Introducing the new Peacock duet

[wim wakker]

A little later than initially planned, we’ve finally added the Peacock duet to our intermediate concertina models.

 

The Peacock is a 42 key hybrid (with accordion reeds) duet with the Caspar Wicki keyboard. As most of you probably know, the Wicki and Hayden keyboards are identical, except for the slant. The Wicki is parallel to the hand rail which makes it easier to reach the outer rows.

Because 90%+ of the Wakker Duet orders are for the Wicki keyboard (W1 and W2), we decided to use this also for our intermediate model. Many players have told us that switching from Hayden to Wicki is very easy.

 

Just like the Clover anglo, the Peacock is also available in Standard, Special and Custom. Options include flat or domed metal capped buttons and natural or black finish.

It has the same action as we use in our Wakker models: balanced sheet brass (MS58) levers with bushed metal capped nylon core buttons, key pressure set at +- 70 grams with a 3mm key travel. This type of action is a lot more responsive and uniform than one with wire levers and plastic buttons, which we use in our entry level models. Because of that it feels a lot like our Wakker models.

The instrument utilizes a natural low pass harmonic filtering, which produces a less ‘accordion like’ sound, just like the clover anglo.

 

All our entry models (Jackie, Jack, Rochelle, Elise), bought directly from us or through one of our dealers, are accepted as trade in (See our trade in program for details). See concertinaconnection.com/peacock.htm for details.

 

Wim Wakker

Concertina Connection Inc.

 

P.S. we hope to add the english version (Rose) later this year.

[SqueezeCat]

Congratulations with the addition of the Peacock to the Wakker portfolio!

 

It looks to be a lovely instrument. Looking forward to hearing it.

[highplainsman]

Congratulations, Wim, on the new addition to the CC family. I was curious about the Wicki layout and now know why. If anyone has made the switch from Hayden to Wicki, it would be interesting to hear of the experience. Intriguing is the low pass filtering. Any chance that you could post a sound file to give us a listen to the Peacock?

 

Rick Todd

[SqueezeCat]

The Peacock is a 42 key hybrid (with accordion reeds) duet with the Caspar Wicki keyboard.

Looking a bit closer at the Peacock's right hand side, I do have a few questions:

 

1) I don't see an air button under the right hand thumb, as one finds on the W-1 or W-2. I'm guessing then that the Peacock doesn't include an air valve?

 

2) I'm also seeing a key directly under the G#1 key. From the logic of the Wicki/Hayden keyboard, one would expect this to be a G#, an octave below. Is this indeed the case?

[JimLucas]

The Peacock is a 42 key hybrid (with accordion reeds) duet with the Caspar Wicki keyboard.

Looking a bit closer at the Peacock's right hand side, I do have a few questions:

 

1) I don't see an air button under the right hand thumb, as one finds on the W-1 or W-2. I'm guessing then that the Peacock doesn't include an air valve?

 

2) I'm also seeing a key directly under the G#1 key. From the logic of the Wicki/Hayden keyboard, one would expect this to be a G#, an octave below. Is this indeed the case?

Wim would be a better one to answer this, of course, but it looks to me like that "low G#" is actually the air button in a new location. I come to this conclusion from the facts that 1) the right hand range depicted here shows 23 notes (not including a low G#), while 2) the photo of the right hand end shows 24 buttons.

[wim wakker]

Jim was correct, it is the air button.

 

Space in a hybrid duet is very limited. This was the only place available.

 

Wim

Concertina Connection

[JimLucas]

...it is the air button.

 

Space in a hybrid duet is very limited. This was the only place available.

And on a unisonoric concertina (duet or English), the air button shouldn't be needed while playing actual notes, so the fact that it's positioned to use a finger other than the thumb shouldn't be a problem.

[Anglo-Irishman]

And on a unisonoric concertina (duet or English), the air button shouldn't be needed while playing actual notes, so the fact that it's positioned to use a finger other than the thumb shouldn't be a problem.

 

My Lachenal Crane has an air button under the right thumb, and I am occasionally glad that it's there.

It's useful for starting a legato phrase over a held chord with the bellows fully extended or fully compressed. I suppose this is a carry-over from the Anglo, and an experienced unisonoric player could think of other ways to manoeuvre the bellows to the end position before the long phrase, but gentle pressure on the air button during the preceding phrase is the most direct method.

The air-valve on the Lachenal Crane would be too small for an Anglo, as it doesn't allow quick gulps of air between two press or two draw phrases, but it's perfect for adjusting bellows travel while the fingers are occupied with playing notes.

 

Cheers,

John

[Defra]

The Peacock Duet seems to have been out for exactly a year now. Has anybody bought one and if so, what are the general opinions? I'd like to read some reviews and hear any sound clips, apart from the very good one on the ButtonBox website.

Cheers,

Dean

[David Barnert]

I'd forgotten about this thread. Last time I looked in on it was before I tried the Peacock that the Button Box has.

 

I've been playing the Hayden for 25+ years. To respond to some of the points above, my Wheatstone Hayden has the air button on the right handrail (perpendicular to all the other buttons), where you couldn't be tempted to use it while playing. Also, my (admittedly limited) experience playing both the Peacock and the new Morse Beaumont (both with what Wim calls the Wicki layout, that is, Hayden without the slant) has failed to convince me that it is an advantage over the Hayden slant. Perhaps it's just a matter of being more comfortable with the familiar, but I definitely prefer the slant.

 

They are both nice sounding instruments, however.

[Geoff Wooff]

So, the Peacock has an air button on the right hand side, below the keyboard and to the right (lower) side ,to be worked by ones little finger ?

I see no reference to an air button on the Beaumont... ??

[David Barnert]

I see no reference to an air button on the Beaumont... ??

I honestly don't remember if it has one. I don't see one in the pictures or videos.

[wayman]

The Beaumont's air button is in the same position as the Wheatstone Hayden's -- on the right handrest.

[Geoff Wooff]

The Beaumont's air button is in the same position as the Wheatstone Hayden's -- on the right handrest.

Thanks for that Wayman.

[David Barnert]

The Beaumont's air button is in the same position as the Wheatstone Hayden's -- on the right handrest.

 

I thought I saw a hint of it there in the photo at the top of the page linked in my previous post, but I don't see it in the videos. I don't doubt you're right, though.

[wayman]

The player's right hand is generally between the camera and the air button in those videos. But in video three, you can catch glimpses of it behind Aaron's hand when his hand position shifts towards the "sharper notes" -- look very closely at his right index finger, and as his hand position shifts (such as right around 0:45 and 0:55) you can see it for split-seconds when his index finger moves out of the way. The air button is an "English-sized" button, instead of the "Anglo-sized" buttons used for the notes, which makes it a smaller target to spot!

[david fabre]

I'd forgotten about this thread. Last time I looked in on it was before I tried the Peacock that the Button Box has.

 

I've been playing the Hayden for 25+ years. To respond to some of the points above, my Wheatstone Hayden has the air button on the right handrail (perpendicular to all the other buttons), where you couldn't be tempted to use it while playing. Also, my (admittedly limited) experience playing both the Peacock and the new Morse Beaumont (both with what Wim calls the Wicki layout, that is, Hayden without the slant) has failed to convince me that it is an advantage over the Hayden slant. Perhaps it's just a matter of being more comfortable with the familiar, but I definitely prefer the slant.

 

They are both nice sounding instruments, however.

 

Just by curiosity : could someone explain me the reason for that "slant" in the Hayden keyboard ?

I've always been puzzed by the direction of this slant : If I understand well, the rows go farther from the hand rest as you go up the scale (at least on the right side). This means that the buttons at the top-right (which are to be played by the pinkie) are the farther to reach. I don't expect this to be comfortable. Actually the opposite direction for the slant (with the pinkie-buttons closest) seems more logical to me...

[Łukasz Martynowicz]

I think that the inventor himself has the best explanation why he did it this way... What I can say from playing experience is that there is one good reason for the slant - playing chords, especially when you have your 3rd finger longer than index finger, like me..

There is one other thing, but has little practical meaning - you can draw slanted keyboard over the staff and read the note associated with each button. This can help with finding accidentals and playing chromatic scales at the begining of learning Hayden.