Wakker MIDI with custom case

[Chris Allert]

I have a wakker midi anglo with a custom case from Greg jowaisas. I think I bought it back in 2007 directly from wim wakker. I can't remember what I paid for it. Maybe around US$2000

 

anyway, best offer gets it. You'll probably get the best info on it from wim wakker. I used it to drive a Dave smith evolver, but never really spent enough time with it. It's a beautifully constructed instrument. And the case Greg jowaisas made for me is great, holding both the concertina as well as the wireless gizmo you plug into your synthesizer or computer.

 

I didn't really find a concertina to be the ideal controller for monophonic analogue equipment, but it will probably be a great toy for someone else. Make an offer. You know you want to...

Edited September 17, 2012 by Chris Allert

[Chris Allert]

I've gotten a few questions/inquiries on this, so i'll try to answer them here:

 

1. What kind of pressure does it take to play/how does it feel?

 

This is kind of subjective. It seems to allow quite a bit less airflow than any other concertina i've played. I remember wim wakker writing something about this in another thread here, saying that the air-flow/pressure is about the same as the concertinas he makes, and that someone else replied that the retrofitted lachenal midi he'd tried felt a lot more natural to play (I don't remember the maker of these. It's someone in England, i think). The air flow is not adjustable. Instead of a reed-pan, there's a flat piece of wood with a hole in it meant to allow about the same amount of air through as a reed would. You could probably enlarge the hole to allow more air, but i'm guessing that would cause other problems with the pressure sensor inside the instrument. My other observation is that the air button doesn't really let much air through, since the air is just going through the same hole as when a note is playing. But it is still a very expressive controller, it just takes practice and needs to be played a little differently from a reeded concertina.

 

2. What's the serial number?

 

It says "AMC 0643" on the instrument. I think i actually acquired it in 2006, not 2007, which is what the "06" in the serial refers to (instrument #43 of 2006?)

 

3. What color is it?

 

Black french polish finish. White leather baffles behind the grill. It looks just like the one on the web-site, except solid black.

 

4. do you plug it in?

 

The concertina itself is battery powered, and needs to be charged. It's connected wirelessly to the midi box that plugs into a computer. to charge it, there's a cord that runs from one of the midi ports on the gizmo to the concertina. If i remember correctly, I don't think it can be played while charging. Unfortunately I can't locate the manual right now, but it's got to be around here somewhere.

 

5. Is one side of the instrument heavier than the other?

 

Not as far as i can tell. Wim seems to have done an excellent job of getting the weight right. It's actually considerably lighter than a reeded concertina, and I definitely don't get the feeling of all the electronics being on one side.

 

6. Does the concertina include a synthesizer?

 

No, it's just a midi controller, and a very expressive one. You'll need your own midi cables and midi interface to your computer or a synthesizer with midi in.

 

7. Anything else I should know?

 

Changing bellows direction sends a midi all-notes-off message. I found that this meant i had to fiddle with the synthesizer settings a little to deal with this (on all my now sold analog equipment, it's not the same as getting individual note off messages for all the currently pressed buttons, even though in theory it should be)

 

8. Does the instrument work?

 

I'm 99% sure it does. It's in new condition, i've only played it about a dozen times. But it's just been sitting in its case for a couple years. I'm currently recharging it, looking for cables around the house, and i'll try to post a video sometime in the next few days of me playing it through my computer or iPad.

 

8. Where can i find out more?

 

here's wim wakker's page on the instrument:

 

http://www.concertinaconnection.com/wakker%20midi.htm