Thomas Concertina

[rmyers3]

Hello, squeezers.

 

My wife and I purchased a new "Thomas" 30-button D/G anglo concertina in 1991. Periodically, I have looked for information about the maker and other instruments of the same provenance, but I never see these concertinas mentioned on the web (nor, as far as I can tell, in the searchable archives of this site).

 

If anyone knows of this maker, I would be fascinated to hear about him or her. I was told the instrument was made in Wales, but I do not have documentation. The instrument itself does not bear a name or mark that I can find, so in fact I have only the merchant's say-so that it IS in fact a "Thomas".

 

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

 

Randy

[Henk van Aalten]

Hello, squeezers.

 

My wife and I purchased a new "Thomas" 30-button D/G anglo concertina in 1991.  Periodically, I have looked for information about the maker and other instruments of the same provenance, but I never see these concertinas mentioned on the web (nor, as far as I can tell, in the searchable archives of this site).

 

If anyone knows of this maker, I would be fascinated to hear about him or her.  I was told the instrument was made in Wales, but I do not have documentation.  The instrument itself does not bear a name or mark that I can find, so in fact I have only the merchant's say-so that it IS in fact a "Thomas".

 

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

 

Randy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Randy

Marcus from Wales is well known but Thomas?? .

Maybe you can upload a picture. It could be very helpfull.

 

Welcome to this forum!

[rmyers3]

Randy

Marcus from Wales is well known but Thomas??   .

Maybe you can upload a picture. It could be very helpfull.

 

Welcome to this forum!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hello Henk,

 

Thank you for your interest. "Thomas from Wales?" indeed.

 

I have attached a picture (or at least, I have made the attempted).

 

Randy

[Henk van Aalten]

Thank you for your interest.  "Thomas from Wales?" indeed.

 

I have attached a picture (or at least, I have made the attempted).

 

Randy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Randy

 

I see a resemblance with the Marcus standard concertina (7 fold bellows and the double groove in the side of the wooden ends).

 

 

Are you sure that it is not a "Thomas" made by Marcus in Wales?

[rmyers3]

Randy

 

I see a resemblance with the Marcus standard concertina (7 fold bellows and the double groove in the side of the wooden ends).

 

 

Are you sure that it is not a "Thomas" made by Marcus in Wales?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Henk,

 

I think there can be no doubt that our concertina is, in fact, a Marcus standard model.

 

I will write to that company and inquire about the "Thomas" designation.

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

 

Randy

[Henk van Aalten]

Henk,

 

I think there can be no doubt that our concertina is, in fact, a Marcus standard model.

 

I will write to that company and inquire about the "Thomas" designation.

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

 

Randy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Randy,

Please inform us about the result of your research.

 

When I read your previous mail:

The instrument itself does not bear a name or mark that I can find, so in fact I have only the merchant's say-so that it IS in fact a "Thomas".

I can imagine scenarios like:

• The Merchant had "some good reason" to remove the name and call it a Thomas (for the same reason he could have called it a "Lucas" )
  
• It may have been a very early Marcus and maybe the maker was reluctant to put his name on it
  
• ?????
  

So tell us as soon as you know more.

[inventor]

Thomas was Marcus's son-in-law (though not I believe any longer), he worked with Marcus early on, when Marcus first started producing instruments, and some of the early instruments they made bare his name.

 

Inventor.

[Henk van Aalten]

Thomas was Marcus's son-in-law (though not I believe any longer), he worked with Marcus early on, when Marcus first started producing instruments, and some of the early instruments they made bare his name.

 

Inventor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the interesting information "Inventor". Maybe opening the instrument could confirm this Randy??

[JimLucas]

I can imagine scenarios like:

• The Merchant had "some good reason" to remove the name and call it a Thomas (for the same reason he could have called it a "Lucas" )
  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So that it would be appropriately badged for sale in a discount chain?

[Frank Edgley]

When I was in the UK 15 or so years ago, I visited Marcus Baxter's shop. This was the contact information that I think I got from one of the old "Concertina & Squeezebox magazines. I went there so that I could see one of the concertinas Marcus's son-in-law was making. At that time, Marcus had not started making concertinas, but began a year or so later, probably learning how, at least in part, from his son-in-law..

[wes williams]

Thomas was Marcus's son-in-law (though not I believe any longer), he worked with Marcus early on, when Marcus first started producing instruments, and some of the early instruments they made bare his name.

 

Inventor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had the same information in my mind, and I suspect "Inventor" told me originally.

 

But by coincidence, I found a copy of C&S No.22 (Spring 1990) today, where Stephen Thomas Thorn wrote:

Having been trained to repair concertinas by my now father-in-law (Marcus of Marcus Music) for six years, I started my own business (Thomas Concertinas) in 1985.

 

There is also a review of a Thomas Anglo in the same mag.

 

[Edit to add the correct date for C&S No. 22]

Edited June 16, 2005 by wes williams

[rmyers3]

Randy,

Please inform us about the result of your research.

 

Henk (and others),

 

I believe I have definitive information from W. M. Butler of Marcus Music, who has replied to an email I sent. I expressed my confidence, based on a picture from that emporium's website, that our concertina was a Marcus standard model.

 

But I am told that our concertina was in fact made by Thomas Thorne, who produced a total of 6 to 8 instruments, working only until about 1989. The similarities between Thorne's concertinas and the Marcus instruments is due to the fact that Thorne obtained many of his parts from Marcus.

 

So it is not of Marcus manufacture, but it is constructed at least partly of Marcus components.

 

It appears this instrument is a "Thomas" after all.

 

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to my inquiry.

 

Regards,

 

Randy Myers

Tacoma, WA

[Frank Edgley]

"But I am told that our concertina was in fact made by Thomas Thorne, who produced a total of 6 to 8 instruments, working only until about 1989. The similarities between Thorne's concertinas and the Marcus instruments is due to the fact that Thorne obtained many of his parts from Marcus."

 

This may be true, but I think it may have been the other way around. At the time, I visited the Marcus establishment with the idea that I might like to retail the Thomas concertina, and thinking that I would meet him at Marcus Music went there. Marcus said that Thomas was not there, and he had only made a few concertinas, and was very busy. I did see a concertina and was under the impression that it was a concertina made by Marcus, which was new to me. On returning to Canada, I contacted Thomas about retailing his concertinas and mentioned that I had seen one that his father-in-law had made. Thomas got back to me saying that he didn't know what I was talking about as, his father-in-law had "never made a concertina", and apparently the concertina I had seen was, in fact, one that he (Thomas) had built.

It is possible that Marcus made parts for Steven Thomas (Thorn) to use, but it's not the impression I got. My impression is that the Marcus concertina derived from the Thomas, made by Steven Thomas Thorn. I could be wrong, though. When I went there I was only aware of Marcus and his wife working there. It was a very small shop at the time, and seemed to be part of some sort of artisans' co-op. This was in 1991.

[rmyers3]

This may be true, but I think it may have been the other way around...

 

This is fascinating information from Frank.

 

 

My inquiry to Marcus Music was answered by W. M. Butler. With only the initials to go on, this could either be Marcus himself or his wife. He or she specifically said the following of Thomas Thorne and his work:

 

"He was based in south Wales and ceased to manufacture about 1989.

 

There are many similarities between Thomas and Marcus concertinas as Thomas purchased many parts from us at the time, this was mainly dew to the fact that he married one of my daughters."

 

 

The Marcus Music home page states:

 

"We have specialised in Concertinas since the late 70's, and although the main thrust of our business has been restoration of older instruments, we have manufactured Concertinas since 1982."

 

 

Thorne states (C&S No. 22, thanks to Wes Williams):

 

"Having been trained to repair concertinas by my now father-in-law (Marcus of Marcus Music) for six years, I started my own business (Thomas Concertinas) in 1985."

 

 

The chronology would seem to be:

 

Late 70's - Marcus embarks upon servicing concertinas, with Thomas as an apprentice by 1979 or so

1982 - Marcus begins making concertinas

1985 - Thomas, having married into Marcus' family, starts his own business

c 1989 - Thomas Thorne ceases to manufacture concertinas

early 1991 - A Thomas concertina finds its way to The Button Box and thence to my house

sometime in 1991 - Frank Edgley sees a concertina at the Marcus shop that is later claimed by Thomas to be one of his

 

 

Statements by Thomas (to Frank) and the Marcus website seem a bit at odds.

 

Since Thomas worked with Marcus for 6 years before starting his own business in 1985, and given Frank's exchanges with Thomas, we can speculate that perhaps it was Thomas who made the first "Marcus" concertinas starting in 1982, before deciding to brand them with his own name. If Marcus had not yet made a concertina in 1991, as Thomas claimed to Frank, he clearly has done so since.

 

Unfortunately, my inquiry to the Button Box was answered by someone professing to have no information and referring me to this forum. If Doug Creighton is out there somewhere, perhaps he will chime in; as it was he that I dealt with when I purchased the instrument. I would be very interested to know whether Button Box got the concertina from Thomas or from Marcus (or another source). Looking more closely at my correspondence, I see that Button Box had the instrument on order but not in the shop in August of 1990. They received it after the first of the year and sent it to us in February of 1991. It must be one of Thomas's last (if he has quit, that is); but although the timing is close, I think it cannot be the one that Frank saw in Marcus' shop.

 

I think there's a "traditional" ballad in here somewhere. Imagine workplace romance and family intrigue, throw in (with no justification beyond the poetic, of course) a little avarice or infidelity, maybe exploit an old cliche or two: "...when out of his knapsack, a squeezebox he drew!", and so on.

 

Well, this has been fun. I will print it all out and keep it with our Thomas concertina.

 

Take care, all.

 

Randy Myers