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Anybody Want To Convert A Jeffries Duet To The Hayden System


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@ Geoff: my thoughts exactly. If one wants something bigger than Beaumont, traditionally reeded or with certain tone, then there are absolutely no valid options...

While the options are certainly limited, complicated, and somewhat formidable undertakings, they do exist.

 

Despite the liklihood of incurring the wrath and criticism of the purists here, I will share with you that my two Jeffries duets are two such examples. The 58-button was converted from a C-core duet to a Stark layout and the 62-button A-core duet was converted to a C-system CBA layout with extraordinary results.

 

This is certainly no undertaking for the faint of heart. It requires the skill, expertise, vision, and willingness of a superbly qualified individual like Wim Wakker, substantial planning and engineering, finding and acquiring an instrument with the proper range of notes that can be suitably adapted while preserving its originality and maintaining its fundamental integrity, the willingness to invest the necessary funds, and the ability, as Lady Macbeth so aptly puts it, "to screw one's courage to the sticking place."

 

It takes time (months, really) to properly analyze and suss it all out and determine the feasibility. Then it requires far more time to complete the work properly as it involves a meticulous and sophisticated series of intricate processes. But in the case of these two concertinas, the risk paid off and produced a handsome reward - two extraordinary concertinas that were previously lying dormant are now readily playable and regularly fulfilling the purpose for which they were originally constructed.

 

 

I meant "no valid purchase options", my imprecision...

 

Of course you can always buy a different system concertina and convert it to your liking (the route suggested by OP and the one you had taken) or build one from scratch yourself (as I and few others have chosen to do). 5 years of waiting is long enough time to even aquire and train necessary skills. This is true even if you have no background in any craft at all but you are dedicated and have enough spare time and are not easily discouraged by inevitable and numerous smaller or bigger failures along the way. And in my case this "from scratch" aproach is even saving me money, as I desire a large box but I'm happy with a hybrid, so my "budget to beat" is a pricetag on Wakker W-2/H-2, the only 60+ Hayden box currently out there.

 

With your taste in systems, you had certainly even more limited choices than Hayden players have. And your story is a great example of the oposite side to a "moral dilema" that Stuart has raised - you have converted a very rare instruments into ones even more singular and far more usefull to the owner. A sort of "player before an instrument" approach, which I share deeply.

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whew.....I thought WW's list was about 2 years. hhmmmph, so everybody who will make a concertina-reeded unisonoric (be it EC or duet) is over four years......sheesh.

So who are the others then ?

 

WW's waiting list;. has anyone asked him lately or received a concertina from him recently with a time scale to report .

Edited by Geoff Wooff
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whew.....I thought WW's list was about 2 years. hhmmmph, so everybody who will make a concertina-reeded unisonoric (be it EC or duet) is over four years......sheesh.

So who are the others then ?

 

WW's waiting list;. has anyone asked him lately....

 

A good point. Numbers being thrown about without documenting where or when they originated are a poor basis for decisions on which path to pursue.

 

Another point: As far as I know, none of the major makers claims to have a policy of sequence-of-delivery strictly following sequence-of-receipt-of-order. And an order for an unusual instrument could well have a wait time that's either longer (because of the extra work and the fact that it doesn't lend itself to batch production) or shorter (because it presents an attractive challenge) than average.

 

So if you want to get a reasonably reliable estimate of delivery time -- and cost -- for your desired project, ask the maker(s), not us.

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WW's waiting list;...

What is a concern is that if anything happens to Wim or his business then the only 'off the shelf' Haydens would the BB Beaumont, which is a bit pricey for an entry level instrument, and whatever Stagi 46Bs are still in the supply chain.

 

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WW's waiting list;...

What is a concern is that if anything happens to Wim or his business then the only 'off the shelf' Haydens would the BB Beaumont, which is a bit pricey for an entry level instrument, and whatever Stagi 46Bs are still in the supply chain.

 

Have any of you folks approached Bob Tedrow about possibly making one or more Haydens? I know he's made Maccanns, though I don't know how many.

 

For that matter, have you tried banding together to inquire (of any or several makers) whether you could get special consideration by ordering a batch of identical Haydens?

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WW's waiting list;...

What is a concern is that if anything happens to Wim or his business then the only 'off the shelf' Haydens would the BB Beaumont, which is a bit pricey for an entry level instrument, and whatever Stagi 46Bs are still in the supply chain.

 

Have any of you folks approached Bob Tedrow about possibly making one or more Haydens? I know he's made Maccanns, though I don't know how many.

 

For that matter, have you tried banding together to inquire (of any or several makers) whether you could get special consideration by ordering a batch of identical Haydens?

 

Good points Jim!

 

I have seen the pictures of the Haydens that Bob Tedrow has on his website. I've even tried a Tedrow Anglo that belongs to a friend and found that it spoke very well.

 

Banding together might work if we could all decide on a design. As you will understand Jim, I have been used to a diet of top quality Wheatstone EC's for more than 40 years so my taste for tone and playability are refined and hardly satisfiable in just one instrument.

 

Perhaps a Bold and Brassy model for band and session use... something more Aeola like with fine balance and good dynamic range for solo playing.

 

I feel that one of the big attractions of concertinas are their small size . I'm not sure if I really want to do the Big Duet bit with a Hayden.. I have been there with the MacCann and the three Wheatstone Aeolas that I had were magnificent instruments the quality of which is hardy going to be seen again unless we are prepared to pay properly for them. I would prefer an eight sided Hayden of perhaps 56- 58 keys (max) that does not exceed 7 1/2" across.... the extra buttons to include both Ab's and G#'s as well as Eb's and D#'s... but not really to extend the overall range of the 46 but make the playable keys from Eb through to E more amenable at the edges . This allows for one key sharper and one key flatter at each end of the keyboard and thus saves some diving across from side to side for that elusive note from the sharp key side when playing in the flat keys and vice versa.

 

The wider keyboard could also benefit from a moveable hand rest, to slide left or right to accomodate playing the far out keys.

 

Metal ends and traditional concertina reeds and construction are also on my want list.

Edited by Geoff Wooff
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I see WW's site has a page on "ordering," it is one of a few choices under "Misc," but is not under "Misc" on the title page. It is under "Misc" only if you click on a Wakker concertina... and then the drop-down under "Misc" won't work, it keeps moving when I try to click on the choice of "Orders," or "Ordering." Perhaps it's just my computer, dunno....

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I see WW's site has a page on "ordering," it is one of a few choices under "Misc," but is not under "Misc" on the title page. It is under "Misc" only if you click on a Wakker concertina... and then the drop-down under "Misc" won't work, it keeps moving when I try to click on the choice of "Orders," or "Ordering." Perhaps it's just my computer, dunno....

Maybe this will help: http://www.wakker-concertinas.com/ordering.htm

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