Wheatstone #22764

[Dieppe]

Well, I'm now the proud owner of Wheatstone Serial #22764.

It finally came today. A few things. I don't have a key for the original case, but that's okay. It'd be interesting to find one, but more academic than anything since I won't be using that case to transport it. I'm just thankful that I wasn't ripped off, or scammed, or what have ya. (Seller had a high rep. though..so..)

 

In short: English layout, treble, bone(?) buttons with the color faded, bellows in very good condition (flexible, leak free, if worn a little here and there), reeds are brass and riveted. Four reeds needed to be adjusted (tap-tap. Done!). It needs tuned.

 

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I have noticed one thing though about the case. The black from the leather REALLY comes off on my hands when I handle it. Which is a bad thing. What's the best thing to do to black (fading) leather like that to keep it intact? I'll assume that black shoe polish is a bad thing.. but what would be a good thing?

 

Okay, so I played all of the notes, and about 4 of them wouldn't sound but would just buzz instead. So of course I get out the screwdriver and take it apart (one end at a time, of course.) Looking at the offending reeds it appears as those they're too close to the side of the reed holder. The easiest thing to fix was place a small flathead screwdriver and gently (very gently!) tap it with another screwdriver until the reed is in the middle of the hole and moves freely. That fixed the four problem reeds.

 

So reed report: They all look.. good? (Not corroded.) They are definitely brass, not steel. So they're brassy, not irony. Also the reeds seem to be all riveted to the (brass?) reed holder. The reed holders are all pushed into the dovetails on the boards (as they should be?).

 

The little leather flaps on the opposite sides of the reeds look mostly good, soft and flexible (like they should be?). On the left hand side there are some that aren't quite over the hole, but that's the least of my worries.

 

The finish on the surface is a little worn here and there, and there's little bits of green here and there on some metal parts. (Just a small bit.) Maybe someday I'll refinish the top wood, when I know what to finish it with.

 

The leather thumbstraps seem to be in mostly good shape, with a little bit of wear of them. The pinky finger holders are covered in black leather, and could use reattaching to the metal parts. But that's the least of my worries.

 

The buttons appear to be bone. At one time they would have had the tops of the buttons painted: the C notes would be topped in red, and the accidentals topped in black. The color is mostly worn off of all the buttons, though the C note on the left hand has a tiny bit of red you can see if you look closely. Also the buttons look a bit yellowish with age. I'm assuming that they're bone because you can see little pores in some of them. I don't believe that ivory was used for buttons then???

 

For the huge plus: The bellows seem to be AIRTIGHT and almost perfect. There's some wear on the bottom where it would have wore against someone's pants leg. I'm not sure how to get the black back on that.. black shoe polish? The paper seems to be mostly perfect too, though a few pieces have a tiny bit of green on them. The bellows also seem to be flexible and not cracked or cracking. At worst they may need to be cleaned a bit.

 

To the bad part: Concertina needs tuning... badly. Some of the notes aren't quite the same on push as they are pull. I don't need my fancy electronic tuner to tell me that.

 

Also, inside the 'tina was stamped on the wood "L 97" and "R 97" on the left and right sides respectively. Hmmmm.... 1997? No! 1897! According to the list of the Wheatstone serial numbers though it would have come out in 1899ish. It is a treble as well, going from the G right below middle C, way up to a C two octaves up. (I think 2?) It's probably Rosewood on the outside, but I'm not sure how to check. Also, on both sides none of the little decorative cuts/pieces are broken at ALL. It's just PERFECT in that regard as well.

 

 

So I probably should find the best place to send it to tune it. In theory I *could* tune it, but it'd be a lot of work and I'd need tools and skills that I don't have. The notes it does sound do sound really perty though!

Edited September 22, 2007 by Dieppe

[stella24]

Dieppe.

 

So glad to hear go got the item as it was advertized, ebay can be unnerving. i have a model similar to this one that i was rebuilding and is just on hold waiting for the rainy days of winter. only diff is mine is steel reeds and the keys are wooden with nickel caps. can't remember the serial number right now, maybe 64. close as i could get it was 1865.

now, be careful in the bellows use if you look inside and there is only white leather as hinge reenforcement. that is why my bellows fell apart before their time. it hadn't seen much use, but had been dropped. broken keys, fretwork and a gouge in the frame all repaired now. the other thing is when you tune it, consider tuning it to itself, as it is most likely in an old high pitch. mine sounds perfect to itself, but the reeds would mostly be ruined by the amount of metal removal to bring it down from the old (philharmonic?) pitch. alternatively you could add solder to the tips, but some say that ruins the tone.... btw, yours will sound sweeter because of the brass reeds. it looks like it has been played very lightly. good luck. wes. n. cal.

[buikligger]

2 octaves? is it possible it is 3 octaves from middle C onwards?

[yankeeclipper]

Dieppe....when you tune it, consider tuning it to itself, as it is most likely in an old high pitch. mine sounds perfect to itself, but the reeds would mostly be ruined by the amount of metal removal to bring it down from the old (philharmonic?) pitch.

My Wheatstone EC was Old Pitch when I got it. It sounded very nice, but its inability to play with A=440 instruments became a tremendous frustration. I had it re-tuned to A=440 by a concertina craftsman named Mick in rural Yorkshire (also went from 5-fold to 6-fold bellows). The results were very pleasing: the sound quality was maintained, and my EC was much more useful and welcome in sessions. That was 25 years ago, and the instrument is still in perfect tune.

[wes williams]

Also, inside the 'tina was stamped on the wood "L 97" and "R 97" on the left and right sides respectively. Hmmmm.... 1997? No! 1897! According to the list of the Wheatstone serial numbers though it would have come out in 1899ish.

Glad to hear you are happy! Those L97 and R97 numbers aren't the year tho'. We call them batch numbers, and we aren't exactly sure what they were used for (but each concertina is individually identified by one of these numbers during manufacture), but if you look in the 1910+ ledgers, you'll see them written there. 22764 would be 1898/9 if you just do a simple join up of the numbers either side of the lost ledger.

Tuning isn't difficult, but it takes a bit of practice, and I'd recommend you pick up a cheap accordion to practice on, if you decide to try it.

And be proud of your rivets!!

[Dieppe]

2 octaves? is it possible it is 3 octaves from middle C onwards?

 

Yes...3 octaves. I was writing the original post at work and didn't want to pull it out to make sure. 3 octaves up and a fifth down. Just like my last night drinkin'!

[Pete Dunk]

I have noticed one thing though about the case. The black from the leather REALLY comes off on my hands when I handle it. Which is a bad thing. What's the best thing to do to black (fading) leather like that to keep it intact? I'll assume that black shoe polish is a bad thing.. but what would be a good thing?

 

I have a very similar looking Wheatstone made in 1916 but it's a Model 2 with metal keys. The box seems to be covered with some kind of grained leatherette but the handle is leather and the top surface was mostly pealed away leaving a very dry looking rough surface. I had a word with a leather worker; there's nothing you can do to repair the original shiny surface but you can feed the leather to recover the suppleness and prevent further cracking (if there is any). Soft beeswax will do the trick or you can buy a jar of creamy leather food at a good hardware shop. Put plenty on and leave it to soak in for a good while before wiping off any excess. Do this a few times over a period of a week or so and you'll be quite pleased with the results. Don't do this to the bellows though!

[Dieppe]

Dieppe....when you tune it, consider tuning it to itself, as it is most likely in an old high pitch. mine sounds perfect to itself, but the reeds would mostly be ruined by the amount of metal removal to bring it down from the old (philharmonic?) pitch.

My Wheatstone EC was Old Pitch when I got it. It sounded very nice, but its inability to play with A=440 instruments became a tremendous frustration. I had it re-tuned to A=440 by a concertina craftsman named Mick in rural Yorkshire (also went from 5-fold to 6-fold bellows). The results were very pleasing: the sound quality was maintained, and my EC was much more useful and welcome in sessions. That was 25 years ago, and the instrument is still in perfect tune.

 

Well, here's the tuning as I've found it so far. Most reeds are tuned about 10 cents flatter than regular tuning (A440). Except for a few reeds which are very flat (and out of tune of course). (The low D on pull is a very bad C#)...

 

So is that old pitch or just everything-out-of-tune pitch? It's amazing though because the brass reeds look so clean and shiny!

Edited September 22, 2007 by Dieppe

[Theo]

Well, here's the tuning as I've found it so far. Most reeds are tuned about 10 cents flatter than regular tuning (A440). Except for a few reeds which are very flat (and out of tune of course). (The low D on pull is a very bad C#)...

 

So is that old pitch or just everything-out-of-tune pitch? It's amazing though because the brass reeds look so clean and shiny!

 

The reeds that are seriously flat may be cracked, or possibly if they also sound very muffled their valves may not be opening freely.

 

10 cents below A=440 could be an old pitch. There were several different pitches in the past, one was A=435 which may be what your concertina was originally tuned to. It is not too hard to take the pitch up by 10 cents for someone who knows what they are doing. Its not a skill you want to learn on a vintage Wheatstone!

[Pete Dunk]

Its not a skill you want to learn on a vintage Wheatstone!

 

Indeed!

[Dieppe]

Its not a skill you want to learn on a vintage Wheatstone!

 

Indeed no! It'd have to be all of the reeds.. It does sound pretty though, just. I need to play well with others.