Bruce Thomson Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Looking to buy a 56-key Wheatstone Aeola baritone-treble I liked the one I saw played by Jon Loomes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Japyi2ESZ8 I have three English concertinas, partly with a view to teaching others at some stage... Lachenal treble, Hohner treble, Stagi tenor. Dunno if I'll be able to afford it (freight to NZ, 15% tax on top of the price+freight) but I'm a determined type, willing to wait for what I want. I'm cheeky enough to be pondering ways of making my Stagi tenor more like a Wheatstone - Today, putting closed cell foam in the reed chamber as muffling failed, so I had to take it out, I had to tweak a few things to get it to play well again. - But did fix the junky thumbstraps (see youtub video - Pondering for a way of making its plastic keys less woggly (the holes are slightly conical, perhaps to help during reassembly - it makes placement of all the buttons easier, but that causes play in the buttons when pressed. By the way it has *cardboard* reinforcement of inside the bellows - perhaps that's partly why it sounds like a cardboard box. When I looked inside, the poor thing blushed and its high notes quivered. I still love it though - it can't help the way it was made. Anyway, 'grateful of you can help either to locate a baritone-treble for sale, or to make my Stagi tenor play better and sound nicer. You can probably tell I'm fairly brave about tinkering with my concertinas. I've replaced springs, fixed dud reeds. That's because there's no experts I know of in NZ, and if there were, I'd rather save for a better instrument. Bruce (Tomo) Thomson 20 Lyndhurst St. Chelwood Village, Palmerston North New Zealand 4412 64 06 357 7773 021 176 9711 palmytomo@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 (edited) You'd be better putting your Stagi fixing questions in the construction and repair section, you might get some takers there. As for looking to buy a 56 key Baritone-Treble Aeola... you are showing good taste.. and I wish you well with your search... hens teeth come to mind, though I do have one and to a large extent it remains my favorite EC ... Geoff. Edited February 17, 2013 by Geoff Wooff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Like this?: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15055 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 (edited) On second thoughts.... who is this fella?... comes on here with a first post and wants a Baritone/treble... I ask you ! Then... Then he wants Ideas of how to make his Stagi keyboard play like a Wheatstone..... Phuuuuuuuuu weeeee! He don't want much do he ?? I'll have te drop in fer a cuppa next time I'm in Palmerston North... . Welcome to Cnet Tomo. Edited February 18, 2013 by Geoff Wooff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceemonster Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 (edited) well, as someone getting into unisonoric ECs with other free-reed experience including anglo concertina and both bisonoric and unisonoric accordion systems, right out of the starting gate the "typical" EC that most people use, i.e., the treble, is not attractive, particularly given the rise in EC prices. if they were bargains, that might be one thing, but it really is not appealing to invest in something with an octave and a half of high notes one would rarely if ever use, plus on the low end missing even the low f and f-sharp. it just makes no sense. i agree with button box and some of the other hybrid treble EC makers for dispensing with much of the high octave, but couldn't they have added the f and f-sharp to make their trebles really useful at the prices they're now going for? it's not the treble that offers the best package. that is a Tenor 48 or TT 56; or a fast, loud, Bari 48 (if there were fast Baris). yet when you inquire about ECs with note ranges that would really be versatile you get told that oh, tenors and baritones are really for playing lower as background for singers or whatever. i really don't understand why these great note-range formats wouldn't be developed with optimized design for fuller-range melody playing, and for fast loud dance playing with some low notes to add some chordal bass touches for dance or whatnot. i know that baritones can be slower just because of the bigger reeds, etc., but that doesn't explain why the Tenor is so rare and so often pigeonholed as "playing a fourth down for song accompaniment." for instrumental dance music, you want that range for your money, not a treble.... Edited February 18, 2013 by ceemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 In my ignorance I would have thought that a tenor would be ideal for playing the melody as written (no transposing as on a bari) but with lots of room for open chords below the melody line. The EC treble does not leave much room for chords below the melody line (unless you are a bat) and the bari either transposes down an octave or switches the fingering patterns over between the two sides. This is really meant as a question because I am struggling to figure out what I want to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceemonster Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) [in my ignorance I would have thought that a tenor would be ideal forplaying the melody as written (no transposing as on a bari) but withlots of room for open chords below the melody line.] yes, that is what i thought from the outset, and still think. i believe that is the idea on the "black boxes" cd by sarah graves. i was surprised when inquiring about Tenors to hear makers or dealers reply not only that they are rare, but that, "oh, they're really used for song accompaniment and played a fourth down." seems to me you could play and finger it in all keys, which is what i intend to do once i locate a Tenor or TT with the type of dance-music sound i'm looking for... after i posted my cavils regarding the treble, it occurred to me that my reservations might not be shared by classical players who might be playing repertoire calling for the high octaves... but if instrumental world folk-dance music genres are your thing, a Tenor 48 or a (theoretically) fast bari 48 would be very versaile formats if they were quick, responsive, and had a loud dance-music timbre. though i classical players also love TTs and baris too .... Edited February 19, 2013 by ceemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindizzy Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 [... after i posted my cavils regarding the treble, it occurred to me that my reservations might not be shared by classical players who might be playing repertoire calling for the high octaves... but if instrumental world folk-dance music genres are your thing, a Tenor 48 or a (theoretically) fast bari 48 would be very versaile formats if they were quick, responsive, and had a loud dance-music timbre. though i classical players also love TTs and baris too .... The treble slots into the "violin" niche nicely, Tenor matches more to viola. I occasionally play in a small starter orchestra on their "fun" days, and usually get to pretend to be either a violin or more often an oboe (they have lots of violins and only 1 oboe!) For sessions, ceilidhs and such like, the treble also goes in the fiddle area to cut through the hubbub, these situations can suit whistles, fiddles and trebles ..... none of this calls for much chord work. But I do like the low range of a tenor for the nice noise it makes, and if you're playing with a smaller group or solo that lower range is really, really nice. And chords can be heard and appreciated. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceemonster Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 (edited) [but I do like the low range of a tenor] it is nice. but what i'm trying to say is that ranges like "tenor" aren't as applicable to free-reed instruments as to the violin/viola dichotomy. you can play a tenor EC in the "treble" ranges as easily as in the lower. you just have to learn the fingering. then you can play the "treble" ranges and use the lower ranges for double stops or chordal color, which is how i am going to use whichever tenor or TT i end up with. unbelievably versatile. btw, there is a used Morse Geordie Tenor newly up on the BB inventory list... Edited February 21, 2013 by ceemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conzertino Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Have a look at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wheatstone-English-concertina-Aeola-/111024160648?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19d98e3f88 . I have three BTs, one ME 64 key down to F like this one, one slightly smaller EE 64 key down to G ( with F instead of G# ) and a quite small rare 52 key TE... The smaller ones are more fun, but even rarer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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