saguaro_squeezer Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 (edited) After a long ( and pleasant ) facebook discussion ... the eventual purchase from a player in Cananda of a concertina in England ... and a wait in Nigel Sture's queue, my 66-button Crabb Crane #10023 is ready to come to its new home. Down to F2 on the left and G3 on the right, newly overhauled built in 1947 by Harry Crabb (Geoff's father) and one of only about 6 made in this style (with binding around the edges of the end-plates) ... I'm really excited about getting my hands on it to play it. Edited May 18, 2019 by saguaro_squeezer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted May 23, 2019 Author Share Posted May 23, 2019 (edited) So, it arrived yesterday and my goodness, what a wonderful Crane. I'd hoped that it was in reasonable shape when I bought it ... it was ... and that no major issues were lurking ... there weren't. It plays like a Crabb should, light and responsive with that Crabb 'bark' that I like if you push it a bit. Having down to G3 on the RH sure makes a lot of those melodies easier than having to cross to the LH. And it has 8 folds! Nigel did a great restoration job. I'd purchased TJ's Connor last summer and that has been my gold standard for Cranes since it plays so effortlessly, but the only difference between it and this Crabb is the button size and shape ... the Connor has slightly larger and more rounded buttons. Of course, Connor worked for Crabb in the 70's didn't he? Looking back, this transaction took all of a year to complete from my first contact on FB to receipt. Made some new friends along the way, got a wonderful instrument at a very reasonable price and another Crabb saved ... lots of wins here! Edited May 23, 2019 by saguaro_squeezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 No major issues, everything's fine - very good, just as with my own 61b Crabb. Congrats on the lucky conclusion of your acquisition, enjoy the beast! Best wishes - ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Interesting to me is that the keyboard layout appears to have the "standard" Lachenal/Wheatstone/Crane&Sons gentle arc rather than the "chevron" rows that I thought were typical of Crabb-made Cranes... and found also on my own 59-button Crane by "C. Jeffries". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 17 minutes ago, JimLucas said: Interesting to me is that the keyboard layout appears to have the "standard" Lachenal/Wheatstone/Crane&Sons gentle arc rather than the "chevron" rows that I thought were typical of Crabb-made Cranes... and found also on my own 59-button Crane by "C. Jeffries". I noticed that too, but I think it‘s in fact a very gentle arc, a thing inbetween the full chevron (creating those straight diagonal lines) and the usual arc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 58 minutes ago, Wolf Molkentin said: I noticed that too, but I think it‘s in fact a very gentle arc, a thing inbetween the full chevron (creating those straight diagonal lines) and the usual arc... Looks to me exactly like the arc on my 48-button Crane & Sons. I might guess that it was requested by a seasoned player who was used to that configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I had something like this in mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted May 23, 2019 Author Share Posted May 23, 2019 I thought that too, Jim, when I first saw the pictures. I'll have to measure to make certain but it doesn't feel as wide as either of my Lachenals (42 & 48 ). I know that I'm partial to the Crabb 'chevron' layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 My first Crane has 15.5mm column spacing and a 98.6mm curve radius, based on measurements of the client's existing Wheatstone. My second one has 13.5mm column spacing and a 93.1mm curve radius, based on measurements of the client's Crane & Sons (actually made by Lachenal). Both have 10mm row spacing. The first one also has slightly larger than standard buttons. You can see pictures of them both on my website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 The Crabb looks lovely, Rod. How do you feel about the raised ends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 14 hours ago, Wolf Molkentin said: I had something like this in mind... Oops! That link just gave me multiple duckduckgo pages of links referencing Cranes. I can't tell which one you meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 12 minutes ago, JimLucas said: Oops! That link just gave me multiple duckduckgo pages of links referencing Cranes. I can't tell which one you meant. sorry for that, it's from my iPhone but works for me even on my notebook - next try ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 Alex, I have a mix of raised-end and flat-end Cranes. I guess I do like the raised-end a bit better because the throw of the button feels shorter, although my big 79-key Crabb Maccann is a flat-ended beast and has a pretty short throw. I will say that I do like the 66 button's plated ends. They're stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little John Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 On 5/23/2019 at 11:15 PM, saguaro_squeezer said: I thought that too, Jim, when I first saw the pictures. I'll have to measure to make certain but it doesn't feel as wide as either of my Lachenals (42 & 48 ). I know that I'm partial to the Crabb 'chevron' layout. Looks like a chevron to me! Have you measured it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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