Makers of new Concertinas using the Jeffries layout?

[Morgana]

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere (I did do a search )

 

I am looking for a C/G Anglo with a Jefferies layout but don't think I will ever be able to afford one, so I wondered if there are any makers of new instrument anyone could recommend that are making C/G Anglos with this layout? I have a lovely C/G Lachanel and I'd really like to have the extra options the Jefferies layout provides. All help appreciated. 

[Jake Middleton-Metcalfe]

Probably all makers will offer this, all of the makers I can think of anyway.

[Morgana]

5 minutes ago, Jake Middleton-Metcalfe said:

Probably all makers will offer this, all of the makers I can think of anyway.

Thanks, l didn’t know this. The sites l’ve researched so far didn’t mention this on their sites. 😊

[Richard Mellish]

I assume

On 3/11/2024 at 5:47 AM, Morgana said:

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere (I did do a search )

 

I am looking for a C/G Anglo with a Jefferies layout but don't think I will ever be able to afford one, so I wondered if there are any makers of new instrument anyone could recommend that are making C/G Anglos with this layout? I have a lovely C/G Lachanel and I'd really like to have the extra options the Jefferies layout provides. All help appreciated. 

I assume you mean you won't be able to afford an actual Jeffries. New concertinas of traditional construction aren't all that much cheaper, so you may be looking at hybrids. As Jake says, current makers do offer Jeffries layout. However there doesn't seem much to choose between Jeffries and Wheatstone layouts unless you've already become familiar with one or the other, and even then some players seem to switch between them without too much trouble. A bigger difference is between 30-key and 39 (Jeffries) or 40 (Wheatstone), where all those extra buttons allow a lot more flexibility, at a higher price.

Edited March 18 by Richard Mellish
Corrected a typo.

[AndyNT]

When I was researching makers a year ago, all of the ones I looked at/contacted offered both Jeffries and Wheatstone layout 30 key instruments. As the main market for many of them is ITM players, Jeffries layout or a slight variant was often their default C/G.

 

I ended up buying a lovely G/D Kensington from Dana with a slightly tweaked Wheatstone layout to match my G/D Norman.

I'd definitely recommend speaking to Dana as his pricing for new instruments is attractive, even after the additional costs of importing it to the UK. And his lead times were significantly shorter than many new instrument makers.

 

When comparing new instrument makers, it is worth looking closely to see how much they actually make. For example, some will make everything including the reeds, others will use factory made reeds from Harmonikas.

 

Enjoy your search

[Morgana]

1 hour ago, Richard Mellish said:

I assume you mean you won't be able to afford an actual Jeffries. New concertinas of traditional constructions aren't all that much cheaper, so you may be looking at hybrids.

Thank you, that’s very helpful.

[Morgana]

@AndyNT thank you, appreciated.

[Oberon]

I adore my Kensington. It has a modified Jeffries layout, where the first button is C# both ways, but Dana will do a conventional Jeffries layout as well. Truly amazing concertina, criminally underrated. They are stellar, highly serviceable machines and sound somewhere in between a Jeffries and a wheatstone linota to my hear 

[Morgana]

@Oberon Thank you, very helpful. I love my Lachenal but would love to have more choices for C# and F# in the higher octaves.

 

[David Bradford]

I have an Irish Concertina Company "Vintage" model with a Jeffries layout. I love the instrument; it's solid and fast and sounds great. I think you could probably get either a Jeffires or a Wheatstone from them if you're having it built. They usually have a few "prêt-à-jouer" (as it were) - though in that case you'd be limited to the layouts they've made on spec.

[Morgana]

On 3/17/2024 at 12:57 PM, David Bradford said:

I have an Irish Concertina Company "Vintage" model with a Jeffries layout. I love the instrument; it's solid and fast and sounds great. I think you could probably get either a Jeffires or a Wheatstone from them if you're having it built. They usually have a few "prêt-à-jouer" (as it were) - though in that case you'd be limited to the layouts they've made on spec.

Thank you

[Luke Hillman]

@Morgana you didn't mention how many buttons you were looking for or how many your current Lachenal has. If you've got a 30-button Lachenal and just prefer the Jeffries accidental layout, you might be able to take your current instrument to a repair person and have its layout altered.

[Morgana]

12 hours ago, Luke Hillman said:

@Morgana you didn't mention how many buttons you were looking for or how many your current Lachenal has. If you've got a 30-button Lachenal and just prefer the Jeffries accidental layout, you might be able to take your current instrument to a repair person and have its layout altered.

Hi Luke, my Lachenal is a 30 button C/G. Good idea but due the lack of available repair people in Australia I would need to send it overseas, and I'd rather be without a concertina for an extended period (shipping, waiting lists etc). 

 

I took the plunge and I'm now on the Crook concertina waiting list (18 months plus), so now I just need to be patient (argh! lol)

[Luke Hillman]

8 hours ago, Morgana said:

I'm now on the Crook concertina waiting list (18 months plus)

 

Congrats!

 

On 3/5/2024 at 3:57 PM, tangbo said:

I just received a new C/G anglo from Crook Concertinas. I waited a mere 3 months to get it.

 

It seems, as with the stock market, once you've heard of a new thing, it's already too late 😬

[Leah Velleman]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:57 PM, David Bradford said:

I have an Irish Concertina Company "Vintage" model with a Jeffries layout. I love the instrument; it's solid and fast and sounds great. I think you could probably get either a Jeffires or a Wheatstone from them if you're having it built. They usually have a few "prêt-à-jouer" (as it were) - though in that case you'd be limited to the layouts they've made on spec.

Can confirm. When I wrote, they didn't have any fully built, but they had a few in the pipeline — one with maple ends and one with walnut. I picked the walnut one, told them the layout I wanted, and had an instrument in my hands in a month.