Mayfair Anglo on Ebay

[drbones]

Ok! I saw THIS on Ebay. Not too pretty. According to some info I came across on this site, "Wheatstone concertinas from the 1950s through early 1970s do not generally match the quality of the pre-war Wheatstones".

So, would it be worth investing the 700 bucks?

Thank you in advance for your input.

[ben]

I do not think that you will waste your money. I think that it will be a good investment as a beginner to intermediate instrument.

 

The 1950's Wheatstone anglo's may not have the same quality of excellence as the pre-war concertinas but you will still find many excellent concertinas from that era...especially if they have the dove-tailed reedpans. I own two 40 button Wheatstone anglo's and they are definitely worth the investment. I believe that it is safe to say that one must approach each post war Wheatstone concertina with a case by case approach. One can not dismiss them all as bad.

[Marien]

Watch it!! Read Paul Groff's thread on this concertina.

Edited November 12, 2008 by marien

[Daniel Hersh]

And re Mayfairs in general: a Mayfair is not a normal Wheatstone concertina. They were made with accordion reeds in an attempt by Wheatstone to make a "low-end" concertina. I don't know whether the action etc. is as well-made as on a "regular" Wheatstone of the same period, but the sound will be quite different due to the use of accordion reeds.

 

Watch it!! Read Paul Groff's thread on this concertina.

[drbones]

Well, considering all this, I guess I'll stay away from it. Maybe I should change the name of the topic to "Can of Worms". Thanks for the warnings!

[Paul Groff]

Dan has it right. Ben Otto's comments are reasonable re: the "non-Mayfair Wheatstone" concertinas of the 1950s and 1960s, but the Mayfairs are not as well-made as those -- and actually not as well-made as some modern "accordion-style-reeded concertinas."

 

Having said that, Mayfairs really can play pretty well and don't sound too bad. This wooden-ended anglo with f-holes had a warm, slightly boxed-in but strong and reedy sound that wasn't half bad for a student instrument. Before it acquired its current bad karma, a wonderful Irish musician (mostly known as a brilliant whistle player in New England) borrowed it from me as her first concertina, and *her* friend Micheal O'Raghallaigh told her it would be fine for her to learn on.... I don't know its current condition but if still in the condition as when I last saw it, I reckon it might be worth half as much as a new Morse Ceili.

 

Good luck and caveat emptor. My (amateur) reading of US law informs me that "you can't get title -- legal ownership -- from a thief." Any real lawyers here may be able to clarify or correct that, or explain any exceptions.

 

PG

Edited November 12, 2008 by Paul Groff