looking to buy a good condition hayden duet

[datnameis]

I'm currently looking at hayden duet concertinas. I've been playing a second-hand Bastari I bought and fixed up but it was already well on it's way out and the bellows are getting holes on the corners so I think It's time to find something a little more long-term. I was looking at the peacock model from concertina connection but it seems like they aren't currently in production as I couldn't find anywhere to acctually buy one, not to mention the price is already a bit high. So I was wondering if perhaps anyone was in possession of a secondhand peacock in relatively good condition they'd be willing to sell.

[Don Taylor]

39 minutes ago, datnameis said:

I was looking at the peacock model from concertina connection but it seems like they aren't currently in production

Why do you say this?  The Concertina Connection web-site currently lists the Peacock as available on a 5 week order.

[Tradewinds Ted]

If the price of the Peacock is a barrier, the Concertina Connection also has the mid-level Troubadour model.  Construction is not as fancy, and 36 buttons instead of the 42, but at only a just a little over half the price of the Peacock.  I expect it would still be a step up from the construction of the Bastari, although I don't know how the number of buttons compares.

 

I did try a friend's Peacock model once a few years ago for a few minutes.  I play Anglo, so the layout was unfamiliar of course, but It seemed like a nice instrument.  I've not tried the Troubador to compare, but reviews of the comparable mid-level Minstrel Anglo seem generally encouraging.  The website also says the Troubadour is part of the Concertina Connection upgrade program, so you could trade it in later and move up to the Peacock later if you choose. (They might have a used Troubadour someone else traded in already?  maybe not yet though, since it was only recently introduced.)

 

Going the other direction on price, the Concertina Connection website also shows the well made Wakker concertinas.

And another option not quite as far in that direction; I see that the Buttonbox makes a 52 button Beaumont model Haydn.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Tradewinds Ted

[David Barnert]

6 hours ago, Tradewinds Ted said:

If the price of the Peacock is a barrier, the Concertina Connection also has the mid-level Troubadour model.  Construction is not as fancy, and 36 buttons instead of the 42, but at only a just a little over half the price of the Peacock.  I expect it would still be a step up from the construction of the Bastari, although I don't know how the number of buttons compares.

 

Tha Bastari has 46 buttons (unless it’s one of the few square ones that were made with 67). The Troubadour has 36, which I would find extremely limiting, and you have to buy the case separately (unlike the Peacock, which has 42 buttons and comes with a hard shell case). Bob Tedrow of Homewood Music used to have an article on his site on how to make a half-decent instrument out of a Bastari (he also provided the service, he called it “hot-rodding”), but I can’t find the page now. With a little ingenuity, you might be able to retrace his steps.

 

My Bastari (on the right) also developed holes on the bellows corners. Packing tape works wonders. I also re-veneered the ends and reinforced the interior of the bellows with a bead of silicone caulk in the “valleys” to keep it from popping out. And, of course, at some point, I also bought a Wheatstone (on the left).

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by David Barnert

[Jim2010]

On 11/15/2020 at 10:49 PM, Tradewinds Ted said:

The website also says the Troubadour is part of the Concertina Connection upgrade program, so you could trade it in later and move up to the Peacock later if you choose.

I suggest checking with the Concertina Connection about this.  When I enquired about this possibility last April, the Troubadour was not eligible to trade in for the Peacock, only for a Wakker. The reason was that instruments can be traded in for instruments of a higher class: i.e. entry level to intermediate to traditional. The Troubadour and Peacock are/were both classed as intermediate class instruments. Whether this is the current policy I do not know.

[datnameis]

On 11/15/2020 at 5:20 PM, Don Taylor said:

Why do you say this?  The Concertina Connection web-site currently lists the Peacock as available on a 5 week order.

right you are, last I checked they were shut down for covid but it seems they've picked back up. Still open to cheaper options though

[datnameis]

On 11/15/2020 at 7:49 PM, Tradewinds Ted said:

If the price of the Peacock is a barrier, the Concertina Connection also has the mid-level Troubadour model.  Construction is not as fancy, and 36 buttons instead of the 42, but at only a just a little over half the price of the Peacock.  I expect it would still be a step up from the construction of the Bastari, although I don't know how the number of buttons compares.

hmm this is a decent alternative, I was looking at the peacock because it had enough buttons to retain my current bastari's range (mostly). 36 is  bit limiting but if it can be traded up to a peacock at a later point that would be a good idea.

[David Barnert]

12 hours ago, Jim2010 said:

When I enquired about this possibility last April, the Troubadour was not eligible to trade in for the Peacock, only for a Wakker.

 

4 hours ago, datnameis said:

36 is  bit limiting but if it can be traded up to a peacock at a later point that would be a good idea.

 

Better make sure...

[Don Taylor]

I was looking forward to the Troubadour before it came out, but I was disapointed when it came out with only 36 buttons. 

 

Plus, by the time you have priced in Wakker bellows and a hard case then, IMHO, you mght as well jump for a Peacock which comes with both of these on the standard model.

 

The Troubadour does have the advantage of being in a small (6 1/4") frame vs. the 7" of the Peacock.

[W3DW]

And if you are looking at a new Peacock for $3000 with 42 buttons and 7" flats, you might consider a Button Box Beaumont for $4000 with 52 buttons and 7" flats. If you regularly play beyond C, F, D & G as I do, you might find the extra weight and cost worthwhile. I love mine.