is 26 buttons enough?

[Marien]

If you think 26 buttons is good enough for you, and if you want a Jeffries, here is one in the Netherlands.

 

This is just to let you know,

I do not know the seller, but in earlier occasions I got fair answers.

[Alex West]

Having seen the photographs from the vendor, my conclusion was that this instrument was more likely to be Ab/Eb in old pitch rather than A/E.

 

Otherwise, it looks quite tidy

 

Alex West

[Greg Jowaisas]

A consideration with a Jeffries of less than 30b is the accidental row which is offset from other layouts. The top two accidental buttons' position can usually be accommodated (players can adjust)but the 3rd (and 4th with a 28b) can be problematical for someone accustomed to a 30b and + layout. The choice and necessity of using the ring or pinkie finger in different instances from a 30b layout can be confusing.

 

I'd be interested to know (Geoff Crabb are you listening?) how this accidental row positioning might have come about and why it seems specific to Jeffries instruments.

 

Greg

 

(edited to correct the spelling on the "dreaded", acomodate; accomedate; accomodate; Oh heck! You know what I mean.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Greg Jowaisas

[Daniel Hersh]

If you think 26 buttons is good enough for you, and if you want a Jeffries, here is one in the Netherlands.

 

This is just to let you know,

I do not know the seller, but in earlier occasions I got fair answers.

Sold for GBP 1,851.00 ($2,963.82).

Edited November 25, 2012 by Daniel Hersh

[Alex West]

 

I'd be interested to know (Geoff Crabb are you listening?) how this accidental row positioning might have come about and why it seems specific to Jeffries instruments.

 

Greg

 

(edited to correct the spelling on the "dreaded", acomodate; accomedate; accomodate; Oh heck! You know what I mean.

 

Greg

 

I've a wooden ended Crabb with only 26 buttons and I'm sure I've seen a Jones with 26 in the recent past so they're not confined to Jeffries. I've not found the button positioning to be too much of a problem, but you do obviously miss something in the availability of notes in both directions; and for players in the chorded style, there are some fairly critical bass notes missing.

 

What I find you gain in a 26 key over the larger instruments is that all of the notes speak more clearly and with a more even tone. Maybe the chambers are bigger and allow the reeds to "breathe more easily"?

 

Perhaps the new owner will tell us - either way, I wish him/her good fortune!

 

Alex West

[Greg Jowaisas]

 

I'd be interested to know (Geoff Crabb are you listening?) how this accidental row positioning might have come about and why it seems specific to Jeffries instruments.

 

Greg

 

(edited to correct the spelling on the "dreaded", acomodate; accomedate; accomodate; Oh heck! You know what I mean.

 

Greg

 

I've a wooden ended Crabb with only 26 buttons and I'm sure I've seen a Jones with 26 in the recent past so they're not confined to Jeffries. I've not found the button positioning to be too much of a problem, but you do obviously miss something in the availability of notes in both directions; and for players in the chorded style, there are some fairly critical bass notes missing.

 

What I find you gain in a 26 key over the larger instruments is that all of the notes speak more clearly and with a more even tone. Maybe the chambers are bigger and allow the reeds to "breathe more easily"?

 

Perhaps the new owner will tell us - either way, I wish him/her good fortune!

 

Alex West

 

Alex,

It is the position of the whole accidental row on the Jeffries 26 and 28b instruments that I see as the (my) problem, not the missing buttons or notes.

 

The accidental row is set a bit "south" so that LH accidental row notes normally that are ring finger notes feel like they should be taken with the pinkie.

 

I can measure the layouts of two wood end 26b Jeffries that I have and report back. Perhaps Ross (RP3) will share his experiences with the 28b Jeffries he has. Ross and I have often compared notes and feel one has to bring a 28b mind set to those instruments regarding the LH accidental row low notes.

 

My experience is that the 26b layout has the same accidental row repositioning as the 28b, just one less button on each side. The position of the accidental row buttons in relation to the middle row is decidedly different than on a 30b Jeffries. The first two buttons don't bother me that much. I think some adjustment is necessary for the 3rd row (lowest notes) D#/C# but since the pinkie is generally not involved on the 3rd row of a 26b there is less "finger confusion".

 

I find using the low LH accidental notes on a 28b (Bb/A and D#/C# quite a tangled dance for my pinkie and ring finger when relying on the muscle memory learned on a 30b.

 

This may be more of a problem for Irish Trad folks than for english anglo players, but since I'm limited to Irish style I'd just be guessing.

 

Greg

[RP3]

OK, Greg has delicately dragged me into this thread, so here goes. I have two 28 button Jeffries concertinas: one C/G and one Bb/F. Lets just focus on the C/G. When you play in the keys of C & G, the 28 button plays just like a 30 button because you don't normally have to venture into the third row. BUT, when you move to the key of D, all bets are off. Trips to the low A and the low C# are expeditions into the great unknown because they are each displaced one position to the bottom from the layout on a 30 button. Greg is correct, these notes require the use of the pinkie or some form of awkward finger crossovers. And on the right side, the first button is C#/D# and it is in the second position. The rest of the third row RH notes are in the same positions as they occupy on a 30 button Jeffries layout.

 

If you didn't before, you now know where the most important 3rd row notes are. But how does it play? Just like a Jeffries should. Because I didn't find the differences crippling, I bought from Greg the Bb/F member of my brace of 28 b Jeffries. I buy concertinas based on their tone and playability, and the 28 button Jeffries models are just as capable and desirable as their more profusely buttoned brothers (sisters). They have neither an advantage nor disadvantage where tone is concerned IMHO. But they do offer fingering challenges. Tunes like Master Crowleys and The Morning Lark require convenient access to the low A. My 28 b Jeffries only has one low A at the bottom of the third row, while 30 b models frequently have a second one at the bottom of the G row on the draw. So tunes like the two I mentioned force one to attack the low A with the pinkie or substitute a higher pitched A from the top of the C row (LH). Probably the greater challenge is the C# because its location puts it somewhere between the the optimum position for operation by either pinkie or third finger -- kind of a Neverland! you just have to work on it and see which finger works better for you. As for the right hand side, I decided I didn't really need the D# all that much and put a second C# in its place. So the right side feels very much like that of the 30 b.

 

If one practices regularly, the switch from 30 b to 28 b can be done virtually seamlessly. And since 28 b Jeffries can usually be had for slightly less $$$$ and gets ignored by the folks madly looking for 30 b models, you can have a very nice Jeffries at a more attractive price. Don't get me wrong, I am not recommending a 28 b in preference to a 30 b! But if the 28 b comes your way at an attractive price, go for it. You can always search for that 30 b while happily playing away on your 28 b. Remember, John Williams won his All Ireland with a 28 b Jeffries. Need I say more?

 

Ross Schlabach