Scholer Anglo 20K design

[rDmusic]

Greetings from Quebec

I am very new to the concertina, having started 3 weeks ago.

I was given a Scholer Anglo 2 row. I understand my model (Made in Germany) was some time during/after the 1980s

and is a low entry model in construction and design. I play accordion (piano) and harmonica professionally  so I am familiar with the ins & outs. 

 With the Scholer I have , the hand rest is mid-hexagon and all the tone holes at the wrist end . The hand rest is extremely low and  hand straps ridiculously thin.

This leads me to believe that this was done to market to young beginners with smaller hands ? or ? .... despite my lack of familiarity with the instrument I have yet to see a design  layout such as the one on my  low-end Scholer.  Having large hands and long fingers is it possible to successfully relocate the placement of the hand rest or will it change the balance and travel motion of the instrument when playing. .The size of the straps & their place on the hand seems to have an impact on the ergonomics of playing the instrument. I have made a new set of wider ones, but the current  placement of hand rest with the wider straps is a major impedance to finger movement and comfort.  

Any comments would be greatly appreciated 

cheers

rD

 

[The Crimson Avenger]

There are four short YouTube videos dealing with Scholers which may help you learn a little more about

these instruments. 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

They are no longer in production and I think that later versions have metal action, and some models have triple-reeds... 
 

[gcoover]

Raising the handrest might be a better and easier option (unless it's glued on - with maybe only two screws from inside)? 1" total height works best for me on my Anglos.

 

Gary

[Frank Edgley]

My first concertina was a Scholer. I played around with it for a month or two. Then one of the reed tongues broke. No one, not even the accordion dealer, here, in the city could repair it. It was a few years until I found a Bastari. The Scholer was a very poor instrument, but I guess if you lived in communist east Germany you played with whatever you could get. I now use it as the bellows on my tuning table.

[rDmusic]

10 hours ago, The Crimson Avenger said:

There are four short YouTube videos dealing with Scholers which may help you learn a little more about

these instruments. 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

They are no longer in production and I think that later versions have metal action, and some models have triple-reeds... 
 

many thanks for these  links.. fascinating to see this  instrument actually on Youtube ..mine is an all wood production number .. very low end but still able to make music .

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by rDmusic
added an after thought

[rDmusic]

9 hours ago, gcoover said:

Raising the handrest might be a better and easier option (unless it's glued on - with maybe only two screws from inside)? 1" total height works best for me on my Anglos.

 

Gary

Gary  I have raised the hand rest already but it doesn't solve the issue. I examined the inside and it seems ty be doable with a little time and caution. mostly i was wondering about how it would play after the alteration . Aa I am at the immediate discover stage full of awe and wonder the magic  of this new world I don't wish to have to spend time unlearning a playing technique or lose interest from it being  too physically uncomfortable to play.. I am also spending a quite a few hours daily to bring my technique & ear to the point where I don't get lost and can play what I hear.. My wrists are getting painful at times .. maybe age related byt why not eliminate one potential issue/cause

many thanks for your input

rD

[rDmusic]

22 minutes ago, Frank Edgley said:

My first concertina was a Scholer. I played around with it for a month or two. Then one of the reed tongues broke. No one, not even the accordion dealer, here, in the city could repair it. It was a few years until I found a Bastari. The Scholer was a very poor instrument, but I guess if you lived in communist east Germany you played with whatever you could get. I now use it as the bellows on my tuning table.

Frank

thanks for your comment.. yes I suspect it maybe a case of making a silk purse out of a pig's ear. but  occasionally I am interested and curious enough to take the challenge ..I worked in Ajax Ont as a repair tech for Long & McQuade so I have a bent for  "fixing" things ... I already have a tuning table made for my accordions  perhaps the direction this instrument will take may be an addition to the table.. but I would like to play this Scholer as long as possible  and perhaps tweak and smooth out some construction issues  while in the discovery mood & mode...This instrument  was a gift that only just got taken out to the box after 11 or more years of silence.. but that's another story...

cheers

rD

[Tiposx]

I had a Scholer 20 button quite briefly. The standout feature for me was that the inner row of buttons required far too much finger pressure to play comfortably or with any speed. I stripped it down and re-bent all those springs to match the pressure required on the outer row. It became quite playable after that. Those inner row buttons travel through quite a small radius, so the buttons move in a tight arc. So the feel isn’t as comfortable as a Lachenal for example.

The bellows were very airtight, and it looked very pretty in its own way. What I didn’t like was the sound of the D/A pitch - it was too squeaky for my ears (the way I played it) Otherwise it was a fair starter instrument for the low price I paid.

[rDmusic]

2 hours ago, Tiposx said:

I had a Scholer 20 button quite briefly. The standout feature for me was that the inner row of buttons required far too much finger pressure to play comfortably or with any speed. I stripped it down and re-bent all those springs to match the pressure required on the outer row. It became quite playable after that. Those inner row buttons travel through quite a small radius, so the buttons move in a tight arc. So the feel isn’t as comfortable as a Lachenal for example.

The bellows were very airtight, and it looked very pretty in its own way. What I didn’t like was the sound of the D/A pitch - it was too squeaky for my ears (the way I played it) Otherwise it was a fair starter instrument for the low price I paid.

Many thanks for the input.I agree the bellows are tight and the squeaking is slowly fading with use... yes the inner row seems to have more resistance although it doesn't bother me too much at this point since I am still quite slow. I will check the spring tension  once I am less hamfisted

. thanks for the heads up on that ... still finding the placement of the hand rest to be the biggest impediment at the moment. 

 

yes the sound is a bit inconsistent to my ear would you happen to known if the   reed plates are replaceable ? ..if so  where can one order them? (they are like a harmonica set up)

cheers

rD

[Tiposx]

On mine the reeds were mounted on a single plate, which is limiting if any reeds are damaged. I replaced all the valves on mine as they had gone stiff or fallen off. This improved things quite a bit. I found that as I went further inside the 'tina I found more evidence of poor design, materials and workmanship. A pity as most of the issues could easily have been avoided - it seems that nobody cared except to make it pretty. My hat goes off to the people who must have made the most of them and enjoyed playing them, perhaps to an audience back then.

I liked mine as a challenge and because I like fixing things to work properly. So you might quite like your Scholer!

 

[rDmusic]

17 hours ago, Tiposx said:

On mine the reeds were mounted on a single plate, which is limiting if any reeds are damaged. I replaced all the valves on mine as they had gone stiff or fallen off. This improved things quite a bit. I found that as I went further inside the 'tina I found more evidence of poor design, materials and workmanship. A pity as most of the issues could easily have been avoided - it seems that nobody cared except to make it pretty. My hat goes off to the people who must have made the most of them and enjoyed playing them, perhaps to an audience back then.

I liked mine as a challenge and because I like fixing things to work properly. So you might quite like your Scholer!

 

many thanks for your input ..there are some valve issues with mine but the mechanics seem to be OK at the moment..can't say for how long this level of workmanship & materials will holdup with the amount of playing I am currently doing and lack of finesse I have .. there are already some noticeable tuning & resonance issues  which are becoming increasingly irritating. Hopefully these can be resolved.. but the instrument still sings and the music is quite intriguing although far from set pieces in the concertina catalogue.. so far the mystery is still spellbinding,.. and yes i enjoy a good challenge of an upgrade..the single reed plate  may be the Achilles heel and my eventual Waterloo if there are no options once the integrity of the reed has been compromised past the point of practical resurrection. I played the  saxophone professionally for many years so I am only too aware of a reed's relative lifespan

cheers

rD