Nanette Hooker Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 (edited) Hi everyone I have just purchased another concertina, a Wheatstone Aeola English Concertina. It was expensive but it looks and sounds beautiful and was well worth the money. I find it easier to play than my Lachenal Edeophone EC and I am so happy with my new purchase. I have changed my avatar accordingly. Edited June 11, 2006 by Poaceae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Good news. The choice between Aeola and Edeophone is a very individual one - I believe there is little to choose in build quality (in fact Colin Dipper has told me on a couple of occasions that he considers the Edeophone to be better made, which is quite a commendation considering the quality of the Aeola). The main thing is to find a concertina you are really happy with, and it sounds like you have. Cheers, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Evans Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 (edited) Bravo Nanett! It's a real looker! Edited June 11, 2006 by Mark Evans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animaterra Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Congratulations! What a beauty! I hope we'll be able to hear a recording of it sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pierceall Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Hi everyone I have just purchased another concertina, a Wheatstone Aeola English Concertina. It was expensive but it looks and sounds beautiful and was well worth the money. I find it easier to play than my Lachenal Edeophone EC and I am so happy with my new purchase. I have changed my avatar accordingly. I'd like to add my congratulations. With both an Aeola and an Edeophone, it seems to me that you now have the best of both worlds! You now join the ranks of others such as Sara Graves. My own search for an Aeola to join my Edeophone is ongoing. I've seen a number of extended trebles, but a standard 48 key instrument is getting harder to find in my experience. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henk van Aalten Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Hi everyone I have just purchased another concertina, a Wheatstone Aeola English Concertina. It was expensive but it looks and sounds beautiful and was well worth the money. I find it easier to play than my Lachenal Edeophone EC and I am so happy with my new purchase. I have changed my avatar accordingly. Nanette, Congratulations with your Aeola! May it serve you and give you joy for (at least) the next 50 years! !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Good news. The choice between Aeola and Edeophone is a very individual one - I believe there is little to choose in build quality... Personally, I would reckon that the Edeophone woodwork is of even higher quality than that of an Æola, but the Æola is usually better in every other regard. However some Edeophones have rivetted actions, and some have reeds made by Lachenal's legendary reed maker Mr. Green (Tommy Williams reckoned that "Wheatstone's, they wanted him bad"), and I'd say that an instrument with both of those features might play very nicely indeed. Oh, and (thank goodness!) Æolas don't roll as well as Edeophones! Anyway, congratulations Nanette! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Oh, and (thank goodness!) Æolas don't roll as well as Edeophones! Maybe Anne is cautious, but Anne's Edeophone never rolled off anything in all the quarter of a century since she bought it from you, Stephen! Chrid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 stephen,do you have any details of wheatstones reed makers between serial no 21000and 27 000,and what period mr green was lachenal reed maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Oh, and (thank goodness!) Æolas don't roll as well as Edeophones! Maybe Anne is cautious, but Anne's Edeophone never rolled off anything in all the quarter of a century since she bought it from you, Stephen! I'm very glad to hear that Chris, I gave it a stern talking-to about such behaviour before I sold it to her! But I've seen plenty of casualties of that inclination, usually with cracks in their ends at either thumb-strap or finger-rest, or worse, depending on how they landed. Maybe they're related to lemmings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Good news. The choice between Aeola and Edeophone is a very individual one - I believe there is little to choose in build quality (in fact Colin Dipper has told me on a couple of occasions that he considers the Edeophone to be better made, which is quite a commendation considering the quality of the Aeola). The main thing is to find a concertina you are really happy with, and it sounds like you have. Cheers, Chris Wheatstone versus Lachenal. Well, how do you define quality in a concertina, or any other instrument or thing, for that matter? Good design. Quality of materials used. Quality of construction and workmanship employed on it, etc. I have an early thirties Lachenal ebony ended Excelsoir 48 key treble which I am very pleased with. It has spherical keys, which I prefer to the flat top ones, a good action, and it produces a nice, rich, mellow tone. The Lachenal price list for 1930, described the model as having " Silver tip keys, the very best quality, tempered steel reeds, broad scale, and all the latest improvements", and cost £16 10 6 new. I would rate this as a concertina of very good quality both in terms of construction, playability and sound quality. It is a nice instrument! I also have a 1937 Wheatstone 48 key treble with nickel plated ends, costing around £12 new. This has a rivetted action which makes for slightly smoother, faster, more silent playing. The sound is quite loud, as one would expect for one with metal ends, and the tone is quite bright. According to the Wheatstone catalogue of the period, the quality of the materials used varied with the model and its retail price, with the best quality materials being used to make the Aeola and the Ebony ended trebles. Of the two, despite the superior rivetted action of the Wheatstone, I prefer the Lachenal. A better comparison, of course, would be to compare it with the Wheatstone ebony-ended model. Re: reeds, Chris T's guru, Colin, told me that he believes that Wheastone produced their best reeds around 1910. If true, what made these reeds so good? The steel used to make them? The design of them? (I believe the tongues are slighlty wider than Lachenal reeds.) Or the reed maker, the Wheatstone Mr Green of his day? And yes, find a concertina you are happy with, and is happy with you! Comments welcome. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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