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Anglo - What To Buy Next?


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I've been learning the Anglo for about a week and a half and I although I'm still really into my English boxes I have to say that I'm absolutely hooked and want to move up from my two budget 20 button boxes, the better of which is a Hohner D40.

 

Much as I'd love a £3K+ Wheatstone, Jeffries or similar, I simply don't have that kind of money. I guess the figure that I could justify is around £1,000 - £1,200 which was what I paid for each of my English concertinas (an old Lachenal and a Marcus) which I think are both wonderful instruments.

 

So the question I'm asking is, what should I be looking for in my price-range? Ideally, I'd like a Lachenal but I suppose this would be a bit dearer than this.

 

I guess I should go straight to 30 buttons or more now yes?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Les

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I've been learning the Anglo for about a week and a half and I although I'm still really into my English boxes I have to say that I'm absolutely hooked and want to move up from my two budget 20 button boxes, the better of which is a Hohner D40.

 

Much as I'd love a £3K+ Wheatstone, Jeffries or similar, I simply don't have that kind of money. I guess the figure that I could justify is around £1,000 - £1,200 which was what I paid for each of my English concertinas (an old Lachenal and a Marcus) which I think are both wonderful instruments.

 

So the question I'm asking is, what should I be looking for in my price-range? Ideally, I'd like a Lachenal but I suppose this would be a bit dearer than this.

 

I guess I should go straight to 30 buttons or more now yes?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Les

 

 

It's possible you could get a Lachenal 30 button Anglo for 1200, but you'd have to be pretty lucky. Maybe Barleycorn has something in that range, but you'd be getting a lower end vintage instrument.

 

Or go for used hybrid - my preference is for the Morse, but that's highly subjective. You'll get better playability than a low end Lach, but a different sound.

 

30 buttons for sure. 20 is fun to fool around with, but very limiting.

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I've been learning the Anglo for about a week and a half and I although I'm still really into my English boxes I have to say that I'm absolutely hooked and want to move up from my two budget 20 button boxes, the better of which is a Hohner D40.

 

Much as I'd love a £3K+ Wheatstone, Jeffries or similar, I simply don't have that kind of money. I guess the figure that I could justify is around £1,000 - £1,200 which was what I paid for each of my English concertinas (an old Lachenal and a Marcus) which I think are both wonderful instruments.

 

So the question I'm asking is, what should I be looking for in my price-range? Ideally, I'd like a Lachenal but I suppose this would be a bit dearer than this.

 

I guess I should go straight to 30 buttons or more now yes?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Les

 

 

It's possible you could get a Lachenal 30 button Anglo for 1200, but you'd have to be pretty lucky. Maybe Barleycorn has something in that range, but you'd be getting a lower end vintage instrument.

 

Or go for used hybrid - my preference is for the Morse, but that's highly subjective. You'll get better playability than a low end Lach, but a different sound.

 

30 buttons for sure. 20 is fun to fool around with, but very limiting.

 

 

A 26b or 28b Lachenal or Jones might be an option in your price range. Try Chris Algar at Barleycorn Concertinas.

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And if you're happy with your Morse English, you might want to look at a second-hand example of one of Andrew Norman's anglos. They're immensely playable -- I recently sold my C/G in order to assist with funding a Bb/F but still have a G/D Norman which is my Morris-tunes box.

 

As has already been said, it's very subjective, and all of the makers of melodeon-reeded concertinas, in my experience, make good instruments.

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I own a 20, 30 and 37. There is no doubt that you can do a heck of a lot more on a 30, especially if you play harmonic style, but there is also a lot you can do on a 20. In some ways, the biggest handicap of the 20 is the 5 fold bellows which (coupled with the lack of some of the reversed-direction notes that would be on the accidental row) makes air management more of an issue.

 

My cheap and cheerful Lachenal 20 is nicer to play than the Marcus 30 I used to have, but that is not to criticise the Marcus, which did exactly what you would expect from a brand new hybrid at that price point. I liked the Marcus immensely until I got my Jeffries! However the cheap Lachenal is nicer to hold in your hands.

 

You really need to think what sort of music you want to play, and in what style, and whether versatility is more or less important than tone and feel. In the bizarrely unlikely circumstance that I could only have one box, but money was no object, it would not be a 20! However, it would be as good a quality box as I could possibly find.

 

As I've posted many times before, saving money on a cheap instrument is always a false economy, and always try before you buy. When I chose my last two puchases, they were not the best choices "on paper" but they were the ones that felt right in my hands.

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I've always disliked the inevitable responses in a thread like this one that begin "Well, if you could spend a little more--." That said...

 

A very good used hybrid can be had within that budget. A year or so ago a student of mine scored an absolutely gorgeous Tedrow Aeola-style, actually for slightly less than that. But that find involved me knowing he was in the market, playing it in the shop for a demo video, calling him immediately and saying, "Buy. This. Now."

 

The point is that--making due allowance for the slightly different concertina economies on either side of the ocean, and substituting "Marcus" for "Tedrow" or "Norman" for "Morse" as necessary--I suspect that in that price range you might indeed find a lifetime instrument (as opposed to a makeshift, false-economy one), but there might be a long wait for it. Or not, of course; you could get lucky this afternoon (a very motivated private seller can change everything). But you're not far shy of a tier--I'll guess £1500 or so; more knowledgeable U.K. members may improve on my estimate--where there will be multiple choices available right now, possibly including a decent 30-button Lachenal should you prefer that route.

 

Ordinarily when people say, "I'm willing to spend this amount," I'm inclined to respect that and not try to nudge the figure upward (clearly I've never worked in Sales). But given the wonderful energy and eagerness to learn (and amazingly rapid progress, of course) in the videos you've made, I'm not sure how long you'd care to wait for the instrument you want/need. Just my thoughts.

 

Bob Michel

Near Philly

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I've always disliked the inevitable responses in a thread like this one that begin "Well, if you could spend a little more--." That said...

A very good used hybrid can be had within that budget. A year or so ago a student of mine scored an absolutely gorgeous Tedrow Aeola-style, actually for slightly less than that. But that find involved me knowing he was in the market, playing it in the shop for a demo video, calling him immediately and saying, "Buy. This. Now."

The point is that--making due allowance for the slightly different concertina economies on either side of the ocean, and substituting "Marcus" for "Tedrow" or "Norman" for "Morse" as necessary--I suspect that in that price range you might indeed find a lifetime instrument (as opposed to a makeshift, false-economy one), but there might be a long wait for it. Or not, of course; you could get lucky this afternoon (a very motivated private seller can change everything). But you're not far shy of a tier--I'll guess £1500 or so; more knowledgeable U.K. members may improve on my estimate--where there will be multiple choices available right now, possibly including a decent 30-button Lachenal should you prefer that route.

Ordinarily when people say, "I'm willing to spend this amount," I'm inclined to respect that and not try to nudge the figure upward (clearly I've never worked in Sales). But given the wonderful energy and eagerness to learn (and amazingly rapid progress, of course) in the videos you've made, I'm not sure how long you'd care to wait for the instrument you want/need. Just my thoughts.

Bob Michel

Near Philly

Thanks for your advice and for your kind words Bob. Indeed, I am impatient to move up but I don't want to make a mistake. I was lucky with both my English instruments I guess. Until then I'll keep doing my best with the D40! Edited by Daddy Long Les
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I own a 20, 30 and 37. There is no doubt that you can do a heck of a lot more on a 30, especially if you play harmonic style, but there is also a lot you can do on a 20. In some ways, the biggest handicap of the 20 is the 5 fold bellows which (coupled with the lack of some of the reversed-direction notes that would be on the accidental row) makes air management more of an issue.

 

My cheap and cheerful Lachenal 20 is nicer to play than the Marcus 30 I used to have, but that is not to criticise the Marcus, which did exactly what you would expect from a brand new hybrid at that price point. I liked the Marcus immensely until I got my Jeffries! However the cheap Lachenal is nicer to hold in your hands.

 

You really need to think what sort of music you want to play, and in what style, and whether versatility is more or less important than tone and feel. In the bizarrely unlikely circumstance that I could only have one box, but money was no object, it would not be a 20! However, it would be as good a quality box as I could possibly find.

 

As I've posted many times before, saving money on a cheap instrument is always a false economy, and always try before you buy. When I chose my last two puchases, they were not the best choices "on paper" but they were the ones that felt right in my hands.

 

Yes, I agree with all you say. My favourite music for the Anglo is Irish. It will be a while before I get the pieces up to anything like a decent speed but that doesn't bother me. I just want to get them right first. I'm open to any suggestions but yes, I will definitely want to play any contenders first if at all possible. My friend in America has a 22 button Lachenal but complains about the five fold bellows so that's something to take into consideration I guess. Thanks for your thoughts.
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Ordinarily when people say, "I'm willing to spend this amount," I'm inclined to respect that

 

Then again, if those people are looking to upgrade after only a week of playing, it may well be worth pointing out they'd be only wasting more money if they go for the cheap option that they will most likely will want to upgrade from in another week or two. Sometimes it it's worth going with the option you are more likely to stick with happily for a long while.

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Ordinarily when people say, "I'm willing to spend this amount," I'm inclined to respect that

Then again, if those people are looking to upgrade after only a week of playing, it may well be worth pointing out they'd be only wasting more money if they go for the cheap option that they will most likely will want to upgrade from in another week or two. Sometimes it it's worth going with the option you are more likely to stick with happily for a long while.

Yes Peter I take your point although I don't consider either of my purchases, however poor, a waste of money. They've given me a taste of the Anglo - (especially the Hohner D40) - and allowed me to find out if it was for me - which it is. Also, very pleasing, is the fact that the Anglo doesn't seem to be upsetting my progress with the English so it's all good news. You're right though - it may be worth pushing the boat out a bit to get a "keeper". I think I've just sold one of my melodeons so there maybe a bit more money in the pot. Good advice! Judging by eBay I don't think I'll have any trouble moving my budget boxes on although I may just keep them - useful for camping trips and to bash around on while I'm in school! ;) Edited by Daddy Long Les
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....you say you already have an English Marcus. I know it's over your budget, but their standard Anglo is an excellent box at just over £1500.

 

You need to be sure of what keys you would like. CG is the standard, but in my session club and Morris side, it's GD that you would need. That puts the price up, I'm afraid. I did pick up a 1920s 26B Lachenal in GD for £800 about a year ago, but it's a bit basic.

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