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What our concertinas look like?


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I just got my Morse Céilí #780 (made July, 2010) a week or so ago, after having been playing Morse Céilí #027 (1999, 2000?) for a few months, and I love it. I appreciate the fact that the materials are a bit nicer than the older model. The buttons are flatter on top, and bushed, unlike the older one. The bellows and general playability hasn't really changed much. Part of why I got the Morse over the Clover is the familiarity factor, plus buying local and the convenience of the makers being readily on hand should any problems arise. It's generally a Jeffries layout, but I asked them to give me a double C# on button #1, RH accidental row. so i have 3 to chose from.

 

These are crappy cell phone photos, but it's the best I could do, sorry.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

...having "Jeffries" or "Wheatstone" papers on a Marcus would be like putting a Triumph badge on the tank of a Suzuki.

 

Reminds me of a car that used to be parked near the administration building when I was at university: a VW bug with a Mercedes emblem. B) (This was well before someone popularized customizing the VW bug with a Mercedes-like nose.)

 

Apologies to the purists out there, but just to strike a balance, here's my Marcus CG & GD anglos.

 

Both are Deluxe models, the CG(black belows papers) being my first decent concertina when I started 4 years ago, the companion GD (gold Marcus blocking and gold Jeffries papers) being my "golden" 50th birthday present. last year.

 

I don;t have a problem with it, after all a modern hybrid is never going to be mistaken for an antique Jeffries by those who know, and those who neither know or care aren't bothered.

 

All that matters is it plays well (more capable than my abilities I think) and I like it.

 

Digressing slightly, the first car I owned, I built myself. From some angles it looked like a Morgan, from others an MG TF. But underneath it was a 1969 Triumph Herald! Used to have fun watching people try to work out what it was. (google Moss Roadster if you're interested).

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post-7598-0-79417600-1362430045_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

Wheatstone treble English (No.25750), dating from 1912. This has been mentioned in a couple of other threads, over the years.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter-trimming/8935676619/

 

Hey, Peter. Long time no hear from. Good to see your name on the forum again.

I didn't know you played EC in addition to Anglo.

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I have taken the latest posts as kind of an inducement to take a picture of my Lachenal Excelsior (from the 1920ies) and provide it here:

dscf7926nejsc.jpg

P.S.: It's waiting for its new bellow papers from Dave Elliot... :)

Edited by blue eyed sailor
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  • 4 weeks later...

I have taken the latest posts as kind of an inducement to take a picture of my Lachenal Excelsior (from the 1920ies) ...

Wolf:

 

Do you have baffles in your Excelsior? (The yellow background beneath the fretwork).

 

If so, do you think that they are original?

 

What are they made of?

 

If they are baffles then can you post a picture them from the inside out?

 

My Excelsior has had the baffles removed and I have been wondering about making replacements.

 

Final question: Are you going to stick with Lachenal green papers or were you tempted by Dave's gold ones?

 

Thx. Don.

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How do you post photos?

There are two ways. If the photo is already available on the web (or if you can upload it to the web somewhere like your own web site, photobucket, flickr, dropbox public folder, etc) then simply click the icon above the concertina.net text entering window that looks like a little photograph (or TV set) and paste the url of the photo into the field that appears.

 

The alternative is to upload the photo to the servers associated with concertina.net. There is a limit to how many megabytes of material you can upload, and I have reached mine, but if you have never done it before, you have plenty of room. While creating a post, click the "More Reply Options" button at the lower right. Then look below the text entering window to where it says "Attach Files." Click "Choose File," find the photo on your computer, and then click "Attach This File."

 

You may have to play around a little with formatting (where the "return" characters go) to get it to appear in the right place.

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I have taken the latest posts as kind of an inducement to take a picture of my Lachenal Excelsior (from the 1920ies) ...

Wolf:

 

Do you have baffles in your Excelsior? (The yellow background beneath the fretwork).

 

If so, do you think that they are original?

 

What are they made of?

 

If they are baffles then can you post a picture them from the inside out?

 

My Excelsior has had the baffles removed and I have been wondering about making replacements.

 

Final question: Are you going to stick with Lachenal green papers or were you tempted by Dave's gold ones?

 

Thx. Don.

 

Hi Don,

 

as to the papers: Yes, I have in fact been tempted by the gold on black ones from Dave, and couldn't resist... :rolleyes: Have glued half ot the amount by now, and they look great...

 

My Excelsior came without baffles or even a sign of them. Since the only problem I had to deal with since then had been occasional dust between a reed and its slot, I decided to apply some cloth, Being quite happy with the sound of the instrument I chose silk and made use of an unneeded shawl. The result is protection and in addition a much nicer look of the fretwork without changing the sound of the instrument noticeably.

 

If the purpose were in contrast just muting you would clearly have to utilze some different material...

 

Best wishes - Wolf

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as to the papers: Yes, I have in fact been tempted by the gold on black ones from Dave, and couldn't resist... :rolleyes: Have glued half ot the amount by now, and they look great...

I bought a set of the gold papers from Dave for my Excelsior, but have stashed them away while I decide what to do about my bellows leak. I will at least need to rebind one, possibly more folds, and I have been procrastinating over starting that job.

 

Please post before and after pictures when you are done - she is going to look very regal in her new dress.

 

Don.

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Please post before and after pictures when you are done - she is going to look very regal in her new dress.

 

I'm afraid I won't be able to provide you with a "before" pic (comprising the folds). Those papers had been nearly blacked in total, with little signs of green (possibly gold in former times?) ornamentation. The papers had been crumbling at the edges for what reason I primarily chose to replace them.

 

I wish you success with the bellows of your instrument which you justifiably want to save! Once you reported the leaking after purchase I initially hoped it were just due to some pads...

 

Best wishes - Wolf

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Wolf, well done! well done indeed.

 

On a personal level, it is seeing this sort of transformation that makes all the heartache and concerns over the choice of paper stock, the time taken in the research and drafting of the artwork, and the failed experiments with different printing and blocking companies all worthwhile.

 

congratulations again.

 

Dave

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Beautiful!

 

I have a copy of Dave's 'Concertina Maintenance Manual,' though I'll probably rely on bringing any of my broken 'toys' to The Button Box for repair, as I have a few times!

 

For fun, though, and without the pressure of it being my real concertina undergoing surgery, I think I'd like to make some kind of a paper model of a concertina.... hmm, origami... kirigami... decoupage.... paper punches... !!! :rolleyes:

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