Steve Morrison Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Hello Everyone, Just a note about the Stagi Hayden Duet. Over the years their have been many issues and complaints about Stagi concertinas. can I now say that since the takeover of this lovely small company, the standard of the concertinas has been outstanding. The tuning is excellent, the actions are fast and the build quality is wonderful. I have been selling these instruments on and of for many years, and can now say that I am so pleased with the result. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Colpitts Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 I am pleased to read this. As a happy owner of the entry-level Elise and a very happy owner of a Bastari "ancestor" to the Stagi you describe, it's nice to know that should the Bastari ever get beyond repair (and it's had some major work...) there might be a successor that lands in this price range. I believe the button spacing is still unlike any other Hayden duets, though I have tried one at the Button Box and suspect I could adjust to that; my skill pales in comparison to most, and it's very much a work in progress. Can anyone share a video and/or sound files of a newer one of these Haydens? Thanks! David C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 I wouldn’t call the Bastari the “ancestor” of the Stagi. Of course it’s true that Bastari was taken over by Stagi, but when Jeff Jacobs prevailed upon Stagi to restart making Haydens, there was no “institutional memory,” and so they had to redesign the instrument from scratch, without the benefit of Brian Hayden’s specifications on button spacing and angles, which are therefore a mess. Unless the improvements Steve Morrison mentions include realigning the positions of the buttons to Hayden’s specifications, the Stagi remains another option, for sure, but unrelated to the Bastari. But you’ll be happy to know, David C, that although my Bastari is not my primary Hayden, I have been playing it regularly for nearly 35 years and it hasn’t come close to being “beyond repair.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanc Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 (edited) Steve, has Stagi revised anything with the Hayden? Has the action been improved? Reeds upgraded, button positions shifted, etc? have they eliminated those ridiculous studs that scratch everything you put it down on? maybe some pics and some sound clips? I would love there to be a viable entry level Hayden. But having had a previous bad experience on the stagi, I had pretty much written them off. i would also ask. How would someone determine if one is the new desirable one from the older model? Edited November 10, 2020 by seanc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Morrison Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 Hi, The action has been modified to be a lot faster. And you tell the difference between a new one and an old one because the new one is in tune ! The new models are a real hope for the future for Stagi. Due to the Coronavirus stock is difficult to obtain, but things are slowly improving. cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 The factory has an Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/fabbricaconcertineitaliasrls/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 28 minutes ago, Steve Morrison said: And you tell the difference between a new one and an old one because the new one is in tune ! Whenever the Button Box acquires one they tune it up before offering it for sale. So there are quite a few in-tune old ones running around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 3/16/2021 at 7:34 PM, David Barnert said: So there are quite a few in-tune old ones running around. Count my Anglo in with those! It's 30 years old, was played regularly in the group, and is stil going strong. It had to have a new bellows, and I had to repair a broken air-button lever along the way - but the reeds are still in tune, and my bandmates preferred the sound over a raditional-reeded Lachenal! BTW, I bought it in a "normal" music shop in Stuttgart (i.e. not one specialising in free reeds), so there was no tweaking of the reeds before purchase. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 11/8/2020 at 12:12 PM, David Barnert said: I wouldn’t call the Bastari the “ancestor” of the Stagi. Of course it’s true that Bastari was taken over by Stagi, but when Jeff Jacobs prevailed upon Stagi to restart making Haydens, there was no “institutional memory,” and so they had to redesign the instrument from scratch, without the benefit of Brian Hayden’s specifications on button spacing and angles, which are therefore a mess. Unless the improvements Steve Morrison mentions include realigning the positions of the buttons to Hayden’s specifications, the Stagi remains another option, for sure, but unrelated to the Bastari. But you’ll be happy to know, David C, that although my Bastari is not my primary Hayden, I have been playing it regularly for nearly 35 years and it hasn’t come close to being “beyond repair.” The catalogue page on their website illustrates the current Hayden Duet, scroll down to find it. Does this show an improved layout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bayliss Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 3 hours ago, Theo said: The catalogue page on their website illustrates the current Hayden Duet, scroll down to find it. Does this show an improved layout? Looks like the same asymmetrically placed rows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 and the same furniture destroying studs. I would buy one of these if they would just fix those two problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skandor Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I just got a new one at it comes with a nice case. Always put it in there: no furniture issues. I don’t find the rows assymetric. Got an Elise from CC/Wakker and it’s exactly the same feel, only smaller and less buttons 😉 The sound is nice if you like the accordion reeds - no concertina sound at all but well tuned. Only two rows were misplaced (the six rows on the left hand were interchanged) but my concertina fettler fixed that quite quickly. As a summary I‘d say it‘s the best option for a low budget 46-key. If you are okay with 34, then better get the Elise, because it has more the genuine spirit if you know what I mean 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 5 hours ago, Don Taylor said: and the same furniture destroying studs. Actually, the studs look bigger (stick out more) than I remember them on the early ones. The buttons look a little smaller. Hard to judge the symmetry without seeing the right hand side. Here’s the picture. BTW: 4 hours ago, Skandor said: I just got a new one at it comes with a nice case. Always put it in there: no furniture issues. If you want to put it down for a moment while you’re playing (say, to switch instruments or hang out for 32 bars) putting it in the case can be inconvenient. Some folks I know have put adhesive plastic cabinet bumpers in the corners of one side to keep the studs away from the furniture. Now that the studs stand taller, I wonder if the bumpers would be thick enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Perhaps someone who has access to one of the new Stagi Haydens could post true end-on photos of both the left and right hand sides, even better with some dimensions indicated (button to button distances and distances from the hand rail). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Maybe try contacting the factory directly? They probably inherited the design from the previous owner and may not be aware that the Stagi keyboard dimensions are non-standard and the earlier Bastari model was better. Perhaps you could replace the bellows pins with smaller ones: http://www.cgmmusical.co.uk/CGM_Musical_Services/Bellow_Pins.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRo Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) Hello. My first post here - though I have been lurking a lot. I bought one in January - from the OP in fact. A 70th birthday present to myself. Here are some pictures. I don't believe it's changed externally recently - except it has a discreet '100% Made in Italy' sticker instead of the big white 'Stagi' lettering. It seems in tune to me: Steve enclosed a note saying he'd checked it (hi Steve). The studs are the same as ever, I think. It looks to me like the one on the website hasn't got the pins pushed in. I too thought of furniture buffers ( I had read the review) but I suspect the self-stick ones might come off in use. Since I'd never touched a concertina before I cannot comment on how easy it is to play compared with others. Any problems I have playing it are not the instrument's fault! (And it's easier than I expected - so far...!). Edited March 20, 2021 by DaveRo Correction 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunks Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Is the band of marquetry a decal or a veneer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRo Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) It's laminate strip, stuck on and varnished over, as you can see in the left-hand picture. I would have done that bit again - most of the corners are like the right-hand picture. The strip is made of plastic, at a guess. The effect is quite attractive, I think, though obviously fake. The whole instrument seems well-enough constructed to my inexpert eye. Edited March 20, 2021 by DaveRo Typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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