Tiposx Posted February 23 Posted February 23 I have only seen them on YouTube, but they look and sound very good indeed. They seem to have an excellent reputation and are sought after (popular).
Bill N Posted February 23 Posted February 23 I have owned one of Frank's "Professional" hybrid models, and played several other of his hybrids. The action is superb- you would be hard pressed to find another instrument at any cost that plays easier or faster. They are very well designed and built. Mine was entirely trouble free for the 3 or 4 years of daily playing that I owned it , including lots of hard, outdoor performances with a Morris dancing side. They are also very attractive, with some nice wood choices. I haven't yet seen examples of his premium "Heritage" and "New Model" concertinas, but can only imagine that his excellent build quality and action paired with concertina reeds would make for an excellent instrument. The finest player I know here in Canada, Fergus Brown-O'Byrne, has used an Edgily Professional hybrid exclusively for many years and swears by it. The question that remains is, do you like how they sound? My experience with the hybrids is that they come very close to sounding like a box with traditional reeds. 1
Parker135 Posted February 23 Posted February 23 I've owned one of his Heritage models that I was fortunate enough to buy in 2023. I agree with Bill N. It's a real joy to play. It's a little heavier than the Carroll concertinas I'm most often around, living not too far from where they were made, and maybe not quite as loud. I really like the larger buttons that go down almost to the fret ends rather than my fingers sitting up higher on skinny metal buttons. Personal preference, of course. If you have the opportunity to own one, I don't think you can go wrong, whichever model you choose.
fiddler2007 Posted February 23 Posted February 23 (edited) ADDED: The G/D has just been sold BTW ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I had a Heritage C/G, and then a Professional C/G. Heritage was heavier, sounded sweet. But sold it favoring the latter, faster action, louder. Now also sold, as i have a hearing problem. I still have a G/D Professional for sale, Voci a Mano reeds, just as good. This G/D has been converted from Wheatstone to Jeffries system professionally, by Karel van der Leeuw, and tuned too recently with the same type Voci a Mano reeds. 2290 euros, incl concertina.net provision, and EU imports were paid for, including Fallon flight case. Shipping costs vary due location, usually around 100 Euro for the USA. Edited Friday at 08:50 AM by fiddler2007
Babbo Posted February 23 Author Posted February 23 So the heritage was a warmer sound. What do heritage and hybrid cost
Ken_Coles Posted February 23 Posted February 23 I got a Heritage G/D made by Frank last year, and both my wife and I are enjoying playing it a great deal. A superb instrument, and we both love the Celtic Lions on the ends. His professional (hybrid) models have been excellent for many years now. You'll need to talk to Frank about prices. Good luck making your decision. Ken
Jake Middleton-Metcalfe Posted February 24 Posted February 24 (edited) I used to have a metal ended G/D Edgley with accordion reeds. It was loud and fast, very easy to play. Edited February 24 by Jake Middleton-Metcalfe
Steve Schulteis Posted February 24 Posted February 24 I have a G/D professional model, and it's fantastic. The very lowest notes can be a tad slow to start (as you might expect from reeds with weighted tips), but that's really nitpicking. The action is smooth and fast, the bellows move freely, it can be played very softly (but has volume to spare if you want it), and it has a lovely mellow tone. The ergonomics also suit me very well.
Babbo Posted February 24 Author Posted February 24 (edited) I still have a Edgley G/D Professional for sale, Voci a Mano reeds. Loud and fast player. This G/D has been converted from Wheatstone to Jeffries system professionally, by Karel van der Leeuw, and tuned recently with the same type Voci a Mano reeds. 2190 euros, EU imports were paid for, including flight case. No smoke, kept always indoors, no moist damages. Shipping costs vary due location, usually around 100 euros insured. PM me when interested. On 2/23/2025 at 7:52 AM, fiddler2007 said: I had a Heritage C/G, and then a Professional C/G. Heritage was heavier, sounded sweet. But sold it favoring the latter, faster action, louder. Now also sold, as i have a hearing problem. I still have a G/D Professional for sale, Voci a Mano reeds, just as good. This G/D has been converted from Wheatstone to Jeffries system professionally, by Karel van der Leeuw, and tuned too recently with the same type Voci a Mano reeds. 2290 euros, incl concertina.net provision, and EU imports were paid for, including Fallon flight case. Shipping costs vary due location, usually around 100 Euro for the USA. What kind of wood. Edited March 8 by Babbo Because
Michael Eskin Posted February 24 Posted February 24 I have two older accordion-reeded models he built, one in C/G and the other in A/E. They're wonderful instruments. I wouldn't hesitate recommending one. 1 1
LateToTheGame Posted February 28 Posted February 28 On 2/23/2025 at 10:16 AM, Babbo said: I am thinking of getting a G/D Are you interested in playing irish traditional music? If so you'd want to get a c/g. If you are interested in Morris or something else you could get whatever fits for you. Frank can help you sort that out. I had a Heritage and it did sound like a true concertina. Most of us don't ever get to hear one in real life anymore. The concertina reeded instruments are a bit harsher to my ears.
fiddler2007 Posted March 7 Posted March 7 (edited) On 2/28/2025 at 2:27 AM, LateToTheGame said: Are you interested in playing irish traditional music? If so you'd want to get a c/g. If you are interested in Morris or something else you could get whatever fits for you. Frank can help you sort that out. I had a Heritage and it did sound like a true concertina. Most of us don't ever get to hear one in real life anymore. The concertina reeded instruments are a bit harsher to my ears. Not always, a GD is great for playing in A., and if you play with other people in a noisy pub meet, IMO hybrids like my Edgleys functioned better than others. PS i still have my GD for sale, the last one, my hearing f*cked up. PSI had a crabb from the 60-ies and briefly an original Jeffries way back. All 3 Edgleys i had were my favorites. Edited March 7 by fiddler2007 1
Babbo Posted March 8 Author Posted March 8 (edited) On 3/6/2025 at 11:30 PM, fiddler2007 said: Not always, a GD is great for playing in A., and if you play with other people in a noisy pub meet, IMO hybrids like my Edgleys functioned better than others. PS i still have my GD for sale, the last one, my hearing f*cked up. PSI had a crabb from the 60-ies and briefly an original Jeffries way back. All 3 Edgleys i had were my favorites. Where is the picture. Still for sale Edited March 8 by Babbo
Matthew Heumann Posted March 10 Posted March 10 I've have been in Frank's shop over the years from the production of every model since day 1 and have always been amazed by the sound quality and innovations. They have always sounded as good or better than the traditional & vintage instruments he owned. I also know Frank to be obsessive about quality and craftsmanship, having helped out a few times (as a friend, not paid employee) in the parts making over the years & I've played many of the instruments some of you may own, before they went out of the shop. Even if Frank was not a good friend, I'm super particular in my own choice of concertinas and have always been proud of Frank's. 3
Babbo Posted March 13 Author Posted March 13 I going to get one after this tarrifs stuff gets sorted out
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