HansiRowe Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hi All... I have just opened up an end of my Lachenal to find its serial number and I found this inscription inside. I did a google search for J Burns of New Town but didn't find anything… has anyone heard of him before, or have any information about him? Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 This instrument didn't come from Australia, did it John? There is a Bennett St in Newtown, just behind Sydney Uni. The initial could be a cursive T or J Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 "This instrument didn't come from Australia, did it John?" Actually Terry, when I did a google search it kept pointing to Bennett Street in Sydney but, it's interesting that he wrote New Town as two separate words. There's also a Bennett Street in Newtown in the UK… the plot thickens! I just wondered if J (or T) Burns was a recognised repairer or just one of the many who carried out their own repairs… I would love to find out... Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Does that say "Tuned & Repaired" at the top? "Tuned" would imply a reasonable level of technical knowledge. A date would have been nice. I am amused that he took up most of the available real estate for one repair message, not leaving much for the future. As if to say: "When I've finished tuning and repairing this, it will never need attention again..." And is the big squiggle under the address just a squiggle, or his initials, or a date (91?), or... Nothing under the other end I assume? And, turning to the present, do we have an agreed protocol for leaving messages in concertinas? How significant an intervention warrants a message? What details are to be recorded? Ink (black?) or pencil? Owners and repairers? Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi Terry Yes, it looks like 'Tuned & Repaired'… and you're right, he didn't leave much room for the future! On the other hand, maybe back then they would never have guessed that these fragile concertinas that they were working on would still be alive and kicking 100 + years later! I haven't checked out the other end yet so I might take a look later today. As for an agreed protocol for leaving messages… that's an interesting point. I have to admit that it is exciting and very interesting to discover signs from the past. I collect 18th - 19th c miniature portrait paintings and it's always such a thrill, when removing the painting from its frame, to discover a personal message or some information written on the back. I just love to know the history of a piece, even if, in the case of a concertina, it's only a repairer leaving his (or her) mark. However, repairers scrawling their names and addresses across a whole board is probably not the way to do it… a smaller signature & date, or maybe a small stamp or label somewhere discreet would suffice. In any case, I personally do feel that repairs to an instrument is a significant intervention in its history, and does warrant at least a name, place, & date. As for the owners leaving their mark… mmm… I don't know about that, the poor little concertina could end up looking like a well travelled suitcase! Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 "I haven't checked out the other end yet so I might take a look later today." No… all clear on the other end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hmmm, I wonder if our modern makers should glue a sticker inside the LH end headed "Owners", and one in the RH end titled "Repairers"? We could discuss what the printed columns on the stickers would be headed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Well, apart from all of this, the reason I was looking inside in the first place was to locate the serial number… 87119, which Randall Merris has just confirmed as dating to circa 1885, so I'm very happy about this. It makes me wonder how many different owners my Lachenal may have had over the years… I'm sure a few at least, which in turn gives me a great sense of its history, thinking of all the tunes that have been played on it by different people in different locations, etc. It gives an already beautiful instrument something extra special... Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maki Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 dating to circa 1885.... Super cool! We aren't just owners, we are care takers and trustees. No reason these wonderful instruments won't be playing music one hundred years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 It could of course have spent a significant proportion of its life reclining in someone's attic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Absolutely Rod… but even so, something old always has a story to tell… a bit like me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewVanitas Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 (edited) I asked Buttonbox if they could write/stamp a "Made for M. Vanitas, DC 2013" but they said they don't do that... I also wish that maker labels in the fretwork at least laminated the paper, though I suppose I've owned concertins that still had the "Lachenal" paper label 130 years later. I would happily pay slightly more for an engraved maker's name and serial. Edited September 24, 2014 by MatthewVanitas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 It's an interesting topic, especially if a concertina is made for you, like yours Matthew. How do we keep a record of dates, names, repairs, modifications, etc. without degrading the instrument? I suppose, in this day and age, a small micro-chip could be placed inside with all the relevant info entered… that way, a quick scan would reveal all. It doesn't sound very romantic but it would solve the problem. I do like the sound of having the maker's name, etc. engraved... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 There is a thing called HistoryTag that aims to solve this problem. My concern with it is, it depends on the HistoryTag company continuing to run the web site in order for product owners to be able to retrieve the history log for a tagged item, and what are the chances that it will still be in operation several decades or a century from now? I don't like the idea of placing a digital memory device in the product for similar reasons. Imagine if you bought a concertina made in the early 1980s and it came with a history log stored on a 5 1/4" floppy disc created on a BBC Micro - what are the chances you could still read and update it today? At least with a piece of acid-free paper and good permanent ink you stand a chance of being able to decipher the writing on it in 2114. I agree with Matthew that it would be a good idea to use engraved metal plates for the maker's logo and serial number. It would probably have been prohibitively time-consuming (=expensive) before the advent of CNC engraving machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks Alex… I know that we're wandering off the original topic and getting a bit technical but… any electronic device would have to be upgraded as time moves on, as it has done in the past. Most data stored on floppies in the past was simply transferred as progress dictated… not that I'm suggesting that micro-chips or any other technical invention be installed in instruments, I don't like the sound of it either, but who knows what's coming along in the future… at the moment it's a way of storing a lot of information in a confined space… imagine the potential.. photos or even films of previous owners, etc. Of course, nothing will be left to the imagination, which would be a tragic loss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I'd caution against any hi-tech approach (funny coming from a technologist, I know!). Moore's Law suggests that technological advances will come many times faster than a concertina's mean-time-between-repairs. Conceivably, in the interregnum between repairs, the previous technology could become unreadable. Black ink on acid-free paper is probably still the best bet, but I can check with conservators if anyone feels the need for confirmation (just ask). Pencil on wood seems to be hanging in pretty well too! The environment is almost ideal - no abrasion, moisture, light, heat or anything else to cause fading. What information would we want captured? Owners - name, address and date of acquisition? Repairers - name, address, date and nature of repair? Should this aspect of the discussion continue under the Concertina History heading to bring in the historians? Or Instrument Construction & Repair to bring in makers? Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansiRowe Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Historians & Repairers… the more the merrier! It would be interesting to hear other views on the subject… is it possible to post a link to this discussion in other sections? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Who is to decide at what point an instrument has received so much repair and rebuilding that it no longer deserves to bear its original makers name. This has been discussed before, and does it really matter ? What it sounds like and how well it is played is ultimately all that should really matter. I fear that I have said all this before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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