4to5to6 Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 (edited) I viewed a 1942 48 button Wheatstone Aeola today in a pawn shop. It has very little playing wear but is unrestored. It had been stored for maybe 60 years. Pads are loose, notes are sounding, it fails hang test miserably. It has 8 folds which seems a bit unusual. I wasn’t able to open it up. Tone is decent, medium loud, baffles are still there. It has exceptionally good dynamics. My question is on it’s worth. What would be a reasonable offer for a war time Aeola with little playing wear but completely unrestored? Thanks Edited November 28, 2020 by 4to5to6 Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 I don't know which parts might have been recycled into new instruments by Wheatstone's after they had bought all the stock from Lachenal & Co., but perhaps it is more likely that some of the work may have been undertaken by ex Lachenal employees. Materials, of course, would have been in very short supply during the War. and it is likely those few concertinas that were made ( the ledgers show only about 40 instruments for 1942) could have been produced from pre war stock. What it will have is metal capped plastic buttons and hook action but not the Lachenal type. Perhaps aluminium reed shoes, but more likely prewar brass shoes. as I'm sure any available aluminium would be going to aircraft production. So, although build quality and materials were usually not up to 1920's standards by this stage , Wheatstone's were still making a decent instrument if not quite with the finesse of their finest creations. Allow for a full service and the unknown effects on the wooden parts caused by any climatic extremes in your part of the world then factor in a percentage value for these late models, perhaps 60- 70% of the Top Period Value . ( Check professional values with The Button Box or Barleycorn Concertinas) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4to5to6 Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) Thanks Geoff. It is an untouched original even with the baffles still in place and really no visible playing wear so somewhat interesting to me. I don’t think it will sell too soon as the shop is asking full price as if it were restored. If I don’t purchase it then I hope it goes to a home that will appreciate and play it. It may not be the instrument for me as I already have a top end tenor-treble fully restored but you don’t see these come available in my area very often. It would be interesting to see inside. Maybe quickly glue in place the loose pads so I can play a tune on it. I wasn’t overly impressed with the tone although it may just need to be played for a while to bring it back to life. The dynamic range was extremely impressive so it could be an instrument with a lot of expression. Edited November 28, 2020 by 4to5to6 Changed opinion after 2nd viewing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) the hook action of the later Wheatstones doesn't appear all-too-bad to me (my baritone treble Aeola has it, and I don't recognize any problems in this regard). Edited October 13, 2020 by Wolf Molkentin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_freereeder Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 On 10/10/2020 at 4:51 PM, 4to5to6 said: I don’t think it will sell too soon as it isn’t a playable instrument as is and the shop is asking full price as if it were restored. ... The dynamic range was extremely impressive so it could be an instrument with a lot of expression. Sometimes you have to remember that monetary value is not the only thing to consider. Despite the possibility that this concertina may not be quite as good as the high quality 'golden period' of Wheatstones, it nevetheless looks to be a very nice concertina with (as you say) a great dynamic range, which suggests that the reeds are good. Overall it looks to have a lot of potential. I would suggest a couple of things: Try to get a look inside to see the reeds. If the pads have fallen off due to being stored in a damp place, the reeds could be rusty and/or the reed frames corroded too. Mild rust can be cleaned off, but if any rust looks very bad , then walk away from it. Try to negotiate a slightly lower price (I suspect you have done this already), but if unsuccesful, and if the interior and reeds are reasonably good, then perhaps buy it at their price anyway. You will then have control over a potentially very nice concertina. Yes, you will need to pay for the restoration and tuning, but it might be worth it on musical/playabilty and historical grounds. As I said at the beginning; it's not always all about money, sometimes you have to take a risk and pay a bit more. Funny beasts, concertinas.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Steve , I was following this conversation. What did you end up doing? How much were they asking? Thank you Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 On 10/31/2020 at 8:48 AM, StephenTx said: Steve , I was following this conversation. What did you end up doing? How much were they asking? Thank you Stephen Steve Do you know if this instrument is still available and where I would like to inquire if you have it. Thank youDo you know if this instrument is still available and where I would like to inquire if you have it. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Did you actually play this concertina? Is it the same one that was advertised in Vancouver Just curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4to5to6 Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) I looked at it in person. It was in unrestored condition. I have described the tone above. It was priced as if fully restored and as much as I get excited when I see an EC for sale, I painfully had to reject this one. Chris Algar has fully restored and tuned ones available for much less. The value is 60 to 70% top period as discussed above. I could look at it again and ask the owner to let me open it up and take a few photos. I’ve been trying to stay away from it though as I know how I am... I hate to see instruments sit around like this unrestored and so may have mercy on it. Over the years I’ve lost a lot of money this way. Edited November 28, 2020 by 4to5to6 Changed opinion after 3rd viewing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 On 10/10/2020 at 5:51 PM, 4to5to6 said: ... as I already have a top end tenor-treble and a model 22 both fully restored ... so your "signature" might be slightly obsolete, might it not? 😁 best whishes - 🐺 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) On 11/19/2020 at 10:41 AM, StephenTx said: Is it the same one that was advertised in Vancouve Yes, the same one - C$3,500. Edited November 22, 2020 by Don Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 how much would that be in USD oder GBP? - seems in fact way too expensive IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 13 minutes ago, Don Taylor said: Yes, the same one - C$3,500. Even the same picture. 4 minutes ago, Wolf Molkentin said: how much would that be in USD oder GBP? $2675.13 USD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 thank you - so a bit less than I expected, but still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4to5to6 Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) I can look at it again if anyone is really interested in it at this price. I can ask to take a look inside and send a few photos if you want me too. Do a short video maybe. Edited November 28, 2020 by 4to5to6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) I'm not interested 😊 Edited November 19, 2020 by Wolf Molkentin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) On 11/19/2020 at 10:35 AM, 4to5to6 said: described tone above. It was priced as if fully restored and as much as I get excited when I see an EC for sale, I painfully had to reject this one. Chris Algar has fully restored and tuned ones available for much less. It has hook action and the value is 60 to 70% top period as discussed above. I could look at it again and try to convince the owner to let me open it up and take a few photos. I’ve been trying to stay away from it though as I know how I am... I hate to see instruments sit around like this unrestored and so may have mercy on it. Over the years I’ve lost a lot of money this way. Thank you I really don’t need another Concertina either but I found this one interestingThank you I really don’t need another Concertina either but I found this one interesting Edited November 22, 2020 by StephenTx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 (edited) On 11/19/2020 at 10:35 AM, 4to5to6 said: 4to5to6 I would really appreciate it if you would if you could convince the owner to open it up and take some pictures as this estimate fascinates me. Thank you so muchstephentx Edited November 22, 2020 by StephenTx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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