Adjustable Handbars

[SusanW]

I was looking at the Carroll concertina page and was wondering about the adjustable handbars. For those of you that have these, or have tried them, please tell me what you think. It appears that the adjust "sideways" but not "up and down".

Thanks

[Jim Langley]

I have the Carroll adjustable hand bars. Yes, they adjust sideways but not up and down. It is a nice feature to customize to your hand size, or angle. Once set, you don't need to move them, and they are very stable once set. It would be a nice feature if you ever want to sell the instrument to someone with different hand size. It is not a critical feature, but a nice one to guarantee comfortable playing.

[Tradewinds Ted]

Now I'm curious. When I looked at the pictures, I thought the adjustment would be forward and back, as in closer or further from the buttons?

[malcolm clapp]

Yes, TT, you are quite right; a much better description. Funnily enough, I had a play with one just today. They can be angled too, allowing better access to the "extreme" buttons with the little finger of each hand. One of the best innovations I've seen on modern concertinas. Well done, Mr Carroll.

[Bruce McCaskey]

I have two Carrolls, one with the adjustable bars and one without. After some experimentation with moving the bars, I found that for me, setting them to the same location as the non-movable bars worked best. Still, I think it's a wonderful idea to be able to adjust those bars to suit the individual.

[SusanW]

Thanks all, I'm not ready to take the plunge, but am trying to learn about options.