To buy or not to buy?

[Martin Essery]

I am at that point of decision that I am sure a lot of you recognise. I have seen a concertina that I want, but do not need 😄 I would be fascinated to hear how others justify making the decision? I know the yearning will fade if I own it and it will just be another instrument, so, do I not buy and enjoy the yearning, or do I seek satisfaction and buy? What goes through your minds making such decisions?

[Geoff Wooff]

"Play  what  you  have"  is  one  general  suggestion  but  it may  depend  on  what  you  have  and  IF  you  think  another instrument  will help  you play  better, or  more  .  

 

Another  suggestion;  in the  50+  years  of   playing  and  buying  Concertinas  I  have  never  seen one  go  down in value  yet. As  an  investment  and  because  '  they  ain't  making  them  anymore'... why  not  add  another,  they  don't  take  up  much  room... sure  'tis  not  like  you  collect  Pianos,.....  

[Richard Mellish]

I agree with Geoff. I have justified (to myself, no-one else to please) some of my purchases at least partly as investments. If in my dotage I need additional funds to pay for care I can sell them. Meanwhile I do play some of them. Some years ago, not long after I bought a lovely Wheatstone 40-key C-G, a Koot Brits 40-key C-G came on the market and I bought that as well, thinking I would then sell one or the other. The Wheatstone is a much better instrument but I was glad to have the Koot Brits when the Wheatstone was away for a service. So far I have kept both.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Oh, just go ahead and buy what you want ( I say)... Enjoy spending on something you know you can play and that you will get great enjoyment from, and others could too ( from hearing you perform)..

Don't feel you have to explain it, or feel guilty over this, Martin, go on give it a whirl and spend!😊😊🌝

[AndyNT]

Assuming finance is not an issue, buy it.

You will then either fall in love with it, play it regularly, and it is a 'keeper' or..

the yearning will fade and you move it on. 

There may be a small financial hit, but that pays for the pleasure you did get from it

 

A few years ago,  I decided that my instruments should be played and not just live in their case on a shelf. They needed to have a role, even it is just for occasionally playing a seldom visited repertoire on a wet Sunday afternoon. I don't buy instruments as investments or as historic artefacts.

The ones which were rarely/never played were gradually moved into the 'exit lounge'. And they helped fund new acquisitions

 

Enjoy your new purchase, Martin. I should hopefully get mine by Christmas!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hjcjones]

If it's something you'll use and get pleasure from then go ahead. You can always sell it again, and concertinas are unlikely to lose value., and you'll have had the use of it in the meantime.

 

I try to think of it as not spending money, simply moving it from one asset class to another. I know someone who regards his collection of concertinas as his pension fund. Whether he'll be happy to sell them when the need arises remains to be seen.

[wunks]

Unless you have a reasonable intention of playing or refurbishing it, I say let it go to someone who will.  Indeed, unless it is in top condition you may not realize your vast imagined profit should you decide to flip it.  I recently picked up a lovely Wheatstone EC in playable but rough condition and was told the cost to whip it into shape would be more than I could expect to get on resale. I've heard the phrase "uneconomically restorable" being used lately.  Lots of beautiful instruments going for parts apparently.....😏

[Little John]

I'm with @AndyNT and @wunks on this one. There are a limited number of these instruments out there and it's a shame if some are just gathering dust in someone's collection when they could be giving joy to another potential player. I've been guilty of this myself, but over the past few years I've thinned out my collection to just those I really play and need.

[Martin Essery]

Thank you all so much for your advice and encouragement ❤️ I am buying off the net, a Wheatstone MacCann 55 on ebay, and have already found that a non concertinists assertion that "it works" is absolutely no guaranteed it is a playable instrument 😄 So, always a gamble. However, I have spent a life as a goldsmith, craftsman, and musician, tuning my concert harp every day, so I am pretty sure I can repair and tune a concertina. I am about to find out 😄 No repair cost, just my time. You never know, if I turn out to be good at it and enjoy it, you may have a new repairer on the block 😄 I have found that supposedly professionally repaired instruments can still have ugly quirks, so the only way is to play for a while.
 

Yes, I had already found I can sell them on if necessary, so not a lot of risk, but this is not really a collection, just looking for a concertina I can gel with, and that can take a few weeks of playing. I find the fun with concertinas is that they all have different purposes. I have a MacCann 81 because I wanted and needed that deep deep bass for certain music, Cello Suites for instance, but a 55/56 is going to be more convenient, say for violin concertos or Van Hoff recorder works. My excuse for needing more than one. I am a widower now, so do not have to justify my purchases, though I think I can hear faint tones of complaint from the 'other side'! 😄
 

Thank you again for the encouragement, I made an offer and have been accepted, should be here in a few days. Born 1914, as I already have a Big Mac, I think I shall call this one Little Mac 🙂 Do you guys (generic non-binary title 🙂 ) name your concertinas?
 

[Geoff Wooff]

As  you  are  in buying  mood  can  I suggest  you  might  look  at  getting  a 57key McCann,  starts  at  C  on the  right....  just  those  few  extra  cross over  notes  makes for  a good  useable  duet  with  a  small ish  size?

Edited August 6, 2023 by Geoff Wooff

[d.elliott]

If the concertina has ben stored in it's box like shown in the picture, it will probably need re-valving, shudders!

[Martin Essery]

On 8/6/2023 at 7:05 AM, Geoff Wooff said:

As  you  are  in buying  mood  can  I suggest  you  might  look  at  getting  a 57key McCann,  starts  at  C  on the  right....  just  those  few  extra  cross over  notes  makes for  a good  useable  duet  with  a  small ish  size?

Thank you for the response. You are indeed right, and I have spent much time staring at the charts 😄 Part of me would like one of each, excep the 62 which, for me has little point. However, I already have a 57 Edeophone Mac waiting for parts, and for me, the 55 going up that extra 4th to the top C is more important than the lower right hand end. Although it is a 'duet', I am actually going to be digging into the classical repertoires of violins, flutes, recorders, clarinets, ... so the cross over is not radically important.

 

When I get them functioning, I shall spend time playing and see which I am more comfortable with. Maybe I will keep both, maybe I will exit one and get a 67. I already have two 81s to choose between when I get them both fettled, so a middle sized 67 might be good. Need more experience as only just starting with MacCanns. Exciting journey 🙂

 

I did try the English system, but splitting my brain in two was not comfortable for me, and once I got used to the pattern, felt more at home on the MacCann, except for that D#. I mean, what did he do wrong to be left out of the party? 😄

[Martin Essery]

On 8/6/2023 at 9:55 AM, d.elliott said:

If the concertina has ben stored in it's box like shown in the picture, it will probably need re-valving, shudders!

I am really hoping it was only oriented thus for the photos. Buying off the net from non-concertinists is always a gamble, but where is the fun in certainty? 😄 I am buying with the expectation of having to repair, then I can feel all cheerful if I do not have to.

[wunks]

1 hour ago, Martin Essery said:

Thank you for the response. You are indeed right, and I have spent much time staring at the charts 😄 Part of me would like one of each, excep the 62 which, for me has little point. However, I already have a 57 Edeophone Mac waiting for parts, and for me, the 55 going up that extra 4th to the top C is more important than the lower right hand end. Although it is a 'duet', I am actually going to be digging into the classical repertoires of violins, flutes, recorders, clarinets, ... so the cross over is not radically important.

 

When I get them functioning, I shall spend time playing and see which I am more comfortable with. Maybe I will keep both, maybe I will exit one and get a 67. I already have two 81s to choose between when I get them both fettled, so a middle sized 67 might be good. Need more experience as only just starting with MacCanns. Exciting journey 🙂

 

I did try the English system, but splitting my brain in two was not comfortable for me, and once I got used to the pattern, felt more at home on the MacCann, except for that D#. I mean, what did he do wrong to be left out of the party? 😄

I 'll offer this because you seem an adventurous sort.  I play the Jeffries duet which has a mere 5 notes ( for the 50b ) of overlap.  There are 4 ways to play each of these.  The only difficulties for me are (were) the lack of a RH F# and a LH B.  I combined the LH G#/F# and RH F#/G# to give me a Push/Pull or Right/Left option for the F# and guess what?  A vacant button on the left to which I moved the Bb to it's regular position in the layout and filled that opening with the B, also in it's regular position.....😜  I dare not speculate on the possibilities for a McCann but that G# appears to be longing for the Bb across the way! 

[John Sylte]

I recommend having a slight (and manageable) drinking/gambling/snowboarding habit. That way when you need to justify a purchase like this it's much easier, you can just say to yourself... "I waste too much money on this other crap anyways!"  

[Martin Essery]

If I feel overwhelmed by the MacCann pattern, I look at a bandoneon and feel much better 😄

[Wolf Molkentin]

the Cello Suites (transposed or not) are a fantastic challenge for concertinists (and wonderful music anyway) IMO, would appreciate to hear a recording of your playing one of these at some point!

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Wolf Molkentin