Wakker Anglo Concertina

[Parker135]

I'd love to hear from folks who own or have played Wakker Anglo concertinas, and in particular, the A4 model which is aimed at Irish playing.  Any comparisons to other traditional Anglo concertinas would be interesting (Carroll, Suttner, Kensington, Edgley, etc.)  I've tried posting this on social media, and I'm getting the idea that maybe there just aren't that many Wakker Anglos out there.

[Luke Hillman]

I, too, would be interested to hear from folks in the know. I'm on Mr. Wakker's list and hoping my name will come up sometime this year. Most of his concertinas I've seen in the wild or on YouTube are either English or Haydens.

[Daniel Hersh]

Some years ago I briefly played one of the earliest Wakker Anglos and liked it.

[Parker135]

I think I may have a chance to compare a Wakker and a Carroll this fall.  Maybe I can post something, which will be from the viewpoint of someone with just under two year's experience with the concertina.  Still hoping to hear from others!

[Frosty]

I purchased a Wakker A4 in 2013, and I am delighted with it.

Quality of construction: excellent. Reeds, bellows, action are top-notch.

Quality of sound: superb. Very well suited to Irish tunes, as advertised.

Ease of play: effortless. I have a Dipper C/G and some Jeffries (C/G, Bb/F, Ab/Eb), and they all require a bit more effort, particularly on reels.

 

The Wakker is louder than the Dipper, but quieter than the Jeffries. The timbre is very pleasing. Perhaps a bit less "personality" than the timbre of the Dipper and Jeffries, but that's part of the charm of concertinas. Every instrument is different.

[Parker135]

8 hours ago, Frosty said:

I purchased a Wakker A4 in 2013, and I am delighted with it.

Quality of construction: excellent. Reeds, bellows, action are top-notch.

Quality of sound: superb. Very well suited to Irish tunes, as advertised.

Ease of play: effortless. I have a Dipper C/G and some Jeffries (C/G, Bb/F, Ab/Eb), and they all require a bit more effort, particularly on reels.

 

The Wakker is louder than the Dipper, but quieter than the Jeffries. The timbre is very pleasing. Perhaps a bit less "personality" than the timbre of the Dipper and Jeffries, but that's part of the charm of concertinas. Every instrument is different.

Frosty, how would you describe the dynamic range?  If you don't necessarily want to be the loudest in a session, can you throttle back a little and still have all the playing qualities you describe?  I really appreciate your comments, and I'm happy you're happy with your A4!

[Frosty]

Yes, the reeds respond well both with lower bellows pressure and with higher bellows pressure.

[Parker135]

Looking more at their website, I see an expected delivery time of 3 to 4 years for a new concertina.  Maybe that's why we don't see or hear of them that often!  At my age, I don't think I want to wait that long.

[gtotani]

I enquired about the waiting list of Wakker Concertina last year. 

I was informed by mail that 

 

> The lead time (waiting time) for a Wakker concertinas currently is 48-50 months (around  4 years).

> The waiting time has been pretty stable for the last 30 years, with 3 years as the shortest and 5 years 

> as the longest lead time. 

 

I started playing concertina 5 years ago, and one of Wakker concertinas could have been mine if I had 

joined the waiting list at that time!

 

Totani

[Parker135]

Wow.  If only we could see into the future!  I didn't know how much I would enjoy the concertina and only recently have begun considering an upgrade from my Clover.  Thanks for your info about the wait times.  I won't bother emailing them.

[Geoff W.]

I also have a clover --

 

I got on the list August 2020, and an e-mail follow up to Wim in June last year put me about "halfway".... so maybe next year?? I figure one day it'll just happen. I'm looking to get a 40-key wheatstone anglo when the time comes.

 

I'm also on a few other waitlists -- I think one thing to consider, Parker, is if you want to upgrade from a Clover it's either going to be vintage or one of these waitlists. Might as well get on a couple now if you think you're gonna stick to it.

 

 

[Parker135]

Hi Geoff.   I'm on the list for a Kensington, hoping for one by spring.  

[MegaDan]

Hoping to revive this thread! Anyone have any further insight, comparisons, information, experience regarding Wakker Anglos? Would love to hear any and all accounts!

[Don Taylor]

26 minutes ago, MegaDan said:

Hoping to revive this thread! Anyone have any further insight, comparisons, information, experience regarding Wakker Anglos? Would love to hear any and all accounts!

From Wim's web-site:

Due to our extensive waiting list,
We are forced to temporarily close our order book.

[Luke Hillman]

1 hour ago, MegaDan said:

Hoping to revive this thread! Anyone have any further insight, comparisons, information, experience regarding Wakker Anglos? Would love to hear any and all accounts!

 

I finally got mine, a 40-button G/D, last year! It was definitely worth the wait. Of course work got crazy right around then, so I haven't gotten around to posting a video yet. I'll try to do that some weekend soon. It's an extremely mellow instrument, and visually stunning; much more of a solo-performance-type concertina than a boisterous one you'd use for Morris (or even ITM), but that's down to my particular choices.

[David Lay]

The Wakker list closed some 4 years ago and has stayed that way since.  I have been on the list for 5 years next month.  How long did you wait Luke?

[Luke Hillman]

1 hour ago, David Lay said:

The Wakker list closed some 4 years ago and has stayed that way since.  I have been on the list for 5 years next month.  How long did you wait Luke?

 

From the day I put my order in to the day I had it in my hands was 5 years 11 months.

[Parker135]

At age 76, I probably won't order one.  🙂  A friend has one of Wim's high-end Anglos, and it's a wonderful instrument.