Where to visit to try some English Concertinas

[Isaiah]

Hello all!

There aren't any places with any stock of concertinas near me (Columbus, OH) as far as I can tell. I'd like to plan a trip to visit a shop with a larger selection just to try out a few instruments and possibly pick one up if it strikes my fancy. Does anyone have any recommendations of shops that I can visit in person? I live in the US, but wouldn't mind traveling internationally, so recommendations for good shops outside the US are welcome. I play English so I'm looking for a place with a good stock of English options (primarily repaired instruments in the 1-3k price range), though I would love to have the chance to try out other systems as well.

[Alex Signell]

Barleycorn Concertinas has a large selection of English, Anglo and Duets and I'm pretty sure you can visit to try out some instruments. Most are restored vintage instruments and I'm sure there would be plenty in your price range.

 

I haven't visited, but I did recently buy an Anglo from them and they very super nice and helpful and I've been very pleased with the instrument.

[Leonard]

3 hours ago, Alex Signell said:

Barleycorn Concertinas has a large selection of English, Anglo and Duets and I'm pretty sure you can visit to try out some instruments. Most are restored vintage instruments and I'm sure there would be plenty in your price range.

 

I haven't visited, but I did recently buy an Anglo from them and they very super nice and helpful and I've been very pleased with the instrument.

Barleycorn is in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. Lots of concertina's, great to deal with....

[Johanna]

Barleycorn is not a shop as such, but a home-based business.  You can visit them by appointment (though I never have).

 

For trying out a variety of concertinas in one place, they're by far your best option that I'm aware of.  There used to be others.  The Button Box in Massachusetts, before it closed, used to have lots of concertinas in stock for anyone to come play.  Hobgoblin Music, a chain of shops in cities throughout the UK, used to consistently have several vintage English concertinas at most of its locations, but according to their website, their current stock is a tiny fraction of that now.

[Matthew Heumann]

You might want to contact Greg Jowaisas , he repairs and sells

Kentucky, USA just south of Cincinnati and the Ohio River

personal message him thru concertina.net or call and leave a message: (859) 291-7062 9am to 7pm EST.

[Greg Jowaisas]

You can reach me at 859 area code then 8039472.  Or: gjowaisas (type the @ symbol) fioptics.com

 

(All in an effort to thwart the "spiders" that collect information and then flood the inbox)

 

And unless I'm out fishing, I check cnet everyday.