Buying A New Anglo - Some Queries

[Tootler]

I bought myself a cheap 30 button Hohner Anglo on Ebay. It is a perfectly playable instrument which has enabled me to get started and to find that I like the Anglo in preference to the English, but now I want to upgrade. I have been looking around and I have a few queries which I would welcome comment on.

 

I want to be able to accompany myself singing as well as playing tunes (not very fast at the moment )

 

I was wondering what peoples views on a G/D compared with a C/G. I find the high end of the C/G very high and tend not to use it much.

 

I do not wish to spend a fortune or wait years for a new instrument, so I am either looking at a restored old concertina and I have been recommended Barleycorn for that or a new mid priced accordion reeded instrument. How have people found the likes of Marcus, Norman etc.? What are waiting times like?

 

I have had a good look at some of the recent topics and I am sure much of this has been aired before, but it is a problem sometimes getting all the information in one place, so comments will be much welcomed.

[chainyanker]

i have bougt 2 from a member of this board, theo. been pleased with both. heres a link to his page http://www.theboxplace.co.uk/ good luck on which ever you choose.

[Chris Timson]

I was wondering what peoples views on a G/D compared with a C/G. I find the high end of the C/G very high and tend not to use it much.

Due to the way my voice works and the way I want to play tunes I use a C/G for song accompaniment and a G/D for tunes. For song accomaniment you need to work out which will suit your voice before you buy. What keys is your current box in and have you tried any accompaniments with it yet?

 

Chris

[Woody]

.....I was wondering what peoples views on a G/D compared with a C/G. I find the high end of the C/G very high and tend not to use it much.....

 

....I do not wish to spend a fortune or wait years for a new instrument, so I am either looking at a restored old concertina and I have been recommended Barleycorn for that or a new mid priced accordion reeded instrument. How have people found the likes of Marcus, Norman etc.? What are waiting times like?

Hi Tootler,

 

I've got a Jones 26 button G/D and generally I prefer this instrument's sound over a C/G. The one thing I think you lose with a G/D is a little bit of the "brightness" provided by the high notes on a C/G, but I agree with you that I personally find the high notes on a C/G a bit too high.

 

I'm on the waiting list for a Norman 30b G/D, the price when I put in my order was very good - I don't know if they've changed - but when I joined the list the waiting time was over a year. Contact Andrew Norman through their website to check the latest info. I've tried a C/G Norman and was very impressed.

 

Other possible options with, I believe, little or no waiting list....

 

Morse Ceili G/D - through The Music Room at £1550. These have an excellent reputation.

 

Sherwood G/D through Hobgoblin at £999 which has only recently come out, and at the start of August the waiting period was very short. I've tried one of these - see here for my opinions. You might be able to get this significantly cheaper by going through the Musical Instrument Megastore. If you chose this option it would also be worth bearing in mind the Arts Council interest free loan scheme for instrument purchases - see here.

 

 

 

 

Good luck

 

- W

[DavidFR]

I can also recommend Morse and Edgley instruments, and I hear Tedrow has a very good reputation. They all fit in the same general price range and all have nice websites so you can check out their instruments online.

 

I'm also a big fan of lower-voiced instruments, my current box is a Lachenal G/D. However, if your voice works better in certain keys (a la Chris Timson) and you definitely like the lower-pitched instruments, you may want to get a baritone C/G. This is just a C/G instrument pitched one octave lower. I know the Button Box (Morse Ceili) has offered these from time to time, and I imagine other makers would be willing to accomodate you as well though it might take a little longer.

 

Their waiting lists are usually measured in months though not years, so I doubt the wait would be too bad.

 

Good luck!

 

-David

[Ken_Coles]

Unless I'm mixed up, Button Box only offered their English concertina in a baritone range, not the anglo, until recently. But at the Squeeze-In last month I chatted with Rich, Doug, and Bob for quite a while, and they tell me they now have the issues sorted out and can make them; they just hadn't gotten around to advertizing it (maybe they do now; I haven't checked). I asked if they could do an F/C (a whole step below a G/D) and they said sure, as a special order.

 

Ken

[m3838]

I can also recommend Morse and Edgley instruments, and I hear Tedrow has a very good reputation. They all fit in the same general price range and all have nice websites so you can check out their instruments online.

 

I'm also a big fan of lower-voiced instruments, my current box is a Lachenal G/D. However, if your voice works better in certain keys (a la Chris Timson) and you definitely like the lower-pitched instruments, you may want to get a baritone C/G. This is just a C/G instrument pitched one octave lower. I know the Button Box (Morse Ceili) has offered these from time to time, and I imagine other makers would be willing to accomodate you as well though it might take a little longer.

 

Their waiting lists are usually measured in months though not years, so I doubt the wait would be too bad.

 

Good luck!

 

-David

 

Bass C/G may be too slow for an Anglo and the biggest problem is chords, made up of very low pitched single reeds. It'll sound like a bunch of Sea Lions. With the English concertina it is possible to play tonic low, but the rest higher, like in an accordion, but with the Anglo it will be more convoluted. Although possible too, ofcourse.

[Tootler]

Due to the way my voice works and the way I want to play tunes I use a C/G for song accompaniment and a G/D for tunes. For song accomaniment you need to work out which will suit your voice before you buy. What keys is your current box in and have you tried any accompaniments with it yet?

 

My current box is a C/G. I checked my voice against my electronic keyboard and the lowest note I can sing comfortably is G at the bottom of the bass clef (an octave and a fourth below middle C) and at the top end I can sing middle C and maybe up to E without great difficulty. When I did this I found my voice had a wider range than I expected and checked it several times just to be sure.

 

I am fairly comfortable singing in C an octave below the C/G box, but I thought maybe the G/D would be closer to my vocal range. The G/D also has the "advantage" that you can play most tunes up and down the rows, though I am getting used to playing across the rows with a C/G and playing across the rows does give you more options for bellows control and avoid too much use of the air button. I spent two terms learning melodeon at the Sage with Julian Sutton and he's very much an advocate of playing across the rows and I transferred some of what I learnt from him to playing the Anglo.

 

Thanks to others for their suggestions. It seems that most of the instruments in the £1000 - £1500 price range are of similar quality from the comments made. What does anyone think of buying new against getting a restored vintage instrument? (assuming similar prices)

Edited October 13, 2006 by Tootler

[Richard Morse]

...at the Squeeze-In last month I chatted with Rich, Doug, and Bob for quite a while, and they tell me they now have the issues sorted out and can make them [baritone C/G]; they just hadn't gotten around to advertizing it (maybe they do now; I haven't checked). I asked if they could do an F/C (a whole step below a G/D) and they said sure, as a special order.

Yes, we've worked out the issues with those lower boxes and have decided to make them on a special order basis. Basically they're our "standard" anglo but with deeper chambers and bellows frames (especially on the bass side due to the extra-long folded chambers for the lowest notes there) and an extra bellows fold. It's nicely compact and light with decent response and has a very smooth sound (powerful/loud it is NOT due to the shorter scale reeds needed to fit in the box).

 

-- Rich --

[Dana Johnson]

For a similar price these days, you are likely to get a better new instrument ( as long as you get into the range of the Edgleys, Morses etc. ). Advantage of responsive builders who take pains to make sure your instrument works as promised. Restored instruments in higher price ranges can be great, but expect to pay a lot more for something a real step up from the afore mentioned boxes. Many Lachenals while not responsive enough for faster music can be good for accompaniment, and don't usually dominate over your voice. They also tend to be closer to the price of the good hybrids. If you go that route, try to make sure you can take it on approval. Lachenal reeds can vary widely in quality, and a "restored" but poorly set up box can frustrate any musical ability you have. Make sure all the notes you want to use are fairly responsive. On a higher pitched box like a C/G the upper notes may be nearly useless, but you wouldn't use them anyway. On a G/D or other Low pitched instrument, the ''Higher" notes are likely to play well, but the low notes may be very sluggish and for what you are doing may be more important. One saving grace though is that when playing Chords, the lower notes tend to be more responsive than when played alone since the other chord notes usually are part of their harmonic spectrum and help to activate them.

Dana

[Tootler]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions everyone.

 

At the moment I am tempted to go for a Marcus as they have quoted reasonable delivery times. I am away next week but when I get back I will see what the Music room have in stock and maybe go there and try some.

 

Cheers

 

Geoff

[Roughcollie]

I'm also new here. I was given a C.C.C. last weekend and have already found it's limitations. It doesn't sound at all right,especially on the left hand. At the moment,my printer is going into meltdown with the George Jones Tutor,thanks folks for the link,and I am going to get a Rochelle as soon as I have the pennies. I am selling a Windsor banjo which will go some of the way,and I have now got Alan Day's CD.The music posted on this site is also very inspiring and encouraging. Maybe one day,I'll be able to say "I can play a concertina" and it'll be due to you all giving me the encouragement.Thanks.

Edited October 26, 2006 by Roughcollie

[Chris Timson]

At the moment I am tempted to go for a Marcus as they have quoted reasonable delivery times. I am away next week but when I get back I will see what the Music room have in stock and maybe go there and try some.

Both Marcus and the Music Room are nice people and they know their concertinas (at the Music Room, especially if you talk to Gill Noppen-Spacie).

 

Chris

[Tootler]

Once again, thanks for all the tips and advice.

 

I went to the Music Room today and met Jill. She was brilliant; really helpful. They had several anglos in so I was able to try a good few. I ended up with a Morse Ceili C/G. She had a couple of Marcuses, a Norman and Connor with Lachenal Reeds in. The Connor sounded the best but the bass reeds were slow to speak, especially bottom C which really needed a good "shove" on the bellows to get it to speak. Otherwise the rest were very similar in quality of sound and construction, but I found the Morse seemed to fit my hands best and the bellows seemed the most flexible. It was also the lightest by a long way. It is certainly a pleasure to play. I decided to stick with C/G for now as I can carry on from where I had reached with the Hohner without having to adapt my playing.

 

Geoff