Is this concertina still usable?

Tweedsy · November 14, 2023

Hey, I know this might be a very simple or dumb question to many of you but I am very new and want to start learning to play the Concertina! I am currently trying to get one and someone I know is trying to sell me one she found in her attic and she sent me a video to show that it still works. My question is if this Concertina is still usable and if it isn't (As it sounds not very in tune to me but again I'm new and might be wrong on this) could I fix this and what is a reasonable price to ask for it? Thanks in advance and I hope you'll see me around here

SIMON GABRIELOW · November 14, 2023

Looks like one of those European produced twenty key concertinas ( many were made in GDR.

They made hundreds and are still there in the market place today long after factories closed.

I started with one years ago before going up to my 30 key Anglo (another kind).

I suggest it sounds out of tune more because of those delightful attempts at squeezing it out by the person trying to play it..than being out of tune!😊😊

Tweedsy · November 14, 2023

25 minutes ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

Looks like one of those European produced twenty key concertinas ( many were made in GDR.

They made hundreds and are still there in the market place today long after factories closed.

I started with one years ago before going up to my 30 key Anglo (another kind).

I suggest it sounds out of tune more because of those delightful attempts at squeezing it out by the person trying to play it..than being out of tune!😊😊

Thank you for the response! I will definitely try this one out as it won't be that expensive and it'll be nice to have even if it doesn't turn out as expected.

RAc · November 14, 2023

1 hour ago, Tweedsy said:

Hey, I know this might be a very simple or dumb question to many of you but I am very new and want to start learning to play the Concertina! I am currently trying to get one and someone I know is trying to sell me one she found in her attic and she sent me a video to show that it still works. My question is if this Concertina is still usable and if it isn't (As it sounds not very in tune to me but again I'm new and might be wrong on this) could I fix this and what is a reasonable price to ask for it? Thanks in advance and I hope you'll see me around here

In all honesty, the video is fairly useless... could you ask your friend to record herself playing each button on both sides individually on push and pull? If there are notes that do not sound at all or sound muffled or squeaky or badly out of tune, it will need fixing up.

Edited November 14, 2023 by RAc

Luke Hillman · November 15, 2023

I wouldn't pay more than $20 for this instrument. I started out on a similar German 20-button concertina, which, in retrospect, was in pretty good shape. Having seen several more of the same type over the years, it's rare to find one that doesn't need some work. From the video, I can already tell that there are some valve and reed issues, but the previous comment is correct: the video is almost useless. In order to see which notes are working or not, and how many, you'll need to go button by button. And that's before even looking at the condition of the bellows.

As to Simon's comment, that it sounds out of tune due to the inexperienced player in the video... I must disagree. On this type of concertina, buttons on the same row played together should sound harmonious. These don't.

If you took it to a repair shop, you would likely be spending well over $100 to get it playing decently. How much? Impossible to say without more information, but my local guy quoted me $300 to restore one just like this.

If the price is right, nothing wrong with buying it as a project box. But do be forewarned that it will be a struggle to get musical sounds out of it in its current state.