Anglo or English

[Accordionne]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the AP James and AC Norman  concertinas? I still haven't chosen between Anglo or  English, modern or Vintage.

Edited June 9, 2025 by Accordionne

[David Lay]

Both are made with accordion reeds (hybrid).  I like that the reeds are not waxed.  What are their wait list times before a new order can be delivered?  Frank Edgley makes a very good hybrid with a one year wait as of a few months ago.  I last heard that AC Norman had an 18 month backlog.  Only the (non-Chinese) ICC Clare seems to be immediately available, though the Clover may also be available.

Edited June 9, 2025 by David Lay

[Accordionne]

13 minutes ago, David Lay said:

Les deux sont fabriqués avec des anches d'accordéon (hybrides). J'apprécie que les anches ne soient pas cirées. Quels sont les délais d'attente avant la livraison d'une nouvelle commande ? Frank Edgley fabrique un très bon hybride, avec un délai d'un an il y a quelques mois. Aux dernières nouvelles, AC Norman avait un retard de 18 mois. Seule l'ICC Clare (non chinoise) semble être disponible immédiatement, mais la Clover pourrait également l'être.

 

Thank you very much!!!

Where to get the ICC Clare or the Clover? So APJ and AC Norman make their instruments. For APJ, the waiting time is at least 6 months. Nearly 18 months for AC Norman. I also like the fact of non waxed reeds.

[David Lay]

ICC is the Irish Concertina Company in Dublin.  Sean Garvey is the owner.

https://www.irishconcertinacompany.com/the-clare

The Clover is made in the USA. https://www.concertinaconnection.com/clover anglo.htm

 

[DickT]

Also consider Edward Jay, Jay Concertinas, who 3D prints his instruments to a very high standard. He can make you an English, an Anglo, a Duet or his own three row fingering system. I have a Tenor English of his and it is very good . It is accordion reeded but sounds closer to a trad reeded instrument than the average cheap Chinese product. His bellows are traditional leather construction and my set was supple from the very beginning. When I bough mine it was much cheaper than a vintage tina. His instruments are a good way to get a good playing and sounding concertina without breaking the bank. Edward is very responsive to requests for design changes and he has printed new ends for mine to tweak the tone.His design is evolving and getting better all the time. Look for his website, there is much more information there. 

 

I have just checked and his website is down so I do not know if he is still trading but if he is I would recommend him.

[Accordionne]

7 minutes ago, DickT said:

Also consider Edward Jay, Jay Concertinas, who 3D prints his instruments to a very high standard. He can make you an English, an Anglo, a Duet or his own three row fingering system. I have a Tenor English of his and it is very good . It is accordion reeded but sounds closer to a trad reeded instrument than the average cheap Chinese product. His bellows are traditional leather construction and my set was supple from the very beginning. When I bough mine it was much cheaper than a vintage tina. His instruments are a good way to get a good playing and sounding concertina without breaking the bank. Edward is very responsive to requests for design changes and he has printed new ends for mine to tweak the tone.His design is evolving and getting better all the time. Look for his website, there is much more information there. 

 

I have just checked and his website is down so I do not know if he is still trading but if he is I would recommend him.

Thank you very much, what are the prices?

I wrote to him but no answer...

[DickT]

Hi Accordionne,

 

It seems that he has moved to Australia but I do not know if he is still making instruments.

 

[John Wild]

I had a recent email exchange with Edward.

It seems it was his original aspiration to continue production in his new base, but for various reasons it has not worked out.

I do hope he can get back into it later, but for the moment, he is not producing any instruments.

[DickT]

It's a shame about Edward going out of production, his concertinas have great potential to become superb instruments. More to the point is loosing product support; will anyone in UK be able to fettle them?

[AndyNT]

FYI - Hobgoblin Music in the UK resell new concertinas made by AP James, and currently appear to have two in stock, according to their website.

[John Wild]

3 hours ago, DickT said:

It's a shame about Edward going out of production, his concertinas have great potential to become superb instruments. More to the point is loosing product support; will anyone in UK be able to fettle them?

This is what Edward said to me on repairs:
"Regarding repairs, I think a decent accordion fixer should be able to sort most issues ( like stuck valves etc…)
But any issues related to the mechanism might require a reprint..but hopefully not."

I think we should mostly be OK on repairs unless the 3D-printed ends are damaged in some way.

So keep your instruments secure in a hard case.