bowing valves

[jggunn]

When were bowing valves last installed in the Edeophone?

[Stephen Chambers]

They were still an optional extra on the last-known Lachenal price list, circa 1930: http://www.concertina.com/pricelists/lachenal/Lachenal-Pricelist-All-c1930.pdf

[Stephen Chambers]

Since you've asked about this again, let me clarify. Bowing valves were never fitted as "standard" on Edeophones (or any other Lachenal English concertina), though the slots for them were always provided in the fretwork - rather they were free "optional extras" available when you were buying a new one, but most people didn't opt for them.

 

They appear to have still been available up until Lachenal's closed down in 1933.

 

Does that answer your question? Or is there something I'm not grasping?

Edited January 5, 2020 by Stephen Chambers

[Mike Franch]

At the risk of expanding the topic (although certainly keeping within the subject heading), I've long been curious about how bowing valves affected the sound. I once played a New Model that I think still had them--levers were still on both sides and I assumed that they hadn't been converted to be air valves--but I couldn't get them to affect the sound.

Are there any recordings that illustrate bowing valves in use?

Mike