Paul Read Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 The seller says that: "inside the concertina is a wonderful antique 1880s label of a company of the time that restored and repaired English and duet concertinas" Hmm...I'm fresh out of wonderful labels myself. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Well I suppose it's unusual in that it was once a metal ended tiddler Maccan; they're relatively rare... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 Well I suppose it's unusual in that it was once a metal ended tiddler Maccan; they're relatively rare... Tiddler? Were there bigger ones? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Hersh Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 My guess would be at least in most cases the reeds are not broken but are rusted at the tips and not reflecting light. Or are you seeing something that I'm not? Daniel Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Sorry Paul, Maccan duets go down to 39 but 46 is the common small size. They go all the way up to 81. Lachenal seem to have made 46 key duets speculatively to budget spec; metal ends, I suspect, were only fitted to those ordered specifically by a customer who knew what he wanted, so are comparatively rare because lots of serious players would have gone for a larger one. (this is purely my theory, incidentally, but the facts fit). Anyway, in the flood of bone buttoned wood ended 46's a metal ender is unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Whether rusted or broken, several of the reeds seem to be simply missing, as well as some of the buttons. But the ends look very nice, though seeming to lack any makers label, or even the space for one. I think it would make a nice start for a major restoration... or maybe for conversion to a MIDI-Maccann. The current high bid of £9.99 would certainly seem to take into account restoration expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Harrison Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hmm...I'm fresh out of wonderful labels myself. It's the "stunning" adjective I enjoy because it is such an appropriate term.........but not, I suspect, in the way the seller meant.I'm amazed by how poor it's condition is.......stunned really . Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 My guess would be at least in most cases the reeds are not broken but are rusted at the tips and not reflecting light. Or are you seeing something that I'm not? Daniel Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem Daniel, I suspect in some cases you may be correct here. Either way, the reeds are probably toast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidFR Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem I dunno; the reeds are definitely corroded and the picture is taken in bad light, but it doesn't look to me like any of the reeds are broken. It definitely needs a major overhaul, including completely new buttons and action, but at the right price could be a fun project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem I dunno; the reeds are definitely corroded and the picture is taken in bad light, but it doesn't look to me like any of the reeds are broken. It definitely needs a major overhaul, including completely new buttons and action, but at the right price could be a fun project. Except that it is a duet and you're going to spend a lot more on it than it will ever be worth even if the reeds turn out OK. If the experience of restoring it is what you want, ignoring value, you could have fun with it, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 ...the ends look very nice, though seeming to lack any makers label, or even the space for one. By the way, does the fretwork tell us anything about the maker of this instrument? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Prebble Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Look at this on ebay. As far as I can see all of the reeds are broken. Look at the description. I wonder if the seller needs glasses? Or just replacements for the rose-tinted ones?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stunning-Antique-Met...1QQcmdZViewItem Hi folks, I am reasonably sure that this is one I went to look at at Lytham St. Annes about 3 years ago when it was for sale on ebay. Assuming it is :- My impression was that it was made by Crabb but for some unknown reason all the reeds have been sytematically, deliberately and totally b*ggered with something like a screwdriver. All were bent, many snapped off and the rest badly bent and twisted. I am known to be a sucker for 'lost causes' but I steered well clear of this one. The only hope of salvation would have meant re-tongueing all the reeds. I cannot be 100% certain that this is the same instrument but would strongly advise anybody thinking of bidding on this instrument to ask the seller to post detailed and clear pictures of inside and outsides of both reed pans My apoplogies to the seller if I have got the wrong instrument. In that case, I would invite you to post detailed pictures here. I did consider leaving a bid last time round, with a view to buying it for spares, but it went beyond my top price ... not by very much I might add. Since then it seems to have been shined up a bit but there look to be less buttons remaining. If I recall correctly, the buttons were 1/8" diameter Jeffries/Crabb 'pin' type. Caveat Emptor ! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDF Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I thought about buying this the first time round for the reeds,glad I didn't.This is what it looked like when last listed on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 In partial but inconclusive answer to Jim's question, the fretwork looks quite similar to my 38 key Bb/F Anglo; ie raised end, Jeffries pattern but crudely executed and with no space for the makers "oval". The construction on mine has been attributed to Shakespeare, based on a Crabb pattern, but I'm not convinced about the fretwork - what I've seen of Shakespeare fretwork has been quite intricate, neater, more decorative and less Jeffries-like. For what it's worth, the reeds on mine aren't very powerful and the bellows are quite floppy. My conclusion would therefore be - unknown maker. My guess would be - an outworker from Crabb who had access to the patterns but who wasn't fully skilled and didn't meet the "normal" quality control Alex West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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