Wood Ends - Rosewood, Mahogany, Etc.?

[Dr. Gold]

Hello everyone...

 

Is there any sort of rhyme or reason as to the choice of rosewood or mahogany or any other kind of wood for concertina ends? Being new to the concertina realm, I can only surmise that a lightweight wood would be one factor in determining what material is used for the ends. It does not seem like the ends have too much of an effect on the overall sound, based on other posts I've read here. I've noticed at least one concertina maker that uses some "uncommon" woods (zebrawood comes to mind). In any case, if anybody can shed some light on this question, or point me to a previous post that would have an answer, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much,

 

Derek

[asdormire]

I asked a similar question several years back - say 2006. There was quite a heated conversation. You may want to do a search.

 

Alano

[Dr. Gold]

Hi Alano,

 

I've done a couple of searches, but can't seem to find the post you're refering to.

[Greg Jowaisas]

November 14th 2012 there was a topic started by Chris Ghent (probably in construction and repair) which drew 45 responses concerning metal vs. wood ends.

 

My experience with over 500 concertinas leads me to believe sound is both reflected and absorbed by the ends. Material and amount of fret work opening can influence sound.

 

As with most aspects of the concertina it is difficult to isolate individual characteristics and do empirical observations. In the post started by Chris Ghent the comments and comparisons seem to show that a lot of what we hear can be subjective.

 

Greg

Edited February 27, 2014 by Greg Jowaisas