Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

I just now discovered some videos posted 2 months ago about concertina construction by Willie Crook, who is making concertinas in Denver, Colorado.

 

Anybody familiar with his instruments? I've not heard of him before, but his work looks very detailed and precise.

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 8
Posted

Great video and series.

I wish I had just a small percentage of his workshop equipment....and his patience.

If I had any criticism, it would be the proximity of his cup of tea to the workspace....but then again, he obviously has a very steady hand. 😃

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Posted

Gary thank you for sharing this video, I was not aware of what Mr Crook was up to. I met him some years ago and he seemed a good chap. 

 

Very interesting to see the ways of dealing with reed making people come up with, that belt sanding setup used to profile the reed is something I never imagined. Its a bit like the Italian way of doing it, but the belt sander they use is at a different angle with the reed flat to the workbench. There are a few videos of Italians making reeds this way on youtube as well.

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
On 2/28/2024 at 8:54 PM, David Barnert said:

Does it really take that long to make a single concertina reed?

Yes

  • Like 2
Posted

Willie is a good friend of mine and I've known him since before the start of his concertina journey.  His concertinas play beautifully and he's really thoughtful with their craft and construction (he's at about a month per concertina now).  I'm glad some other people found his videos here--it's fascinating to watch and see that step by step of the instrument coming into being.

 

He also has made a 31 button baritone anglo that plays really beautifully, fwiw.

Posted
On 2/27/2024 at 4:41 PM, gcoover said:

Anybody familiar with his instruments? I've not heard of him before, but his work looks very detailed and precise.

 

To expand a little bit on my other post, he's very detailed and precise, and each instrument has impressed me.  The first few were a bit more Lachenal-esque, but there's much more of a Jeffries feel in the past many (including the baritone that felt and played a bit more like a Jeffries than a Lachenal).  I've been amazed by each part of every one of his instruments, and he's got a formula down with some nice room for customizations.  I don't think he's made anything but Anglos, but he's done a few different keys to explore both what's possible and what's important and can be done within reason and what's required to make it happen properly.

 

Hopefully he or one of the holder's of his instruments will chime in sometime and say more.  They're really gorgeous instruments, and he's drawn his own endplate designs for his most recent few that look really beautiful too.  I'm pretty sure he's taking orders through his instagram at the moment too.

Posted

I Googled "Cook concertinas" and all I got were videos on how to make accordion potatoes. Not what I wanted, but they looked quite tasty.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
20 hours ago, Nigel Champion said:

Hi Mike. His name is Willie Crook with an R.

Nigel

Ah ha! Thanks. I really must do something about these eyes! The R results in a very different and much more satisfactory

result!

Edited by Mike Franch
Add a sentence
Posted
On 3/2/2024 at 3:26 PM, Clive Thorne said:

Good job he's not trying to set up business in Australia!

When I first saw the title of this thread I surmised that it had been started by someone in Australia, to discuss concertinas in a sorry state.

Posted

Ahh geez guys, thanks for all the kind words, I'm a little overwhelmed here!

 

Anyway, I hope you guys get some enjoyment out of the little videos I've been posting, I have a bunch more in the works that'll be up... eventually!

 

Cheers :)

  • Like 6
Posted
On 3/1/2024 at 3:24 PM, chantersandbellows said:

 

To expand a little bit on my other post, he's very detailed and precise, and each instrument has impressed me.  The first few were a bit more Lachenal-esque, but there's much more of a Jeffries feel in the past many (including the baritone that felt and played a bit more like a Jeffries than a Lachenal).  I've been amazed by each part of every one of his instruments, and he's got a formula down with some nice room for customizations.  I don't think he's made anything but Anglos, but he's done a few different keys to explore both what's possible and what's important and can be done within reason and what's required to make it happen properly.

 

Hopefully he or one of the holder's of his instruments will chime in sometime and say more.  They're really gorgeous instruments, and he's drawn his own endplate designs for his most recent few that look really beautiful too.  I'm pretty sure he's taking orders through his instagram at the moment too.

@chantersandbellows have you played any of Willie's instruments yourself? Wondering how responsive they are.

Posted
On 3/1/2024 at 9:42 PM, Mike Franch said:

I Googled "Cook concertinas" and all I got were videos on how to make accordion potatoes. Not what I wanted, but they looked quite tasty.

Try crook concertinas on google instead of cook concertinas 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...