Size Of Jeffries Concertinas

[Theo]

I have two Jeffries concertina in front of me and I'm struck by the difference in size:

 

44 key Duet the ends are 6.5" across the flats

and a 38 key anglo is 5.5" across the flats

 

Are these typical for their respective types of Jeffries concertina?

 

To add a bit of detail the Duet is marked Jeffries Bros 23 Praed St, is in B flat and has raised metal ends.

The anglo is marked C JEFFRIES MAKER is in C/g and has flat metal ends.

 

Any comments or comparisons welcome, I'm just trying to work out if what I have is anything out of the ordinary, and my experience of Jeffries instruments is very limited.

 

Theo

[RP3]

Theo, I have two Jeffries. One is an earlier 28 button C/G stamped "C. Jeffries Maker" and the other is a later Praed St. C. Jeffries 30 button C/G. Both are 6 inches across the flats, and to my rusty old memory that seems to be the size of most Jeffries anglos I've played. It's possible that the Jeffries duet and 44 button anglos are larger out of necessity to accommodate the extra reeds. Smaller Jeffries (less than 6 inches) do seem to turn up from time to time but may not be plentiful. A good example was one pictured on Big Nick's web photo essay of concertina types (I think you can still access that through Bob Tedrow's site). If my limited experience is any indication, these smaller ones may have been special orders. But I expect that others on this forum may have much more information on the topic.

 

Best regards,

 

Ross Schlabach

[accordionmagic]

Theo, I have two Jeffries. One is an earlier 28 button C/G stamped "C. Jeffries Maker" and the other is a later Praed St. C. Jeffries 30 button C/G. Both are 6 inches across the flats, and to my rusty old memory that seems to be the size of most Jeffries anglos I've played.

 

I've just measured the 100% scans of the instruments that I use during restoration and yep, those that have passed through my hand were all 6 inches across flats. Metal ended, ebony veneered 30 button C/G, G/D.

 

Cheers

 

Roy

[Theo]

Thanks Roy and Ross. It seems that my Jeffries anglo is smaller than a typical Jeffries C/G.

 

Can anyone give me any guidance about the duet in Bflat? It has a larger number of buttons, and is lower pitched so that might explain a larger size, but were Jeffries duets usually this size?

 

Any clues appreciated.

[JimLucas]

I have two Jeffries concertina in front of me and I'm struck by the difference in size:

44 key Duet the ends are 6.5" across the flats

and a 38 key anglo is 5.5" across the flats

 

Are these typical for their respective types of Jeffries concertina?

A few more Jeffries data points:

... 38-button C/G - 6"

... 38-button G/D - 6"

... 45-button C/G - 6-5/8"

... 45-button G/D - 6-3/8"

 

And... ah, here's the price list that I was looking for. Note the listing at the very bottom of the first page.

[stuart estell]

I can't give precise info without the box in front of me but my 56-key Jeffries duet is pretty hefty - definitely a good deal more than 6" across the flats... I'll try and remember to measure it for you.

[Paul Woloschuk]

My 51 key Jeffries Duet is 7" across the flats.

 

Paul

[JimLucas]

My 51 key Jeffries Duet is 7" across the flats.

As is my 59-button Jeffries-built Crane duet.

 

In the direction of smaller size, I noticed these entries for "duet" concertinas (which would mean Maccann system) in the Wheatstone ledgers:

ser.no.  btns  inches
31003	17	4½
31006	24	4-5/8
31252	17	4½