Marcus v Clover comparison

[Martin Essery]

I am in Wales a couple of hours from Marcus Music, contemplating the big step from a Rochelle-2 to something more reasonable. The proximity to Marcus Music is tempting, with lifetime repair, and I have tried a Deluxe and loved it. But I also like the the looks of the Concertina Connections Clover. Are they made in China? I am not that impressed with the quality control of the Rochelle-2. The Clovert costs half a grand more than the Marcus, do I get any more value for that? Then shipping and distance from supplier makes warranty work difficult, although they would probably take the R-2 in part exchange, which would save me having to sell it. I am saving at the moment and have some way to go before I can even be confident of placing an order, but I am more motivated if I know what I am aiming for.

So, which would you choose? Or do you have other options? For instance, I could save the money, then wait for a decent second hand to come on the market, but that seems very inconsistent to me. I will have to sell the R-2 to fund the purchase, so I do not want to be too long without an instrument.

[Takayuki YAGI]

I believe Clover is made in the U.S.A. I tried a Marcus Deluxe briefly, and I played Clover's predecessor, Geuns-Wakker, for several years and found both to be equally fine instruments.

[Don Taylor]

15 hours ago, Martin Essery said:

But I also like the the looks of the Concertina Connections Clover.

Just be aware that the Clover Standard model has an oiled wood finish and, while it looks OK, I don't think it looks as good as the Custom model which has a french polished finish.

[papawemba]

I can't compare but had a Clover and I love it, lightweight, big volume, fast and great tone (one of my favorite of many hybrid that I tried, but never tried the Marcus ;-)). I only found the air button kind of hard to reach because of super stiff hand-strap. Maybe only on the specific model I got....

It had the standard finish but though it looked pretty good (to me). Quality is excellent. 

 

But if you tried the Deluxe and loved it, I would definitively go for that one 😉

The proximity factor is a huge plus ! 

 

Good luck,

Nicolas

 

 

 

[Martin Essery]

8 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

Just be aware that the Clover Standard model has an oiled wood finish and, while it looks OK, I don't think it looks as good as the Custom model which has a french polished finish.

I think I could French polish a concertina 🙂 Come to think of it, I could carve/engrave the sides and fill with gold leaf 🙂 Quite a tempting thought 🙂 When I find the concertina I want to live with, I might well give it some loving attention 🙂

[wunks]

19 minutes ago, Martin Essery said:

I think I could French polish a concertina 🙂 Come to think of it, I could carve/engrave the sides and fill with gold leaf 🙂 Quite a tempting thought 🙂 When I find the concertina I want to live with, I might well give it some loving attention 🙂

Beware of bling.  I've used French polish to repair the finish on a fiddle but wouldn't dream of stripping one and redoing it.  I wouldn't add decorative papers or embossment either.  Such things are best left to jewelry boxes, cheap furniture, accordions and banjos but not musical instruments.....😏

[Martin Essery]

5 hours ago, papawemba said:

I can't compare but had a Clover and I love it, lightweight, big volume, fast and great tone (one of my favorite of many hybrid that I tried, but never tried the Marcus ;-)). I only found the air button kind of hard to reach because of super stiff hand-strap. Maybe only on the specific model I got....

It had the standard finish but though it looked pretty good (to me). Quality is excellent. 

 

But if you tried the Deluxe and loved it, I would definitively go for that one 😉

The proximity factor is a huge plus ! 

 

Good luck,

Nicolas

 

 

 

Thank you. Yes proximity is a factor but difficult to calculate. Until you said that the Clover was light, the Marcus was in the lead. Compared to my Rochelle-2, the Marcus was very heavy, something I could learn to live with, but if the clover is light and quick, that would be worth considering 🙂

[alex_holden]

6 hours ago, wunks said:

Beware of bling.  I've used French polish to repair the finish on a fiddle but wouldn't dream of stripping one and redoing it.  I wouldn't add decorative papers or embossment either.  Such things are best left to jewelry boxes, cheap furniture, accordions and banjos but not musical instruments.....😏

 

Perhaps if it's an antique you should think twice about doing anything irreversible to it, but if it's a new/modern instrument I think it's really up to the taste of the owner how they want it to look. Personally I think it's fun to see a bit of colour and decoration.

[Martin Essery]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:16 AM, alex_holden said:

 

Perhaps if it's an antique you should think twice about doing anything irreversible to it, but if it's a new/modern instrument I think it's really up to the taste of the owner how they want it to look. Personally I think it's fun to see a bit of colour and decoration.

Thank you ❤️ Many makers put gold leaf and stickers all over their most expensive instruments. The stickers, for me seem crazy, like something a child would do, but tastes differ. For me, if I find the instrument I want to live with for the rest of my life, I would be inclined to make it mine as I would not be concerned about retail value. Having been a master craftsman most of my life, it might well add value for the right people 🙂