Crabb Dating Document

[Geoffrey Crabb]

Following the report of yet another unrecorded Crabb instrument, I have amended  the dating document.

 

 Apologies something went wrong during save ???? 

 

Getting too old for this. Will try again after a lie down.

 

Geoff.

Edited September 12, 2025 by Geoffrey Crabb
Previous attachment removed

[Stephen Chambers]

4 hours ago, Geoffrey Crabb said:

Getting too old for this. Will try again after a lie down.

 

I've taken two of them already today Geoff, I know the feeling... 🙄

[Geoffrey Crabb]

After a good lie down, another attempt, fingers crossed 

 

Crabb Dating Doc 09.09.2025.docx

 

Geoff

[Jake Middleton-Metcalfe]

5 hours ago, Geoffrey Crabb said:

After a good lie down, another attempt, fingers crossed 

 

Crabb Dating Doc 09.09.2025.docx 564.76 kB · 10 downloads

 

Geoff

 

This is very very interesting to see. 1947 seems to have been a very very intense year with 134 concertinas made! Did you have a lot of staff in the past? I mean even 20 concertinas is a very large amount for hand made work.

 

hope all is good

Jake

 

[Geoffrey Crabb]

On 9/13/2025 at 8:30 PM, Jake Middleton-Metcalfe said:

 

This is very very interesting to see. 1947 seems to have been a very very intense year with 134 concertinas made! Did you have a lot of staff in the past? I mean even 20 concertinas is a very large amount for hand made work.

 

hope all is good

Jake

 

It would be impossible without ‘help’ in some form or other.

Please read the attachment first, which will part help with an explanation as to how the 1947 output was achieved.

 

Crabb Budget Concertinas.doc

 

Of the 134 Crabb concertinas produced in 1947, 124 were mostly as the budget Anglo models referred to. Of those 124,

                                58 were 20 button,

                                44 were 30 button and

                                22 were 32 button, all wood ended

The remainder 10 instruments were as follows:

                                2 Metal topped 32b Anglos,

                                3 Metal topped 39b Anglos,

                                2 Wood topped 48b English,

                                1 Wood topped 53b Crane Duet,

                                1 Metal topped 58b Crane Duet and

                                1 Metal topped 67b Crane Duet.

For a some years following WW2, my father employed two men:

                Carlo ??, an ex-POW accordion  technician to handle accordion repairs and

                Fred Stanton, a very capable general factotum, to help with part making, basic concertina construction and, of course, repairs.

 

In 1947 our family were still living above the Liverpool Road shop/workshop and it was not unusual for dad to work 18 hours a day, 6 days a week, mainly on reed work, to meet demands. 

 

So, I suppose, the answer was:

Dedication, forethought, amenable assistants and a lot of ‘blood,sweat and tears’

 

Geoff