Brass VS Steel

[PushTheButton]

Hi all, I've only ever owned a Wren, and, as its well on its way out, I'm swithering between a 26 key lachenal brass reed instrument and a 30 key steel reed lachenal.

 

I've already resigned myself to the fact that I can live without the extra notes that the 30 key has to offer - I think I've used 1 of those buttons on 1 piece of music so far - so the question is....steel or brass? 

 

I guess they sound different? Would I be correct in assuming that the steel reeds sound a bit brighter that the brass reeds? Or did my brain just make that up because of the colour of steel vs brass?

Are there any longevity differences, or playable differences, between steel and brass, or is it just sound quality?

 

I'm not sure what I'm looking for, really, because, like John Snow, I know nothing.

I suppose, when I play alone I'd probably want a mellow sound, but when I play with the fiddlers in my local Trad Club, then a brighter sound might better cut through the string din? 

 

I cant go check them out because I live MILES away so I guess i just have to take a punt. 

What would you do if you were me?

 

Thanks you all for taking the time to read this, and any responses are greatly appreciated. 

[d.elliott]

Steel: louder, brighter, often better to respond, longer life.

 

Brass: mellow, quieter, often slower in response, good for singing to, more prone to metal fatigue and failure over time. 

[PushTheButton]

Thanks, d.elliott, short and to the point! great, thanks! 

[Tiposx]

You have a great excuse to buy two concertinas! 
I like the sound of brass reeds, but they are usually quieter than the average steel ones. I wouldn’t expect my brass reed concertina to be any use in a session.

To take up on Dave Elliot’s point I have noticed that brass reeds that have been flattened to modern concert pitch can be very prone to breakage. Recently I saw a Lachenal EC that broke 3 retuned brass reeds in one evening. The owner, a relative novice had been trying to keep up with a large ITM session.

[Johanna]

I have a steel-reeded concertina and a brass-reeded concertina.  When I go to my local session, I take them both, and I joke that the steel-reeded one is for the tunes I know, and the brass-reeded one is for the tunes I don't know.

 

In any kind of noisy environment, brass reeds get drowned out very quickly.  And in any kind of quiet environment where you're at risk of disturbing people (housemates, neighbors...), steel reeds will accomplish that very quickly.

 

One non-obvious thing I like about brass reeds is how they sound when playing chords.  The "bright" sound of steel reeds comes from their rich spectrum of overtones, which means that when you're playing several notes together, even if the base notes technically harmonize (like C, E, and G), the overtones clash with each other and the chord sounds harsh.  With brass reeds, you get a lot less of that.

[Theo]

If you are buying from a business in the UK and can't try the instrument first you have a right to return the instrument for a full refund.  Check with the seller if this is part of their offer. 

[Alan Day]

On 6/25/2025 at 6:40 PM, Tiposx said:

You have a great excuse to buy two concertinas! 
I like the sound of brass reeds, but they are usually quieter than the average steel ones. I wouldn’t expect my brass reed concertina to be any use in a session.

To take up on Dave Elliot’s point I have noticed that brass reeds that have been flattened to modern concert pitch can be very prone to breakage. Recently I saw a Lachenal EC that broke 3 retuned brass reeds in one evening. The owner, a relative novice had been trying to keep up with a large ITM session.

I have noticed that Brass reeds that have been tuned with a course needle file (usually used for speed of brass removal) the breaks appear to follow the file marks. With age hardening these create fault lines and thus cause the break. This is my theory only I have never seen this point raised before.

[alex_holden]

9 hours ago, Alan Day said:

I have noticed that Brass reeds that have been tuned with a course needle file (usually used for speed of brass removal) the breaks appear to follow the file marks. With age hardening these create fault lines and thus cause the break. This is my theory only I have never seen this point raised before.

 

It's true; deep scratches are stress raisers, and cracks are much more likely to start there. It's like how you cut glass by scoring a line and then bending it. Apparently some harmonica tuners sand out the factory filing marks to make the reeds last longer.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Just through interest here, isn't I the fact that Wheatstone's prototype free reed design of instrument..actually used gold reeds? I wonder how that would affect sound? I believe it still exists and looks very unlike the concertinas we know of later on.

[Isaiah]

If you're refering to the symphonium, I haven't seen anything that says it used gold reeds, though a couple of the reeds in this link are quite shiny.

[Paul_Hardy]

Some of the high-end early Wheatstones were described as having 'silver' reeds. This was actually 'Nickel Silver' which has no silver in it, and looks quite golden. See the reedpan pictures in https://pghardy.net/concertina/wheatstone_11689/wheatstone_11689.html. 

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

3 hours ago, Isaiah said:

If you're refering to the symphonium, I haven't seen anything that says it used gold reeds, though a couple of the reeds in this link are quite shiny.

Yes there is a description and image of that very simply designed instrument Wheatstone symphonium number 78. The description is on the screenshot I located also.

Image attatched ..

[Bob Tedrow]

On 5/30/2025 at 1:24 PM, Peter Smith said:

A very unusual and rare 8-sided 20-button Anglo concertina. When closed, the bellows are protected by the wooden sides.

All parts are present, including the end clips. The fretwork is all complete and the bellows appear to be good.

It looks like someone has done some sympathetic restoration in the past. There is a air-leak from the left end, which could be due to the old leather seals.

(The handstraps have been replaced since the picture below)

The concertina comes with a strong Peli case, so I am happy to sell it to the UK or abroad.

For more pictures, please see the E-bay listing (Item number 335987126946). 

Looking for £225 + postage.

I

[Cathasach]

I have both steel and brass reed instruments and I second everything that Johanna said. Although in practice I only play the brass reeds if I'm playing with one or two other relatively quiet instruments and/or singers. 

[Greg Jowaisas]

I think Dave Elliott nailed it early in this post.  I will second Johanna's observation that the chords and particularly the thirds on a brass reed concertina can be less jarring to the ear than an equal tempered steel reed instrument.

 

Brass reed concertinas are often said to be more prone to going out of tune than steel reeds.  My experience is that if you work within the limits of the instrument, that is not overblowing the reeds in an attempt to play loud, brass reeds stay decently in tune.

 

BTW Wheatstone, during the Chidley years of rivet reeds, made some excellent brass reed instruments with tight tolerances and very good response.  In a number of instances I was surprised to find brass reeds when the volume and response led me to expect steel.

 

Greg

[Johanna]

3 hours ago, Greg Jowaisas said:

 I will second Johanna's observation that the chords and particularly the thirds on a brass reed concertina can be less jarring to the ear than an equal tempered steel reed instrument.

 

Unsurprising, seeing as how I originally got that observation from you.