Rectangular Wheatstone (?) English on eBay

[Daniel Hersh]

Here it is (yes, I know it's upside down) with a Wheatstone label but no visible serial number.   Listing is at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395387419637 .  Is anyone familiar with these?

 

[David Barnert]

Curious, the label is right-side-up—that is, upside-down with respect to the instrument. And crooked and off-center. Is it the original label that has been removed and replaced badly or is it not the original label?

[Stephen Chambers]

I'd suspect it may well have been made in the Edward Chidley years at Wheatstone's, but would really need to see inside it.

 

Certainly he produced some innovative and unusual instruments.

 

I see it has passed through the hands of North London dealer/tuner/reed maker Henry Dean.

[gcoover]

I hope I wasn't bidding against fellow CNET folks, but will definitely share photos after it arrives.

 

The dreaded (and delightful) Concertina Acquisition Syndrome strikes again...

 

Gary

[JimR]

10 hours ago, gcoover said:

I hope I wasn't bidding against fellow CNET folks, but will definitely share photos after it arrives.

 

The dreaded (and delightful) Concertina Acquisition Syndrome strikes again...

 

Gary

Speaking of which, Gary, how are you getting along with the Crane you beat me too? ( Just joking, of course, I forgot all about it!)

[Stephen Chambers]

On 5/11/2024 at 8:40 PM, gcoover said:

... will definitely share photos after it arrives.

 

Great, I'll be looking forward to them!

 

I strongly suspect it will have riveted reeds and levers...

[gcoover]

It's a baritone EC, in original unrestored condition, but with no serial numbers or batch numbers anywhere. The little upside-down Wheatstone label in the eBay photos had disappeared inside and appears to be original, and it fits perfectly in the round space in the fretwork, so perhaps it is an early Wheatstone and the number on the left side fretwork is missing.

 

All notes play, exactly 50 cents sharp (A=453 Hz), and it is pretty much in tune with itself. Eb/D# and Ab/G# are identical so it's not in meantone temperament. Perhaps tuned at some point by Henry Dean? Lovely sound, though!

 

It measures 6.25" x 7.75" (15.9 cm x 19.7 cm) on the ends and is 5.75" (14.6 cm) wide when closed, and it weighs 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg). A nice little brick.

 

It has dovetailed brass reeds that are affixed with a single brass screw to the brass frames that have flared slots.

 

A large thin flat wooden plate (to bounce the sound back?) with three screws attaches to the reed pan, and in turn the reed pans are attached to the underside of the action pans with a large screw. Stacked, like pancakes all stuck together.

 

The reed pan is square, of course, and the reed chambers are perpendicular to the ends, not radial, and the depth is tapered from small to large reed chambers.

 

The levers are flat and riveted, and the buttons are metal over a wooden core.

 

The ends have burgundy leather baffles.

 

The bellows are surprisingly airtight considering its age (and weight).

 

Overall workmanship is top notch.

 

Photos are a must, and I will post some as soon as I can delete enough previous attachments to make room.

 

I'll update soon!

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2024 by gcoover

[David Barnert]

1 hour ago, gcoover said:

I will post some as soon as I can delete enough previous attachments to make room.

 

You can always post the photos elsewhere (start a free DropBox account and post them there, for instance) then display them here by using the “Other Media” button, choose “Insert image from URL” and paste a link to the pic in the space provided.

[gcoover]

Thanks, David, but I'm not able to get the link to stick. So, I've made some room for these four photos of the innards.

 

Perhaps someone recognizes something that might point to the builder, if not Wheatstone? 

Based on nothing more than gut feeling, my guess is 1850's.

 

 

Gary

[gcoover]

[Myrtle's cook]

Fascinating photos. The internal baffles are reminiscent of some George Case instruments, the other features perhaps less so(?)

[Stephen Chambers]

I still think it was made by Edward Chidley, there are various similarities to this one (on page 12): https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/7330500/rock-chidley-joseph-scates-concertinas

Edited May 22, 2024 by Stephen Chambers

[gcoover]

Stephen, I tend to agree.

 

It does share some external similarities with this photo of an undated Edward Chidley instrument with riveted reeds on the concertinamuseum.com website The Concertina Museum Collection Ref:C-246. 

 

The website mentions the "unusual action and layout of the keys" and "rare type of action post" but shows no photos of the insides.

 

The screwed brass reeds in the square one are very similar to Trayser harmonium reeds, and since Chidley built concertinas and harmoniums, that also fits the hypothesis. 

 

So, if it's an early Chidley Wheatstone, then that would put it sometime in the mid to late 1860's.

 

Gary

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2024 by gcoover

[rcr27]

Eddy Chidley indeed! Here is its lost brother. 

 

[gcoover]

3 hours ago, rcr27 said:

Here is its lost brother. 

 

 

...who goes by the stage name of "Bubbles"!?!

[gcoover]

And here is what this delightful square baritone sounds like. It needs new valves of course, and maybe a minor brush-up on the tuning of the brass reeds here and there, but it's in amazing condition for being about 160 years old.

 

Is this the oldest Wheatstone baritone still chugging away? Maybe!

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2024 by gcoover

[Jake Middleton-Metcalfe]

Wow that is all really interesting Gary, thank you for the photos and recordings. I have not seen a baritone English like this before, it's a nice musical range.