David Hansen Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) Wheatstone Aeola with raised tortoise shell ends. Model #17 Serial Number 33234. Made in 1934. 50 keys with air release button, 6-fold original bellows, steel reeds, riveted action, original leather case. It has the standard 48 key layout with the addition of a high D#/Eb on the left and a high C#/Db on the right. It has recently been tuned and overhauled by The Button Box. A change in my financial status dictates that I can no longer afford to have more than one top of the line concertina. All reasonable offers will be considered. I'm in the Santa Cruz mountains in California if anyone wants to come by and play it. It's really a wonderful sounding instrument. Edited February 17, 2020 by David Hansen Corrected typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 Very nice concertina ! Thinking of making an offer but: With a view to crossing international borders, could you , or anybody else, say with any certainty whether the material of the verneered ends is natural tortoise ( turtle) shell or a fine imitation of it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hansen Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 I personally could not say with any certainty if the material is natural tortoise shell or not. I have heard that certain knowledgeable people can tell by burning a small piece of the material, I'm not willing to do that to a high end concertina!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Stein Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 What is your price and how do I get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, David Hansen said: Wheatstone Aeola with raised tortoise shell ends. Model #17 Serial Number 33234. Made in 1934. 50 keys with air release button, 6-fold original bellows, steel reeds, riveted action, original leather case. It has the standard 48 key layout with the addition of a high D#/Eb on the left and a high C#/Db on the right. Interesting! It seems to be identical to my own, including the same two "extra" notes in the same locations, except that mine has a black bellows And mine has the same sort of thumbstrap mountings, but also (currently unused) thumb screws for what I suspect were the original thumbstraps. Mine is serial #31979. I do love the sound of mine, even though I believe it to be artificial "tortoiseshell". I like different sounds for different kinds of music, and I think my TS is especially suited to baroque music, though I also use it for song accompaniment and "even" Irish and Morris. 8^) Edited February 18, 2020 by JimLucas added a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 15 hours ago, Geoff Wooff said: Very nice concertina ! Thinking of making an offer but: With a view to crossing international borders, could you , or anybody else, say with any certainty whether the material of the verneered ends is natural tortoise ( turtle) shell or a fine imitation of it ? 15 hours ago, David Hansen said: I personally could not say with any certainty if the material is natural tortoise shell or not. I have heard that certain knowledgeable people can tell by burning a small piece of the material, I'm not willing to do that to a high end concertina!!! FWIW: The color and patterning of the "shell" are much like mine, which I'm now certain is artificial, though I originally thought otherwise. I do know of one instrument which I believe is true "tortoiseshell" (really shell of a sea turtle, probably hawksbill). Both the color and patterning on that one are different. How do I know it's "real"? The fretwork was repaired by a knowledgeable craftsman-jeweler friend of mine, who had worked with tortoise shell (among other rare materials) before. He kept it under constant gentle pressure in a constant-temperature oven for two months to reverse some warping of the broken shell. That is neither necessary nor effective with the plastic imitations. As for burning a piece, there must be other ways. And definitely don't try the "burn" test with a red-hot rod while the "shell" is still on the instrument. Some plastics are very flammable. It occurs to me that a drop of nitric acid could also be a test, as real shell is protein, and nitric acid reacts in a specific way with protein. But I would ask Wim Wakker, who I understand is quite knowledgeable on this particular subject (among many others, of course). He has even noted that there are different kinds of artificial "tortoiseshell". Ask him what tests he uses to distinguish the real from the "fake". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprunghub Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 From days of vintage fishing tackle handling / Bakelite research, albeit via the more modern medium of I/net research..... This 'mock' shell is possibly a form of bakelite given the age profile ? "To determine whether an item is tortoise shell or Bakelite, there is another noninvasive step that does not require the destruction of any materials. Since Bakelite is formed of formaldehyde, if you simply rub your fingertips over the surface of the questionable substance quite hard until it begins to feel very hot, if the substance is Bakelite, you should be able to smell the acrid odour of formaldehyde clearly on your fingertips." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim x Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I am interested in pursuing purchase of this instrument. Please let me know how to contact you. Jim Borzym Boulder, Colorado 720-317-3946 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim x Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I am potentially interested in purchasing this instrument. How do I contact you? Jim Borzym Boulder, Colorado 720-317-3946 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/18/2020 at 2:56 PM, Sprunghub said: "To determine whether an item is tortoise shell or Bakelite, there is another noninvasive step that does not require the destruction of any materials. Since Bakelite is formed of formaldehyde, if you simply rub your fingertips over the surface of the questionable substance quite hard until it begins to feel very hot, if the substance is Bakelite, you should be able to smell the acrid odour of formaldehyde clearly on your fingertips." Well, on mine, I get no hint of formaldehyde. However, the material also doesn't become "hot" -- or even "warm", -- no matter how hard I rub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hansen Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 22 hours ago, JimLucas said: Well, on mine, I get no hint of formaldehyde. However, the material also doesn't become "hot" -- or even "warm", -- no matter how hard I rub. Ditto for mine as well, no heat, no warmth. The ends on mine have some sort of clear coat on them so the ends are glossy not like tortoise shell I've seen elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conzertino Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 How much are you hoping for?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hansen Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 On 2/22/2020 at 2:05 AM, conzertino said: How much are you hoping for?? Ideally I'd like to get what I paid for it, around $4000.00 but I'm willing to go lower, so if you want to make an offer you can send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conzertino Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 That is a very good price! I flew over to the US 10 years ago to pick up a tort-Aeola - and paid considerably more. Mine is 31xxx and 56-key. If there is no interest I would consider to sell on commission through the button-box. Nice instrument, anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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