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Rare and outstanding Wheatstone G/D anglo


gavdav

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Treat yourself to an early Christmas present.

 

With great reluctance I am offering for sale my 1926 G/D Wheatstone (linota period but I believe built as a Jeffries System duet!!!) Nickel ends, looks, feels and sounds wonderful. Sadly as I have a job in London in the new year I need to raise the money for rent and flat deposit, and I'm almost exclusively playing Maccann at the moment.

 

This is one of the sweetest, warmest sounding boxes I have ever played, but is also pokey enough to cut through in a session or for morris. I bought it from Paul Read of this forum a few years back and it has been a faithful friend for live and recording work. The original worn handles were replaced by stylishly engineered modern equivalents made by Wally Carroll. Plays very comfortably in G/D and A as well as relative minors, but still has several unisonoric keys - a left hand G drone and an A drone which I find great for minor songs. Currently it functions as a 30+ key Wheatstone system anglo but offering tantalising options for extra notes wherever you need them.

 

In concert pitch, well maintained over a number of years. 7 fold original and superb bellows. superb reeds, brass shoes. A few scuffs and bits of minor wear as you'd expect for a box of this age.

 

Other drone keys could be converted to make a full anglo row in A for example.

 

The concertina is of the larger size - the same as my 57 key duet. Still has its original case, for completeness sake, but this has seen better days.

 

To get a concertina of this quality made would cost a significant amount from any modern maker and finding a vintage one would be a challenge. Insurance value is £8500, I paid £4500.

 

I am looking for £4000 for a reasonably quick sale, and I would maybe consider other anglos or possibly a MacCann in part exchange.

 

I am based in Yorkshire, UK

 

donation to c.net if sold here, but will be listing elsewhere soon.

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...1926 G/D Wheatstone (linota period but I believe built as a Jeffries System duet!!!)

As opposed to simply a custom anglo layout? What makes you think so? Something in the ledger entry? (What's the serial no.?) Or evidence of reed pan modifications to accommodate disparate push and pull notes?

 

The concertina is of the larger size - the same as my 57 key duet.

Just how big are the ends? And what's the weight?

 

(I have no money at the moment, but a friend might be seriously interested.)

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It is a standard larger size - 7 inches across the flats - just measured it. It is marked as AG duet in the ledgers. I believe it is serial 30995. Here's an old keyboard chartpost-315-0-21706900-1352139329_thumb.jpg - just noticed i have the A/B on the g row the wrong way round - it is a conventional B/A button

Edited by gavdav
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...1926 G/D Wheatstone (linota period but I believe built as a Jeffries System duet!!!)

Just how big are the ends? And what's the weight?

And any chance of a complete button layout?

 

OK - to answer those questions there's a post here somewhere with a layout. the weight is 1.71kg which whilst not lightweight is light enough for me to play stood up outdoors for brief periods but would probably wear those wrists in prolonged action. I usually put my foot up for playing live.

 

As for why I think it was originally a Wheatstone Jeffries duet - a long story, but all the AG duets from the ledger to me seem to be Jeffries Systems - I used to own 30998 as well. There are some historic markings of note names on the nickel plate from the original owner which are scarcely visible now but also suggest this. All I know is it works superbly as it is and offers even further scope for those wishing to delve! Here's the ledger page.

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Edited by gavdav
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Thanks for the information. I'll pass it on.

 

It is a standard larger size - 7 inches across the flats - just measured it.
the weight is 1.71kg

That's a hair (well, 1/8") smaller than my 59-button Jeffries-made Crane duet, but half a kilo lighter! (And a mere 1/8" larger than my 45-button Jeffries G/D, which I don't have with me at the moment, so I can't weigh it.)

 

It is marked as AG duet in the ledgers. I believe it is serial 30995.

That seems to match, all right.

 

all the AG duets from the ledger to me seem to be Jeffries Systems - I used to own 30998 as well.

Interesting. Number 30998 is just marked "A.G." Was it also a duet, or strictly an expanded Jeffries-layout anglo?

 

Here's an old keyboard chartpost-315-0-21706900-1352139329_thumb.jpg

Very interesting! Especially the number of keys -- mainly the entire 4th row -- with the same note on push and pull. Leaves me wondering whether that might in fact be the original layout, with "A.G. duet" meaning some combination of a bisonoric anglo layout with a unisonoric "duet" row.

 

In any case, that looks like a real prize for the right person.

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