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Wheatstone N°1018... Is That A True One?


Simplet

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Hi,

I'm new in the concertina's world but used to read your topics on this forum and I would like to have your opinion about this item found on eBay. I'm a little bit surprise about the appearance of the ends of this box:

http://cgi.ebay.fr/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Do you think it's really a Wheatstone?

 

Thanks for your replies.

 

Pascal

http://www.simplet.org

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Do you think it's really a Wheatstone?

Yep, that's a Wheatstone alright. I happen to own the one before it, #1017, which is identical.

 

That was the cheapest model made at the time, which they called (for obvious reasons) the "Plain", sometimes indicated by a letter "P" in the ledgers.

 

Hi Stephen,

 

thanks for your prompt answer and for the details. As I told it above, I'm really new in the concertina's world and I have to learn a lot about it... the worst of all is the fact I'm french and, as you probably know, it's difficult to find as many concertina's experts in my country than in yours. ;)

 

Thanks a lot.

Regards.

 

Simplet

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Is it just me or is it hard to see where the sound gets out?

Undoubtedly, some sound gets transmitted through the wood. But you should also be wondering how the air gets in and out.

 

I believe the circle is the "fretwork", i.e., it's actually cut out, and the lighter wood is the sound baffle underneath, with space between it and the darker wood of the end casing. Thus the sound "gets out" (and the air gets in and out) all around both edges of the circle.

 

More about the sound: Keep in mind that at the time that instrument was made, "loud" may not have been as much a priority as in our current rock-concert-deafened generations. (Oops! That's a different Topic. ;))

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Is it just me or is it hard to see where the sound gets out?

Undoubtedly, some sound gets transmitted through the wood. But you should also be wondering how the air gets in and out.

 

I believe the circle is the "fretwork", i.e., it's actually cut out, and the lighter wood is the sound baffle underneath, with space between it and the darker wood of the end casing. Thus the sound "gets out" (and the air gets in and out) all around both edges of the circle.

You got it Jim. All Wheatstones made at that time have a pine baffle (or was it intended to be a kind of "sound board" ?) behind the fretwork, supported on blocks to allow it to stand away from the end, and to allow the passage of air and sound. It's just that this was a cheap model with no "frets" as such, giving it this "radical" appearance.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Is it just me or is it hard to see where the sound gets out?

Undoubtedly, some sound gets transmitted through the wood. But you should also be wondering how the air gets in and out.

 

I believe the circle is the "fretwork", i.e., it's actually cut out, and the lighter wood is the sound baffle underneath, with space between it and the darker wood of the end casing. Thus the sound "gets out" (and the air gets in and out) all around both edges of the circle.

You got it Jim. All Wheatstones made at that time have a pine baffle (or was it intended to be a kind of "sound board" ?) behind the fretwork, supported on blocks to allow it to stand away from the end, and to allow the passage of air and sound. It's just that this was a cheap model with no "frets" as such, giving it this "radical" appearance.

 

When did they stop using the pine baffle? and does it make a discernable difference to the sound?

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