34/30 Button CG

[John Mcspreader]

Do you happen to have repaired or have knowledge of typical 30 Button George Jones cg Anglo 3 rd Row Layouts please ??
Ive strenuously searched for answers without success ....

I am the latest Custodian of a 34 Button George Jones CG “Novelty” Anglo Concertina, Serial Number 26528 , which is 50 years older than myself😉.

Following my Barleycorn purchase from Chris and Cairan Alger, at most recent WCCP Beginners/ Improvers Workshops weekend, I discovered a few interesting anomalies afterwards  at home.

The LH Side has the usual standard Wheatstone / Jeffries 3 Row , 15 Button Layout , with G Row Button 1 Pull being D4 preferred choice , same D4 on Button 2 Push, and not other alternative A3 . That’s ok for me. 

On the LH Side below these 3 Rows  there are the 4 Additional Buttons .

Two Buttons at the Thumb position are High D 5 and C4 Drones.

These, according to a 2005 Concertina .net conversation, were meant to simulate Pipes or Hurdy Gurdy.

The other two, immediately below the middle G 4 and B4 Buttons, are  Novelty Cock Crow and Bird Whistle Buttons .

Whilst googling for knowledge of Jones layout I discovered that this was not abnormal and Stephen Chambers 2005 concertina net exchange advised that a 1880 Jones sales book advertised our Anglo as Novelty design which has Cock crow and Bird Whistle !:-)

Like other 26 Button Jones Anglo Layouts I’ve located mine used exactly the same  first 3 Buttons of RH Outer Accidental( Row 3 ) Convention plus  mine had D#6 (not F#6) for  Pinky Pull on G Row…..

ie . Button 1  = C#5/ D#5; Button 2 = G#5/ G5. ; Button 3= C#6/ Bb5  as per 26 Button Jones with extra  Button 4 = A6/ F6 and BUTTON 5 = C7/ F# 6.

The layout showed the wanted F# at 5th Button on 3 rd Outside Row with the “incorrect” D# location  on G Row 5th Button.

As I live some distance I asked Chris to authorise me to "simply" swap the offending D# Reed on the GRow directly with the correct F# 6 on the 3rd Row ?

With Chris Algar voluntary Telecom assistance and authorisation I’ve changed the far RH G Row Reed , pinky on the pull, from D# 6 back to more familiar F# 6.

Therefore the RH Accidental Outer Row is NOW :-

Button 1  = C#5/ D#5

Button 2 = G#5/ G5

Button 3= C#6/ Bb5

Button 4 = A6/ F6 
and
BUTTON 5 = C7 / D# 6

I’m exploring Octave and Chord Accompaniment using Wheatstone/ Lachenal and not Irish playing Jeffries preferences. 

Chris has offered to correct the other RH Side Tuning anomalies FOC and return the 3rd Accidental Row to a more usual Jones / Lachenal Layout, familiar to myself and others.

However, before taking up His offer did You own this or repair a similar model  , have similar tuning or offer additional Jones peculiar advice?"

I’ve considered removing the C7 , moving others to right and asking Barleycorn to insert the missing A5 Reed.

I'm inclined to leave without changing reeds around , as I see the high note Reed slots are too small to insert those simply moved from below octave positions  without protruding over the Pan edges too......

This means maybe having to adopt my playing instead,  without the A5 pull option ......but would be wonderful to discover what original layout design was..or whether it’s worth changing reeds....if possible please 😉🌈🎶.

[DDF]

I think this one is still the original layout. I find the staggered right hand accidental row a bit irritating.

[CrP]

About the 2 buttons by the LH thumb: On my 34-button Jones instruments, I had the 2 reeds switched, finding that the C note was useful, occasionally as a drone, but also on some chords requiring a C on the draw rather than the squeeze, e.g., Cminor I don't think of it as imitating anything ('gurdy or something else).

 

You might consider replacing the other 2 'novelty' sounds with actual functional musical notes that allow alternate notes, depending on bellows direction, e.g., a Squeeze Bb and a draw E.

 

 

 

 

[RogerT]

On my 32 key CG Lachenal, the additional LH button, which is to the R of the LH middle row G/A is a F#/C#, which is a most useful combo. So that's one suggestion if you want something (IMO) worth having, and completes the reversals in D and G, except for a pull E.

Edited February 10 by RogerT