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Buy a concertina ?


vieur

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Hello, 

First of all, I want to tell you that I am French and therefore apologize if there are any errors in my messages.

I currently own a modern low-end concertina whose brand I do not know. like that :

https://www.cdiscount.com/musique-instruments/instruments-a-vent/accordeon-concertina-diaton/f-1600408-auc5053839021550.html#mpos=0|mp

I'm starting to use it a little to record with friends but I would like to go up a little range. I turn to the classified ads and would like to buy a concertina at 200 € maximum. Do you think that I will find a difference compared to the model that I have if I spend only 200 €? I found a Scholer model at 100 € "made in German Democratic Republic"what do you think?

https://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_de_musique/1745126939.htm/

And another model (I think it's a scholer?)

https://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_de_musique/1742647518.htm/

Thank you very much
     


 

Edited by vieur
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The only  cheap  concertinas that I  have ever  found  are  the really good ones  that  hold their  value  year after year.  For many  years, since the  concertina  revival  of  the late  1960's - 70's  ,  the  value of  vintage models  has  steadily  risen.  Granted  there  has  been  a  bit of  a bubble  with  the  prices of  Anglos  due to  demand from the Irish Music  scene    and that  burst  to some extent  with  the    economic  colapse  of  2008.  It  is  still possible  to  purchase  a fine  concertina, play it for  a few years  and  sell it  for  as much, if not more, than  you paid for it.  That  constitutes  a FREE  concertina.

 

A  €100 - €200  model  is  almost the same as throwing  your money  out of the window.

 

 

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There are four short YouTube videos dealing with Scholers which may help you decide about these concertinas.

The videos deal with different models,  and I can't tell from your pictures which model is involved. You'll need to

look at the videos and decide which model is for sale. See:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbPw0yR19zM&index=1&list=PL777D961E7BDD0215

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88yCVla_Djg&index=2&list=PL777D961E7BDD0215

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs4-ANFuq8&index=3&list=PL777D961E7BDD0215

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anBj1hibG0o&index=4&list=PL777D961E7BDD0215

 

Like the man said, buying these really cheap instruments is a bit risky. Like the man also said, buying a vintage 

instrument is a good idea - they hold their price.

 

The cheapest I would go if buying a new instrument is ~£400 (€500?). There's one here, though that's not necessarily

a recommendation, merely making you aware of the sort of thing which is available...

Edited by lachenal74693
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Thank you for your answers.

If I understand correctly, buying one of these models is likely to bring me nothing more. For my next purchase, it is better that I try to find out if there is an added value compared to the one I have.

But don't really agree when saying that the 100 or 200 € models are like throwing money out of the window. Indeed, the cheap model that I own suited me very well for the use I have made of it for the moment, so I am satisfied for the price. But it is true that it is not a very qualitative instrument.

thank you

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Yes nicx66 it is true that it is interesting and I see that it looks more qualitative. But it's a bit expensive for my budget.

 

I am also offered this one : https://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_de_musique/1733407233.htm/

One button is missing but works and a second one works only one way. I am a handyman and I have manufacturing machines at work.

 

Do you have an idea of the model?

Concertina3.jpg

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1 hour ago, vieur said:

Do you have an idea of the model?

vieur,

All that I can say is that it looks very German!

The features that indicate this are the thumb-lever for the air valve, the metal grille for the air-valve in the form of the word "Concertina", and the fretwork consisting of drilled holes arranged in circles. Also, the thin metal strip between the action box and the bellows frame is a typical German feature. And English concertinas seldom have so many bellows folds.

In fact, the only feature that is not German is the hexagonal form - the typical, older German Konzertina is rectangular..

This instrument has too many buttons for an Anglo, or rather, the button rows are too long (the instrument has 37 buttons; Anglos that have 38 or more buttons have some of them outside the three rows). So this may be a Carlsfelder- or Chemnitzer-layout Konzertina, built in hexagonal form and decorated with the word "Concertina" (with 2 "Cs") to make it more attractive for an English market.

 

It probably has the traditional German reeds, with 10 or more reeds mounted on one zinc plate. Quite possibly a good-sounding instrument, but with a timbre quite different from a Wheatstone or Crabb!

 

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

John

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Very interesting Anglo-Irishman

 

This instrument seems more interesting compared to the models that I had seen before right?

I'm going to find out because I don't really know what Carlsfelder- or Chemnitzer-layout Konzertina and a Wheatstone or Crabb are

Edited by vieur
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Just to tell you that i just bought the german model from my previous post. It will necessarily be different from the one I have. It will also make me fix it. I hope you can help me too ... thank you

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