History of a Lachenal EC

[Ken_Coles]

Posted by @Ove in the serial number dating thread - moved here as a separate discussion - Ken

 

Quote

I could use some help in resolving what appears to be a contradiction. I recently acquired a flat ended rosewood 48 English in need if serious restoration. Opening it up I found steel reeds (not nickel alloy), printed sound board decals, Lachenal & Co. (not Louis Lachenal) and the number 3990 clearly stamped on sound boards and action boards. It has solid brass keys and a top quality French Polish finish (dirty and a little faded of course). To my inexperienced eye, historically speaking, the later label and early serial number don’t fit. There are indications that it came with sound baffles that were at some time in the past removed, and the original makers label probably went with them.

 

[Stephen Chambers]

This question goes way beyond simply dating a concertina that's known to be a Lachenal, in fact it's impossible to answer without seeing photographs of this mysterious and contradictory instrument - though it may have been modified/rebuilt in its life...

[Ove]

Yes, sorry about putting it in the wrong thread. Also I realized I should have done more serious searching for the answer. Which I have since done. It is in fact a Wheatstone #3990, sold on Feb. 11th 1853 (pg 23 ledger 1048). But it was likely made in mid 1851. The sales record shows that #4019 was the first 4,XXX series sold on November 4, 1851 (pg 32 ledger 1047). This assumes 4091 was built after 3990. If this is correct, then this is one of the early Wheatstones to use Louis Lachenal’s modifications.

 

Also C-048 #3550 in the Concertina Museum is a close cousin. The exact same Lachenal action. It also has the same brass keys as C-047 #3410. I think that what Stephen raises about a modification is likely the answer. #3990 probably went in for service to Lachenal &Co. some time later. If it was built with nickel alloy reeds, it now has steel reeds. Also they probably pasted the newer Lachenal decals on the reed boards, at that time. 
 

if there is any interest I can post some photos.

 

Ove

[Stephen Chambers]

7 hours ago, Ove said:

if there is any interest I can post some photos.

 

Yes, yes, and yes, please do.

 

I cannot possibly give you a definitive answer without seeing photographs of the actual instrument in question.

 

The more you write, the more you obfuscate the matter and the more confused I become (for example, C047 is the work of a different maker for Wheatstone's, not Louis Lachenal), and you don't provide links, whilst a picture tells a thousand words!

 

But I am beginning to wonder if you're perhaps trying to describe an instrument similar to #4247, C-118?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Stephen Chambers
Edited link

[Ove]

Stephen, let me try this again the right way. I took the photos, attached. The numbers stamped on the sound boards is 35906, very difficult to discern in the photo. But under 8x magnification both boards have the same number. I had previously removed the thumb and pinky finger supports. On one end the fret work cracked and collapsed in to the action board at the thumb support bracket, there was no pillar under the fret work supporting it. If any other photos would be useful please let me know. I also will work on linking to references for future posts, your point is well take.

Ove

[Ove]

Stephen, one more photo that I missed. The number stamped on the inside of the bellows, 59141.  Ove

[Stephen Chambers]

4 hours ago, Ove said:

Stephen, let me try this again the right way. I took the photos, attached. The numbers stamped on the sound boards is 35906, very difficult to discern in the photo.

 

Many thanks for the photos, all is now clear to me.

 

So we have the ends of (Louis Lachenal-produced) Wheatstone #3990, which would have been the very-much the same as  #3550, C-048 (with ivory buttons and 4-fold bellows) when it was sold on Feb. 11th 1853.

 

And then we have the complete reed pans and bellows of Lachenal & Co. #35906 (made towards the end of 1897) which have been "married" (at some point in time) with those ends to make a viable instrument out of two that were no-longer viable.

 

Also the later "spherical-ended" nickel-silver (not brass) buttons of #35906 have been swapped into the ends of #3990.

 

[Stephen Chambers]

14 minutes ago, Ove said:

Stephen, one more photo that I missed. The number stamped on the inside of the bellows, 59141.  Ove

 

Ah, I could see there was a 5-digit number there and came to a false conclusion - this is turning out to be even more of a "bitsa" ("bits of this and bits of that") than I first thought!

 

You also have the bellows of Lachenal #59141 of 1923...

[Ove]

Thanks Stephen, it all makes sense now. On a side note, I was convinced the keys were brass, so I polished one key and apiece of yellow brass and put them side by side. You are right, they are nickel silver.

 

Ove

[Stephen Chambers]

But there's no reason why a perfectly decent concertina couldn't be made out of all this, even if some of the parts were made 70 years apart.

 

And it just goes to show how consistently-made Lachenal's instruments were...