Who To Completely Recondition My Jeffries?

[captone]

Hello All,

Please forgive the new topic, I did go through ALL the posts first.

After another 40 years of use my C. Jeffries (29 Praed St.) 38 button Anglo is in need of an expert complete reconditioning.

My friend bought it from Crabb who reconditioned it in about 1973. He then wore it out and made it unplayable before selling it to me some years later.

I patched up the bellows, found some tempered bronze music wire and made all new springs, and used some soft leather to make new pad covers and some handles.

For the work to be done, I would like to have someone who has already re-done a Jeffries or two do the job for obvious reasons.

I was corresponding with a gentleman about 8 years ago who was experienced and recommended to do the work but he did not have the time for the job then. I have since moved several times and lost his contact information and all my notes on the subject.

It is now to get it rebuilt.

 

For the project, we are talking:

 

New bellows and several end fasteners

New reed pads and tuning

New original style Jeffries handles and attachment/adjustment buckles and fasteners

Replace at least 1 missing button and possibly the actuator arm. I believe the reed is still in place

Adjustment of button height and action with stop pads and button guides as needed

All gasketing

Repair of cracked end covers

Etc. Etc.

 

I am located on the west coast of the US and while meaning no offense to the talent here in the States, I have in mind that I would send it to the UK where it was born and previously re-conditioned for the current work to be done.

Your recommendations are valued and appreciated.

Thank you.

 

Rick C.

[Mike Franch]

You could certainly send it off to the UK, but you could also send it to Greg Jowaisas in Kentucky. I know at least one person whose Jeffries he has restored (and who will probably chime in) and he did a wonderful job on my late Wheatstone. He is highly regarded by people in the c.net community.

[Jim Besser]

 

I am located on the west coast of the US and while meaning no offense to the talent here in the States, I have in mind that I would send it to the UK where it was born and previously re-conditioned for the current work to be done.

Your recommendations are valued and appreciated.

Thank you.

 

Rick C.

 

What Mike Franch said. You can't go wrong with Greg. He has done significant work - including new bellows - on both my fine vintage instruments. He is a careful, attentive technician who gets things right the first time. And he's a pleasure to deal with.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Jim Besser

[apprenticeOF]

You could also try Concertina Connection. They're not far out of Spokane, Washington. There's a picture of a Jeffries Duet that they restored on their website.

[Robin Harrison]

For new bellows, send the frames to John Connor...................he makes ( in my opinion ) the best anglo bellows around. Around £400 I believe; they are really really nice.

Robin

[RP3]

Rick,

 

I also wholly endorse the recommendation of Greg Jowaisas for the work on your Jeffries. Greg did a complete restoration on a Jeffries for me that included not only the usual items but also a beautiful new bellows and replacement of both cracked action boards. This is a major undertaking because all the levers have to be removed, the broken boards carefully detached, new boards made and all the holes precisely drilled for lever pivots, button stems and spring mounting points. All in all, serious work done magnificently. I don't think you can do better.

 

Ross Schlabach

[Guest mglamb]

.

Edited August 10, 2013 by mglamb

[hielandman]

Rick,

You cannot, and will not, go wrong by using Greg Jowaisas. I have sent him quite a few concertinas over the years, and he does marvelous work. Besides that, he is a great guy, and when not working in his own shop, he is working at Carroll Concertina's for Wally Carroll. I think that in and of itself is quite a recommendation. Have a great day, and take care,

Don Smith

[Paul Read]

For a much loved instrument like this go to the best - Colin and Rosalie Dipper.

[CrP]

Allow me to add my satisfaction with the work that Greg has done for me on a Jones, a Lachenal, and some very nice work on my old 44-key Jeffries (circa 1885-1890).

[d.elliott]

I would add my own endorsement of Greg, in all my dealings with him he has shown himself to be capable and knowledgeable.

 

Dave

[Daniel Bradbury]

I, too, highly recommend Greg. He did extensive reconditioning of my early John Crabb anglo. He is very communicative, responsive and a peerless craftsman.

 

[d.elliott]

Captone,

 

Are you going to tell us your decision?

 

D

[captone]

Hello,

Thank all of you for sharing your repair experiences and input.

I work as an Engineer on large boats, so I've been out of touch for a few weeks and have just recently

been able to catch up on most of your collective information.

 

From your comments, there are some people very capable of doing fine work on a

project like this.

For the work on my C/G Jeffries 38 button Anglo I've decided to take it as far as my abilities and the resources

available permit.

 

So the old 6 fold bellows have been sent to John Connor for new bellows to be made on my end frames.

John said it will take him about 6 weeks total to complete.

The bellows Crab fitted on the concertina in about 1970 and that my concertina mentor Ale Extrom wore out before he sold me the Jeffries in about 1975 were all black and that is how I have been used to seeing it for 43 years. He is a brilliant player/songwriter but the instrument had a tough hard and worked time of it.

I never knew that C. Jeffries had originally used inscribed paper designs on his bellows until very recently, and although to my eyes it will take some getting used to, I am a traditionalist in many things and the new bellows l ordered will have the Jeffries designs included.

Correctly packing any valuable, rare, and and fragile object for international shipment is obviously important and take a bit of time but it seems that from the US Fed Ex is the only shipper that allows adequate insurance to be purchased to cover parts, new bellows, etc.

HOWEVER:

The limit of the allowable insurance is US 2500.00.

So while there is plenty of room for coverage on parts and even new bellows, this limit is way beyond inadequate to provide coverage to mail the actual insturment itself.

 

For the rest of the project I will order new valves, pads, and handles and install them myself and see how the action is and plays with the new pads.

 

A question for you all:

 

The handles on the Jeffries I have, have the leather handle adjustment buckle/clip keeper mounted on the wooden handle itself. The leather handles were cut short and ended at this location as the concertina was set up when I got it.

You can see the temporary leather handles it currently has fitted shown in the attached picture.

Are the handle ending as shown a variation of the original handle style? Or should the original style Jeffries leather handles be longer and have their ends fastened down on the sides of the concertina with the round headded thumbscrew as I have seen on some Jeffries concertina pictures on the internet ?

The available Jeffries re-production handles I have seen are set up this way.

For the work I'm doing I would like to put the concertina back as it was when made by C. Jeffries

 

As before, thank all of you very much for your comments. Your input os valued and appreciated.

 

Rick C.

[Theo]

If you've not done reed work before I suggest leaving valve replacement and tuning to someone with experience. Getting the right valves is critical to the instrument being able to play at its best, as of course is tuning. If you want to learn how reeds work and setting them up for optimal performance then by a cheap Lachenal to learn on.

[captone]

Yes,

I plan to do the bellows, handles, pads, and make and replace the missing button and actuator arm assembly then see how it plays.

The tuning I would definately have professionally done.

Do you think that my CG anglo as originally made would have had the handle style as does the 26 key CG anglo Jeffries you have on your website?

 

Rick

[Theo]

Do you think that my CG anglo as originally made would have had the handle style as does the 26 key CG anglo Jeffries you have on your website?

 

 

If it did you will see the screw holes in the outside edge of the woodwork where the strap screws were inserted, often just screwed rather crudely into the wood.