Intermediate Concertina

[chansherly212]

hi everyone! i'm new to the forum. so let me introduce myself, i'm sherly from malaysia (yes there is some irish music here!), and i've been playing the concertina for i think 3 years now

 

I started off with a rather bad china concertina, very soon after, a rochelle which i found much better but after a few years, a little limiting in terms of speed to the bellows being stiff. I've been thinking of upgrading to an intermediate concertina, a C/G anglo, wheatstone layout (because that's what i 'm used to, although i;m not entirely reluctant to learn jeffries layout , as i heard one can adjust without enourmous effort) , with most importantly, responsive bellows , and good sound.

 

i've heard great things about concertina connection's Clover anglo and also Swallow concertina by Mcneela, so i was wondering if anyone has had experience with either one (or both ) of those and your impressions on them? My budget would be around USD 2000 . As i don't have the luxury of testing out concertina's in person, i'd love any feedback on them. Any suggestions for an intermediate tina without breaking the bank?

thanks in advance!!

[Daria]

Would highly recommend Buttonbox Morse.

 

Wonderful instruments with a smooth and easy action.

 

I started with a Stagi Wheatstone and switched to Jeffries.

 

It was not difficult and Buttonbox makes them to order so you can select whichever one you want.

 

Good luck.

[malcolm clapp]

I would highly recommend the Morse Ceili too. Worth every penny even if it blows the budget!

Edited December 15, 2014 by malcolm clapp

[Bob Michel]

I'll second Daria's recommendation of a Morse.

 

I've had the opportunity to try a lot of different makes of hybrid concertina, and have found something to admire in all of them. But the Morse design seems to me really extraordinary, combining extremely fast and trouble-free action and a sound very close to that of traditional concertinas. And they weigh next to nothing.

 

A new Morse would run a bit more than your stated budget, but so would most of the other hybrids. And used ones turn up fairly often, both at the Button Box and elsewhere. Either way I think you'd be very pleased with your choice.

 

Bob Michel

Near Philly

[Jim Besser]

hi everyone! i'm new to the forum. so let me introduce myself, i'm sherly from malaysia (yes there is some irish music here!), and i've been playing the concertina for i think 3 years now

 

I started off with a rather bad china concertina, very soon after, a rochelle which i found much better but after a few years, a little limiting in terms of speed to the bellows being stiff. I've been thinking of upgrading to an intermediate concertina, a C/G anglo, wheatstone layout (because that's what i 'm used to, although i;m not entirely reluctant to learn jeffries layout , as i heard one can adjust without enourmous effort) , with most importantly, responsive bellows , and good sound.

 

i've heard great things about concertina connection's Clover anglo and also Swallow concertina by Mcneela, so i was wondering if anyone has had experience with either one (or both ) of those and your impressions on them? My budget would be around USD 2000 . As i don't have the luxury of testing out concertina's in person, i'd love any feedback on them. Any suggestions for an intermediate tina without breaking the bank?

thanks in advance!!

 

 

What Daria said. All the major hybrids are good - I've played a couple of Clovers and owned both an Edgley and a Herrington, and liked them all.

 

But for reliability, good action and low weight, you can't beat a Morse. And the CG does sound closer than any other hybrid to the sound of traditional reeds. My CG gets played regularly for Morris - ie it gets the crap beat out of it - and only recently did I have my first minor (and easily corrected by my own inept hands ) problem.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Jim Besser

[Mike Franch]

I've only played a few notes on a Morse Albion (English system), but I can tell you that at the squeeze-in at Jim Bessor's house yesterday, there were two of them there and they held their own with Jim's Jeffries, an Edeophone, and two metal-ended Wheatstone Model 21s.

[d.elliott]

I suggest that the first question that needs answering is 'What Budget??'

[Wolf Molkentin]

My budget would be around USD 2000 .

[Roger Hare]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I'm a novice player, but one who is already
looking to move from a 20-button Anglo to a 30-button Anglo - possibly a hybrid.

I had looked at the cheaper end of the market - Wren (McNeela) and Rochelle (Concertina Connection)

as possible entry level 30-button instruments, but this thread has made me realise that there is a third

option (the second being an antique 30-button 'conventional' instrument). That third option is a new hybrid

instrument from the mid-upper end of the hybrid range - which I didn't realise existed.

I have looked online at the Morse Ceili (Button Box), the Clover Anglo (Concertina Connection), the

Swallow (McNeela) and Marcus (McNeela), the Edgley range, but can't find any up to date information

about the Herrington range.

Question - is it 'safe' to deal across the Atlantic? Nearly all the above instruments come from North
America - I am in the UK and boggled a bit when I saw the mark-up charged by the UK agent for the

Morse Ceili. Seems a bit steep to me, so I am wondering if dealing privately across the Atlantic is

'sensible' - then I can use that £500 mark-up to buy a better concertina!

 

In the previous posts in this thread, I don't think opinions have been expressedn about the Swallow and

Marcus so far. Does anyone have experience with/of these instruments?

 

Thank you.

 

Roger Hare

[JimLucas]

Question - is it 'safe' to deal across the Atlantic? Nearly all the above instruments come from North America - I am in the UK and boggled a bit when I saw the mark-up charged by the UK agent for the Morse Ceili. Seems a bit steep to me, so I am wondering if dealing privately across the Atlantic is 'sensible' - then I can use that £500 mark-up to buy a better concertina!

As is often remarked, if you buy a concertina from North America (or anywhere outside the EU?), you will likely incur charges for import duties and VAT, in addition to shipping costs. I don't know how that compares to £500.

 

Others have suggested that if you go fetch it yourself, you're unlikely to be questioned (and therefore charged) on your return. If you use a discount airline, how does the cost of a brief holiday on the other side of The Big Pond compare with that £500? And of course, what happens if you do get "caught"?

[gcoover]

...but can't find any up to date information about the Herrington range.

Roger, the sad news is Harold Herrington passed away almost two years ago, and it turns out he didn't make all that many instruments in the first place. His assistant, David Christakos, has apparently continued to make a few instruments but he does not market them well to the public.

 

Perhaps you might run across a second hand Herrington (they will either be square or hexagonal). I've owned mine since 2000 and it's held up magnificently.

 

Gary

[maki]

I've not much concertina experience, and less talent, but

my Marcus has been wonderful.

[Theo]

In addition to Marcus in the UK there is also AC Norman and AP James.

[d.elliott]

 

My budget would be around USD 2000 .

 

 

Should have re-read the post

 

[Roger Hare]

Thank you for those useful suggestions - I hadn't thought about taking a cheap flight - bears

thinking about. Also for the information about other suppliers.

 

Thanks for the info about the Swallow - it is midway price wise between the cheap end and

the (relatively) expensive end of the range - interesting

 

The original poster may find the site:

 

http://www.theirishconcertinacompany.com/

 

interesting? I stumbled across it quite by accident. The instruments seem to be Jefferies layout

only, and I'm not yet enough of a player to know how significant (or otherwise) this might be.

 

Roger Hare

.

Edited December 15, 2014 by lachenal74693

[gcoover]

Roger,

The 30-button Jeffries layout is more popular with those who play Irish Traditional Music since the right hand side top row includes a D#/C# button in addition to a C#/D# button. The left hand sides of both Jeffries and Wheatstone/Lachenal systems are identical. There are button notation charts here on cnet somewhere that show the differences in the top rows.

 

I play mostly English Country and Morris music in the harmonic style with lots of chords, so I find the Wheatstone system works just fine for me.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Gary

[maki]

Roger,The 30-button Jeffries layout is more popular with those who play Irish Traditional Music since the right hand side top row includes a D#/C# button in addition to a C#/D# button. The left hand sides of both Jeffries and Wheatstone/Lachenal systems are identical. There are button notation charts here on cnet somewhere that show the differences in the top rows.I play mostly English Country and Morris music in the harmonic style with lots of chords, so I find the Wheatstone system works just fine for me.Hope this helps!Gary

Diagrams of Wheatstone vs Jeffries.

http://www.concertina.info/tina.faq/images/finger3.htm

[chansherly212]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions! It seems mcneela instruments doesnt ship to malaysia j guess that s another factor to consider