Lachenal Triumph Edeophone.

[Fusty]

I bought a 60 stud (plus bowing valve) Triumph Edeophone serial number 4362 from the Salvation Army shop in Melbourne, Australia in about 1965 but rarely played it as I have always preferred my English system instruments.

The label on the right hand side is engraved "THE TRIUMPH Lachenal & co London WC".

So now that I have decided to let it sing I am interested in discovering its history and age. That serial number is a bit of a mystery, did the Salvos have unique numbering for some of their instruments?

I removed the left hand end yesterday for the first time and fixed the reed valves. It is still in the old tuning. In fact it seems as if it has never been serviced since new and is in remarkably good condition.

There are no markings on the inside to indicate any service work or dates.

[Myrtle's cook]

Hi Fusty

 

There's a wealth of information on another site, dediated to Crane/Triumph system instruments. http://www.craneconcertina.com/index.html

You'll see in the gallery section a brigade of Lachenal instruments, the latest numbered 4934 - suggesting your instrument is nearer to the end of Lachenal's production (and existence).

 

If I recall correctly, Lachenal Crane and Maccann duets have their own numbering system, separate from the sequences for their Anglos and English concertinas.

 

One forumula for dating the duets is as follows:

 

For the Duet system:    (serial number divided by 111 ) + 1873 (from Concertina.info website; there may be more recent improvements to this numbering formula(?).

 

Happy squeezing!

 

[Dowright]

Fusty,

I have a copy of an original bill of sale for a Maccann duet No. 4683, and this invoice is relevant for dating your Triumph. Myrtle's Cook was right that there were separate series for Maccann abd Crane duets, but only until about 1910 when the Butterswoth patent for Crane duets expired. So by the time when your No 4362 was made, all the Lachenal duets had been in a single numbering sequence for almost 2 decades..  The bill of sale for the No. 4683 Maccan was dated 26 April 1929. So I would estimate the date for your  No. 4362 Crane as circa 1928.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Dowright
Spelling correction

[Fusty]

Thanks for the information. I was not aware that the Crane instruments had a different numbering series. So now after nearly 60 years of playing exclusively English system I am looking forward to learning to play the duet instrument.

 

[saguaro_squeezer]

Show us some pictures, Fusty.  We Crane drivers are always interested!