daviseri Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hello, everyone- My name is Eric. I am the clown who posted on the general forum a while back. AKA Red Bastard- www.redbastard.com Howie Leifer was kind enough to meet with me and show me some concertinas that he had. I seemed to be drawn to the Crane Duet. Perhaps because it seemed so logical and quick to pick up. Also like the fact it could easily play a duet with itself. I am looking to see if anyone has any Crane's for Sale. I have heard that Barleycorn has some and am looking to see if there are others available. Please respond below and or email info@redbastard.com Regards, Eric Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 There has been a Crane duet for some time on the Elderly Instruments Vintage web pages: Used Free reeds. They are in Lansing, Michigan. Edited to add: Apologies, looks like they just sold it. Keep looking, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviseri Posted January 22, 2005 Author Share Posted January 22, 2005 There has been a Crane duet for some time on the Elderly Instruments Vintage web pages: Used Free reeds. They are in Lansing, Michigan. Edited to add: Apologies, looks like they just sold it. Keep looking, good luck. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks. Still looking, then.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Eric, You might like to check out this one, "A very nice restored 48 key Lachenal Crane Duet. It has black ends, metal buttons, steel reeds and a great set of 6-fold bellows. It has been restored and has new pads, valves, straps and is tuned to concert pitch ..." which Chris Algar (Barleycorn) has just listed on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 this one, "A very nice restored 48 key Lachenal Crane Duet.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes. In my opinion a 48-button Crane is an adequate instrument, though 55 would be better. That looks like an excellent instrument to start on, and you may never feel the need for more. Worth a bid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Morse Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 You might like to check out this one, "A very nice restored 48 key Lachenal Crane Duet.... which Chris Algar (Barleycorn) has just listed on eBay.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Eric -- A word of caution about Crane duets (from a duet player). Many of the lesser-buttoned ones have G above middle C as the lowest note on the treble side which I find to be not adequate as most tunes and songs melodies I play go down lower than that. Having to cross over to the bass side of the instrument to get those notes is cumbersome particularly when you're trying to play accompaniment on the bass side at the same time. I suggest that you contact Chris (no caution about him though as he's a very reputable dealer) to find out what the range of this box is, and if it *does* start on the G, perhaps find out from him if he'd fix up a Crane for you that starts on MC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 A word of caution about Crane duets (from a duet player). Many of the lesser-buttoned ones have G above middle C as the lowest note on the treble side<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rich, are you sure? Maccann duets of 55 buttons or less normally don't go down to middle C in the right hand, but Crane duets do. I've never met a Crane duet that didn't go down that far, and the fingering charts in the Salvation Army tutor for the Triumph (same as Crane) shows even the 35-button model starting on middle C in the right hand and an octave lower in the left. (That one is somewhat limited on the top end of both hands, though.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Morse Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 A word of caution about Crane duets (from a duet player). Many of the lesser-buttoned ones have G above middle C as the lowest note on the treble side<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rich, are you sure? Maccann duets of 55 buttons or less normally don't go down to middle C in the right hand, but Crane duets do. I've never met a Crane duet that didn't go down that far, and the fingering charts in the Salvation Army tutor for the Triumph (same as Crane) shows even the 35-button model starting on middle C in the right hand and an octave lower in the left. (That one is somewhat limited on the top end of both hands, though.) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ah, you're right! I was thinking of Maccann duets. Thanks for catching that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Looks like the Crane is back up at Elderly...whoever had it must not have kept it. I have no idea about condition; they are not concertina specialists. Check The free reed page at Elderly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I see that a very fine-looking 70-key Crane duet has just come up for sale on eBay. It was made by Crabb's (# 19130), and reminds me of Harry Crabb's own one (though it is a long time since I saw that) with its engraved ends. It has obviously had a lot of playing, the plating having worn through to the brass around the most-used buttons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Boorer Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 I see that a very fine-looking 70-key Crane duet has just come up for sale on eBay. It was made by Crabb's (# 19130), and reminds me of Harry Crabb's own one (though it is a long time since I saw that) with its engraved ends. It has obviously had a lot of playing, the plating having worn through to the brass around the most-used buttons. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A beautiful instrument but not a Crane; a MacCann perhaps? - Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 A beautiful instrument but not a Crane; a MacCann perhaps? - Jamie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A Crane, I think! I am sure it's not a McCann. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 A beautiful instrument but not a Crane; a MacCann perhaps? - Jamie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A Crane, I think! I am sure it's not a McCann.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quite definitely a Crane (though an unusually large one), Crabb's made quite a speciality of them, and the last 3 (concertina-making) generations of the family played them. Like I said, I remember Harry Crabb having a similar one ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 A beautiful instrument but not a Crane; a MacCann perhaps?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, Jamie, definitely a Crane. However, it does have a couple of extra buttons outside the normal 5 rows. I presume that's because the unaugmented Crane layout has a slightly lower ratio of "black keys" to "white" than a piano, which forces the pattern of the layout to break down when you get enough buttons, and it's necessary to throw in an extra to restore the pattern. So... go for it. (And if you get it, bring it to the SSI. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Braun Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 A beautiful instrument but not a Crane; a MacCann perhaps?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, Jamie, definitely a Crane. However, it does have a couple of extra buttons outside the normal 5 rows. I presume that's because the unaugmented Crane layout has a slightly lower ratio of "black keys" to "white" than a piano, which forces the pattern of the layout to break down when you get enough buttons, and it's necessary to throw in an extra to restore the pattern. So... go for it. (And if you get it, bring it to the SSI. ) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This is some speculation on the keyboard based on my own Crabb Crane (http://www.scraggy.net/tina), also with extra studs (Bbs and an F). The site has links to the stud layouts for each side. My bet is that the instrument on e-bay has the same layout with the exception of the upper rows on each side. So, on the left side the extra row extends upward to the g above middle c. I have often wished for such a row and think that this would be a valuable addition. (However any concertina purchase I made at this point would be at the expense of my kids' education fund and my banker wouldn't stand for it.) On the right, however, the extension would be from the third f above middle c upward to the next c. This is very high. I have never felt a need for such notes which would naturally be thin and of limited volume. Surely Geoff Crabb could speak more athoratatively on this. The big, and most interesting surprise would be if either side extended downward (below the bass cleff on the left or below the Bb just below middle c on the right). Having seen clown acts with concertinas, my first question would be "Do you really want something that large?" Something smaller and lighter might be better to clown around with. I used to have a 55 key Triumph. They are small and light and have lots of music in them. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Surely Geoff Crabb could speak more athoratatively on this.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe he will comment himself yet. We have already exchanged emails on the subject, but he can't track it down in the ledgers because the serial number is obviously wrong, "as the last instrument ever made was 18668 in 1989". However, he did say "From other reported sightings, engraved instruments seem to have been made between about 1910 - 1928 (the last recorded) by my grandfather. All were made to order and all seem to have keyboard layout variations even those of the same number of keys." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Boorer Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Oops sorry, I was confused by the extra buttons - Jamie (blushing furiously) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Crabb Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 This should probably appear elsewhere but in response to queries about the layout/range of the 70 key Crabb Crane Duet that appeared on Ebay. Although I cannot identify the instrument from the number records, a delve through the plans of instruments made has revealed those I believe to be of this instrument. I have produced a keyboard layout from the plans here. The layout is based on the concertina being made in the key of C and the relative positions of each keyboard is shown as per plan. Similar instruments were produced in Bb and Eb but these like the 71–80 key models were of larger physical size (up to 11 inches across) to accommodate the larger/extra reeds. As all Crabb Crane Duets were made to order, very often ‘one off’s’, the layout of any instruments above 55 keys should not be regarded as standard. The relative positions of the keyboards and the addition or omission of keys in various positions would depend on the note range of each of the left and right hand sides and any additional supplementary notes required. From what I can see at the moment, at least seven variations of 70 Key layout were made. Some extend down to G below mid C on the right but stop at A2 to maintain the 38 playing keys on that side. As a general note of interest Crane Duets were made by Crabbs with 35 - 80 Keys, very often the wind key being included in the key count. Instruments of larger range would be octagonal. It would appear from the instrument plans that exist, that the production of Crane Duets by Crabbs may have equalled or exceeded that of Anglo’s both in quantity and variation during the period 1900 –1930 where very few descriptions were included in the number records. (At the last count I have found 76 variations of Crane Duet). I should add that instrument plans were saved over the years of Crabbs establishment but unfortunately not filed in any particular order or well stored and I have made several attempts to sort/classify them but the time required, being unproductive, has to be limited and therefore precludes any extensive explanation of all of the various keyboards of the concertina types produced. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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