Fingering Chart For A G/d 45 Button Jeffries

[keeper]

Hi. I acquired a 44-plus-drone G/D Jeffries from Chris Algar this summer and it does not have the layout that I would have expected. The reeds probably started life as different pitches because there is a lot of solder on them but each is stamped correctly with the current pitch-class and those stamps look quite old.

 

I have attached a diagram. Overall, it looks to me as if the unexpected notes tend towards 'flat' keys. Most of the amendments are to the right hand so I am wondering if this has been adapted for a one-note-at-a-time player (Irish?). I can see some logic to some amendments (witness the bottom row, righthand, where the same notes are either on push or pull on adjacent buttons).

 

Or maybe I do have a common layout. Any ideas?

 

I guess where I am going with this is to wonder if I could/should retune to suit myself or whether I should just get on with it and learn to play it as it is. I do play quite complex stuff in an English chordal style so finding comfortable fingerings is quite important.

 

And can anyone tell me why there is a G/G button, bottom right on the left hand side when the same thing lies next to it as a thumb drone? It seems wasteful to me.

 

Like lots of Jeffries, I cannot tell you much about the provenance of the box but someone may know it and all comments would be gratefully received.

 

DOUG WATT

[Boney]

I have attached a diagram.

A little too stealithly for me.

[Chris Timson]

I guess where I am going with this is to wonder if I could/should retune to suit myself

If you are an experienced concertina tuner then please disregard the following. If you're not, then you risk doing irrepairable damage to a valuable instrument. May I strongly advise against this course of action. If you want notes retuned then take the concertina to a known repairer, you will find a list in the Concertina FAQ. When I've had notes on my Jeffries G/D retuned to different values by Colin Dipper his first move (usually successful) is to trawl through his stock of Jeffries reeds for one that fits the hole and is already tuned to the right value. Clearly such a reed will sound better than one that has been retuned whole tones away from its original value.

 

Chris

[Graham Collicutt]

Hi. I acquired a 44-plus-drone G/D Jeffries from Chris Algar this summer and it does not have the layout that I would have expected. The reeds probably started life as different pitches because there is a lot of solder on them but each is stamped correctly with the current pitch-class and those stamps look quite old.

 

I have attached a diagram. Overall, it looks to me as if the unexpected notes tend towards 'flat' keys. Most of the amendments are to the right hand so I am wondering if this has been adapted for a one-note-at-a-time player (Irish?). I can see some logic to some amendments (witness the bottom row, righthand, where the same notes are either on push or pull on adjacent buttons).

 

Or maybe I do have a common layout. Any ideas?

 

I guess where I am going with this is to wonder if I could/should retune to suit myself or whether I should just get on with it and learn to play it as it is. I do play quite complex stuff in an English chordal style so finding comfortable fingerings is quite important.

 

And can anyone tell me why there is a G/G button, bottom right on the left hand side when the same thing lies next to it as a thumb drone? It seems wasteful to me.

 

Like lots of Jeffries, I cannot tell you much about the provenance of the box but someone may know it and all comments would be gratefully received.

 

DOUG WATT

 

Hi Doug

 

I didn't see much of you last night.

 

The 2 G buttons share the same reeds, ie 2 pads on to 1 reed chamber, at least they did on ''Kilroy''. Didn't you buy your Conner from Chris?

 

I can't see the attachment either

 

Cheers Graham

[keeper]

Hi. I acquired a 44-plus-drone G/D Jeffries from Chris Algar this summer and it does not have the layout that I would have expected. The reeds probably started life as different pitches because there is a lot of solder on them but each is stamped correctly with the current pitch-class and those stamps look quite old.

 

I have attached a diagram. Overall, it looks to me as if the unexpected notes tend towards 'flat' keys. Most of the amendments are to the right hand so I am wondering if this has been adapted for a one-note-at-a-time player (Irish?). I can see some logic to some amendments (witness the bottom row, righthand, where the same notes are either on push or pull on adjacent buttons).

 

Or maybe I do have a common layout. Any ideas?

 

I guess where I am going with this is to wonder if I could/should retune to suit myself or whether I should just get on with it and learn to play it as it is. I do play quite complex stuff in an English chordal style so finding comfortable fingerings is quite important.

 

And can anyone tell me why there is a G/G button, bottom right on the left hand side when the same thing lies next to it as a thumb drone? It seems wasteful to me.

 

Like lots of Jeffries, I cannot tell you much about the provenance of the box but someone may know it and all comments would be gratefully received.

 

DOUG WATT

 

Hi Doug

 

I didn't see much of you last night.

 

The 2 G buttons share the same reeds, ie 2 pads on to 1 reed chamber, at least they did on ''Kilroy''. Didn't you buy your Conner from Chris?

 

I can't see the attachment either

 

Cheers Graham

[keeper]

Agh! Sorry! Having a real problem managing the posting/uploading process with this forum (I don't use it much). Please ignore me until I have got my act together

[david_boveri]

Agh! Sorry! Having a real problem managing the posting/uploading process with this forum (I don't use it much). Please ignore me until I have got my act together

 

try uploading it to photobucket.com or something. maybe that might be easier?

[keeper]

Okay; sorry about my inability to post the diagram. I am gonna bite-the-bullet and revert to a letter table for the buttons, which is as follows

 

Left In/Out

 

1st row B/C, E/F, G#/Bb, E/D, D#/F

2nd row G/D, D/F#, G/A, B/C, D/E, F/F(low)

3rd row F#/E, A/C#, D/E, F#/G, A/B, C#(low)/Eb

4th row Eb/C#, F/G#, A/B, G/G

Drone G/G

 

Right In/Out

 

1st row Bb/Ab, G#/Bb, D#/D, G#/F, E/A

2nd row C#/E, G/F#, B/A, D/C, G/E, B/F#,C(low)/D(low)

3rd row A/G, D/C#, F#/E, A/G, D/B, F/Eb

4th row Bb/G#, C#/Bb, D/C#, D#/D, E/Eb

 

 

All comments gratefully recieved.

 

Thanks to Chris for his cautionary note about tuning. I have done quite a bit of manual tuning but the point is well taken. My first priority is to get some of the obscure reeds sounding; you can imagine how complex it is inside this box and there are a couple that are leaking like a Government researcher (Colin DIpper has shown me which ones).

 

I have not been back inside the box to check Graham's point about the double-direction G button (left side, bottom row, far right) but will do tonight.

 

thanks,

 

DOUG WATT

[Graham Collicutt]

Okay; sorry about my inability to post the diagram. I am gonna bite-the-bullet and revert to a letter table for the buttons, which is as follows

 

Left In/Out

 

1st row B/C, E/F, G#/Bb, E/D, D#/F

2nd row G/D, D/F#, G/A, B/C, D/E, F/F(low)

3rd row F#/E, A/C#, D/E, F#/G, A/B, C#(low)/Eb

4th row Eb/C#, F/G#, A/B, G/G

Drone G/G

 

Right In/Out

 

1st row Bb/Ab, G#/Bb, D#/D, G#/F, E/A

2nd row C#/E, G/F#, B/A, D/C, G/E, B/F#,C(low)/D(low)

3rd row A/G, D/C#, F#/E, A/G, D/B, F/Eb

4th row Bb/G#, C#/Bb, D/C#, D#/D, E/Eb

 

 

All comments gratefully recieved.

 

Thanks to Chris for his cautionary note about tuning. I have done quite a bit of manual tuning but the point is well taken. My first priority is to get some of the obscure reeds sounding; you can imagine how complex it is inside this box and there are a couple that are leaking like a Government researcher (Colin DIpper has shown me which ones).

 

I have not been back inside the box to check Graham's point about the double-direction G button (left side, bottom row, far right) but will do tonight.

 

thanks,

 

DOUG WATT

Hi Doug

 

You should be able to see the lever/pad for the Gs through the fretwork.

 

I've no guidance on achieving a better arrangment, when I had "Kilroy" I found all the extras got in the way and reduced the button count to 32 ish. There was no high c natural when I first had it which is the same as yours. I'm now happy playing a 30 button Wakker G/D.

 

I assume you could move some of the reeds around with needing to retune. I have in the past flattened reeds, with liquid metal, by a semi tone with no change in tone or response, and it is reversable with no damage to reed.

 

Graham

[keeper]

Thanks, Graham,

 

I have been inside the box this morning and there are two separate G reeds for the doubled-G button, not one reed sounding in both directions. It's not a great tone on this pitch because it sits with the other left-hand, bottom row reeds smack in the middle of the left hand reed pan and none of these get a decent air-flow. But I have 'voiced' them this morning so they all sound without rumbles and wheezes and I can use them as necessary evils when the fingering demands.

 

DOUG

 

 

Okay; sorry about my inability to post the diagram. I am gonna bite-the-bullet and revert to a letter table for the buttons, which is as follows

 

Left In/Out

 

1st row B/C, E/F, G#/Bb, E/D, D#/F

2nd row G/D, D/F#, G/A, B/C, D/E, F/F(low)

3rd row F#/E, A/C#, D/E, F#/G, A/B, C#(low)/Eb

4th row Eb/C#, F/G#, A/B, G/G

Drone G/G

 

Right In/Out

 

1st row Bb/Ab, G#/Bb, D#/D, G#/F, E/A

2nd row C#/E, G/F#, B/A, D/C, G/E, B/F#,C(low)/D(low)

3rd row A/G, D/C#, F#/E, A/G, D/B, F/Eb

4th row Bb/G#, C#/Bb, D/C#, D#/D, E/Eb

 

 

All comments gratefully recieved.

 

Thanks to Chris for his cautionary note about tuning. I have done quite a bit of manual tuning but the point is well taken. My first priority is to get some of the obscure reeds sounding; you can imagine how complex it is inside this box and there are a couple that are leaking like a Government researcher (Colin DIpper has shown me which ones).

 

I have not been back inside the box to check Graham's point about the double-direction G button (left side, bottom row, far right) but will do tonight.

 

thanks,

 

DOUG WATT

Hi Doug

 

You should be able to see the lever/pad for the Gs through the fretwork.

 

I've no guidance on achieving a better arrangment, when I had "Kilroy" I found all the extras got in the way and reduced the button count to 32 ish. There was no high c natural when I first had it which is the same as yours. I'm now happy playing a 30 button Wakker G/D.

 

I assume you could move some of the reeds around with needing to retune. I have in the past flattened reeds, with liquid metal, by a semi tone with no change in tone or response, and it is reversable with no damage to reed.

 

Graham