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Can you help identify this concertina?


jackly

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Hello, This is my first post. I just stumbled into the world of concertinas this Christmas. My mom bought my grandson a toy accordian, few days later my son bought a nice new Hohner accordian so they could learn together - and Hey I wanna be part of the band so today I bought a concertina on ebay for under $100 and I have no idea what I bought! I attached a couple pics below. It has 31 buttons, 8 fold leather bellows, a 2-4-5-4 button pattern ( ie. facing it from the side there are two buttons under the thumb strap then rows of 4-5-4 going down to a metal finger rest. I've seen almost the same button pattern on a Mcneela Sparrow and a New Trinity College AP-2230. Also on a Scarlatti SCE-30 it's similar. Bc of the thumb strap I expect it's an Anglo. I'll be happy either way. Just curious if anyone knows what this thing is?! Many thanks! 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155350026750?hash=item242b9549fe%3Ag%3A~C0AAOSwh7djvDGE&nma=true&si=zBjkQfMJO1%2BVv0Q3b0PwMOiD99E%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155350026750?hash=item242b9549fe%3Ag%3A~C0AAOSwh7djvDGE&nma=true&si=zBjkQfMJO1%2BVv0Q3b0PwMOiD99E%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Caleb New Orleans 

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It looks like a Concertina Connection Jackie (treble) or a Jack (baritone) English concertina, so no, not an Anglo - https://www.concertinaconnection.com/jackie-jack.htm

 

The Jack and the Jackie are made in China for the Concertina Connection (CC) and they are made to decent specs for an entry level EC, in particular they have a proper riveted action mechanism.  But, the Chinese factory also made an identical looking (on the outside) concertina with a much cheaper action mechanism and they sold this for much less than the CC model.

 

If it is a genuine CC model then if you ever decide you want to upgrade to a better concertina then CC will take your concertina in part-exchange at the the original full price against a better model.

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Just a word of caution. If you are new to concertinas then ebay is a very risky place to be buying.  There are some decent instruments offered there, but there are far more that might end up needing repairs, which can be expensive.

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Don that's great info. I may want to trade up soon. I'm a lifelong guitar, harmonica player and oddly enough used to enjoy playing the didjridu. I had hoped for an English bc I thought I might be able to make it "drone" while playing harmonica with a harp brace. But then I considered that an Anglo might feel a lot more natural to my harmonica brain with the in/out draw. 

 

Either way I'm really excited. I played my sons new Hohner accordian, first time I ever played anything that squeezed and wow. I found just noodling a couple keys you could get a zydeco thing just working the bellows with some quick in/out, my 4 yr old grandson was jumping for joy and that sold me on a bellows instrument. I'm not sure why I went with a  concertina Just seemed fun and I love sea chanteys. 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, helmbelly said:

Alex I just looked at your instrument page and I am not worthy to address you sir! My lord what fine work! I'm going to google your name to see if I can hear one of these beautys. 

 

Thanks very much! There are some demo videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@alexholden

 

I recently finished an English concertina but haven't put a video of it up yet.

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Thanks everyone for helping ID this. The pics I'm comparing would lead me away from the Jack/Jackies because mine has 8 folds, they both have 6 and the JJ's wood is beveled just before it meets the bellows and mine is flat straight across. 

 

I found thru web pics the Trinity College and Scarlatti SC30 are straight lined, have same button config and 8 folds.  You think I'm on the right track? 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234346408564?hash=item3690226a74:g:XTMAAOSwXzBhwiAJ&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsHkB%2BQ1KOQsMIrqGY54KsCoWLx%2FbAUn85SXajoVs00JYnVENO%2FirEQjM2rwaImiu0f5kY6u4yPYmD6P1zdE%2FXW7UvNuehBgH2hjPcqzEqsMCLgN9a2QHYShrfF8j77STSPu43v6UpqqhGN27EWu830%2FDHyF9Aq0zA7MCt51O2DsdBByqKk9z4WVz7N3qKhlQwPbHK%2FBLQBzlNK4VcPrOKBI%2BcmdBKYDWBg47VMjEQd4l|tkp%3ABk9SR8rRw_C2YQ

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Wow Alex I have some decent headphones on and just keep listening to your No.6 - so chatty and talkative! 

It must feel so good to make these - is it hard to let go of them - a bit? In my regular life I spend most of my time 

conducting video interviews- I want to ask you so many questions! 

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JimR,

 

(at a time anyway!) I'll be happy with anything to start off.  I just want to try a concertina first for some reason, I want to play both English and Anglo to see if either one clicks for me- and whatever this is (I guess a button accordion)- love this sound. I play a lot harmonica and cover a lot of holes with tounge to get a thick, fat sound. I imagine with a Concertina I'd play with several buttons down at once to thicken it up. Make sense? 

 

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51 minutes ago, helmbelly said:

JimR,

 

(at a time anyway!) I'll be happy with anything to start off.  I just want to try a concertina first for some reason, I want to play both English and Anglo to see if either one clicks for me- and whatever this is (I guess a button accordion)- love this sound. I play a lot harmonica and cover a lot of holes with tounge to get a thick, fat sound. I imagine with a Concertina I'd play with several buttons down at once to thicken it up. Make sense? 

 

 

That's an expensive (professional quality) 4-stopper Castagnari melodeon in the key of D, and I sold it to him about 25 years ago.

 

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Stephen, 

 

I love the sound. May I ask what price range an instrument with comparable tone would fall into? I don't know melodeons 

but w/o 4 stops I would gravitate to the mid range more than the upper register. I'm listening to the BBC show in your fabulous incredibly erudite links - such a pleasure to say hello! 

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I started looking around at Castagnaris and notice they often run in the key of D, not that that is a problem. I have harps in most all keys - but over the years I settled into a C harp almost all the time and that brought my guitar playing into that vector also so just a simple question - are Castagnari or Castagnari adjacent instruments readily available in C like concertinas or is diff kettle of fish? 

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15 hours ago, helmbelly said:

Wow Alex I have some decent headphones on and just keep listening to your No.6 - so chatty and talkative! 

It must feel so good to make these - is it hard to let go of them - a bit? In my regular life I spend most of my time 

conducting video interviews- I want to ask you so many questions! 

 

To some extent yes, though I also want them to be played and enjoyed by as many people as possible, and that wouldn't happen if I held onto them. There's also the thing that after I've spent months working on one instrument I'm itching to get it out of the door and start the next one.

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Well congratulations with the magic you are making! I can't imagine how rewarding it would be to make something I knew was going to bring people together, singing, laughing and crying for generations to come. Sorcery at its best

 

I have a small shop and make gizmos out of metal and wood so I know the satisfaction of working with your hands but what I make are only functional items, you make not just a moving, living thing but a very merry one at that! What a wonderful trade to be in 

 

 

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