute something useful to this site though I peruse regularly. I happen to work 2 miles from Walkinstown in Dublin and so will undertake to call in there some lunch time this week (probably Friday) and see what they've got. Thwe website mentions Klingentel, Germany but I'll try and get a better understanding and test drive it. If you have anything in particular that you want to find out add it to this topic and I'll check in before Friday.

 

Ciarán

 

P.S. I had expected to have my new C&R Dipper concertinas by now and to give an update on concertina.net. It's looking likely that I'll have them before Christmas. The fact that Ireland Inc. is effectively insolvent, it's comforting to know we'll shortly be even worse off courtesy of a devestating Budget. So, scraping together the funds for two Dipper concertinas for which I have waited an eternity (and happy to do so!), will easily outweigh any tax increases or other such fiscal strangling that the government can throw my way.

[P.con]

That would be brilliant thanks so much

 

Oh best if luck with them I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

[Cogsey]

Update! Just spoke to Sean Garvey and unfortunately he doesn't have any Dubliner concertina's in at the moment. He's taken my details and will give me a shout in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

 

Ciaran

[P.con]

Thank you, did he say how much the dubliner was? I think the basic concertina he has was 825 so it's probably dearer?

[Daniel Hersh]

Does anyone know anything about the Garvey concertinas advertised on the all about accordions website? They're advertised at 825 euro .. are they a good beginner concertina? Thanks!

They were discussed in this thread.

[Cogsey]

I've just checked the thread indicated by Daniel Hersh. Seems unbelievable but I have no cause to doubt Mr Chambers. As I promised to check out the machine for you, P.con, I will do so if you still want me to but my judgement is already somewhat coloured, I have to admit! Let me know.

 

Ciaran

[P.con]

Ah yeah i read it too, well it's up to you, don't be putting yourself out like it doesn't matter:)

[tombilly]

I've met Sean Garvey a few times - bought a couple of accordions from him a few years ago. Found him generally helpful - good after sales support etc. He's been in the business for around 10 years at a guess and you don't stay that long in this type of venture if you don't look after your customers. That said, I never tried any of his concertinas. To original poster - always remember this site is mostly visited by people from USA/ UK etc. and they are not necessarily conversant with the scene in Ireland.

[David Levine]

I don't think Sean Garvey should be blamed for the bad behaviour of the Klingenthal factory. And I doubt that Sean Garvey intended to do any harm to Steve Chambers. I've played the Garvey concertinas and they are suitably priced and good value for the money. I like them better than the Rochelle but not as well as I like the Morse and the other top-end hybrids -- which cost nearly twice as much.

[Anglo-Irishman]

Thwe website mentions Klingentel, Germany but I'll try and get a better understanding and test drive it.

 

That's Klingenthal. A traditional centre of instrument-making in Germany. Those older GDR 20-buttons you get so cheap on eBay are usually from Kingenthal. It's located in the former East Germany, and the socialist economy ruined the small, private workshops and factories that were once so numerous.

 

In German concertina circles, one hears that you can get a very nice 20-button, hexagonal German concertina made to order by a firm that's still (or again) in business there. It seems to be more of a "museum workshop", demonstrating the crafts that were formerly important in the region, so the volume of production is low. But so is the demand for such concertinas, even in Germany!

 

In this connection, I've heard of the "Garvey" as being the only 30-button that they make, and that it's made for export.

 

So the Garvey is not Chinese, and not Italian mass-produced either! So the workmanship should be fine.

What I don't know is whether it aims for the ideal tone of a traditional English anglo, or that of a traditional German concertina, which is significantly different. I imagine that, being a hybrid, it would come somewhere in between. At least the AAA website describes it and having the reeds mounted flat, as the long reedplates of the old German concertinas were.

Certainly the sound-holes in the ends have a very German look about them.

 

In the final analysis, a good concertina is one that sounds the way you like it, and is easy to play and reliable, so the proof of the pudding is in the eating. But the Garvey should be worth checking out.

 

Cheers,

John

[Michael Marino]

Okay, confused as the original name for the Anglo was the German-Anglo. Than sometime around WWI it got shortened from what I understand? If I am wrong please enlighten me. Also that area is a very traditional free reed instrument center that is rebuilding but has seen better days. Weltmeister is now making harmonicas again which they have not that for years and there is talk of more types of instruments coming out of that region. We will have to see.

 

Michael

[Paul Read]

I think it was actually Anglo-German. These were a hybrid between the English concertina and the German concertina (basically English construction, German layout).

[Chris Ghent]

The sequence was something like;

 

1) the concertina (as invented by Wheatstone)

2) the German concertina (a German knockoff, looked like 1, played like a German accordion)

3) the Anglo-German concertina ( an English knockoff of the German concertina)

4) the Anglo concertina (the word German dropped in WWI)

 

Once 2) was invented 1) needed to be called the English concertina to differentiate when both were present.

 

Chris

[Daniel Hersh]

I agree with some of what Chris says, but I don't agree that the original German concertina was a "knockoff" of Wheatstone's. The internal mechanism was radically different and it looked pretty different too:

 

 

 

The picture is from Stephen Chambers's excellent 2004 article on concertina history with illustrations of instruments from his own collection.

 

The sequence was something like;

 

1) the concertina (as invented by Wheatstone)

2) the German concertina (a German knockoff, looked like 1, played like a German accordion)

3) the Anglo-German concertina ( an English knockoff of the German concertina)

4) the Anglo concertina (the word German dropped in WWI)

 

Once 2) was invented 1) needed to be called the English concertina to differentiate when both were present.

 

Chris

Edited October 9, 2010 by Daniel Hersh

[Daniel Hersh]

So the Garvey is not Chinese, and not Italian mass-produced either! So the workmanship should be fine.

What I don't know is whether it aims for the ideal tone of a traditional English anglo, or that of a traditional German concertina, which is significantly different. I imagine that, being a hybrid, it would come somewhere in between. At least the AAA website describes it and having the reeds mounted flat, as the long reedplates of the old German concertinas were. Certainly the sound-holes in the ends have a very German look about them.

Since these concertinas started out as part of Stephen Chambers's Triskel project, you can learn a bit more about them by searching c.net for "Triskel" to see what Stephen had to say back in the day...