Wheatstone 48 key

[Jerry O'D]

Hello to all. I'm newly registered to the forums, having followed some interesting links to here posted on thesession.org site by mutual member Ptarmigan (who I've heard only good things about, and who I hope to run into one of these days, perhaps at a session on the north coast somewhere..)

 

I have to confess that I've signed up here through a profound sense of guilt. I bought a concertina years ago, with the honest and earnest intention of teaching myself the basics, and playing it for my own amusement. That hasn't happened, because

1) I found that whatever limited co-ordination I have couldn't handle the EC fingering; and

2) Whenever I want to make a bit of music, I can't stop myself reaching for a convenient stringed instrument.

The result is that it's spent most of the last decade or so in a succession of cupboards, unplayed; hence the guilt.

 

So, I would like to pass it on to someone who wants to play it, and maybe give it the mild fettling it probably deserves.

 

I'm no expert in concertina matters, but this is my best shot at a description:-

 

Wheatstone 48 key Treble, serial number 6232 (which I guess dates it to 1854, though I don't see it in the sales ledgers), rosewood ends, white metal buttons (each button in the middle two rows save the Cs [wear?] being stamped with the note letter), 5 fold green bellows (look mainly leather), and brass reeds (but see below) in what seems to me to be concert pitch.

 

The general condition appears to be good, and probably original. It's obviously been fettled at some time in the past, as four or five of the reeds seem to have been replaced with steel ones. Bizarrely, these include the modification of replacing the right-hand A reed, on the draw only, with Aflat. I can't think why this might have been done, except to facilitate particular harmonies; obviously, there's a Gsharp key next to it, but the two are tuned about an eighth-tone apart. Otherwise, the fretwork and so forth is complete, all notes sound identical both ways, and apart from one or two tiny marks (mainly by the end screws), I can't see any other obvious defects save a tiny hole in each of the two corners of the right-hand bellows fold which would be most likely to chafe against the player.

 

It has a velvet-lined mahogany case which has seen better days, and which is missing its key.

 

I'm afraid I don't have the technology to post photos here, but if a helpful teenager happens by, I'll add some!

 

My idea is simply to see if any of this community is interested in it, and leave it open to offers. I'll not be offering it elsewhere for some time at least, if ever, and I definitely won't be listing it on Ebay! I don't have a particular price in mind, but it seems like a nice instrument; you'll have a much better idea of its value to a player than I. And if it does sell through any contact made on this site, it goes without saying that I'll make a donation.

 

If there's anything you want to know that I haven't touched on, please contact me any way you like. And if anyone would like to come and have a look, you're very welcome; I'm near the Lisburn Road in Belfast, and the kettle is always handy.

 

Thanks for reading this, and all the best,

 

Jerry.

[Ptarmigan]

Hello to all. I'm newly registered to the forums, having followed some interesting links to here posted on thesession.org site by mutual member Ptarmigan (who I've heard only good things about, and who I hope to run into one of these days, perhaps at a session on the north coast somewhere..)

Hi Jerry, I thought I heard a local accent in here!

 

A word of warning .... you really don't want to believe everything you hear!

 

You have certainly come to the right place though.

They are a very friendly & helpful bunch here, but be careful, before you know it, they'll have talked you back into learning to play it yourself!

 

It would certainly help your cause though, if you could get a photo or three posted here.

 

If it's any help to you, what I do is, once I have my photo on my computer, I load it onto my Webshots page.

Then it's an easy job, just posting the link to the photo, here.

Of course, you could also use Photobucket for the same job.

 

Anyway, GOOD LUCK with the sale of your Concertina.

 

Sorry I can't offer to take it off your hands, as this big, rather expensive, beastie just arrived on my doorstep, this very day!

 

 

See what I mean about a photo!

 

Oh yes & if you find yourself heading in the direction of the Causeway, please give me a shout.

I'm always up for stealing a few tunes, from passing musicians!

 

Cheers

Dick

[Pete Dunk]

Wheatstone 48 key Treble, serial number 6232 (which I guess dates it to 1854, though I don't see it in the sales ledgers)

 

Hello Jerry, welcome to the forum. 6232 is not in the ledgers. This, however, is not unusual and doesn't mean anything other than that this is yet another undocumented Wheatstone; which is a shame for you because it's always nice to find a bit of detail about a concertinas' past. The reed substitution sounds rather odd and will be a bit off-putting to players who don't dabble with repairs etc, but a replacement is probably available from specialist suppliers like David Leese.

 

Photos would help those who might be interested in buying. Try to get your head around Dick's instructions for uploading pictures onto an online server and we'll do our best to help you post the pics. If it's all too much and you need help just click on my user name (tallship) at the side of this post and send me a personal message and I'll do my best to talk you through it.

 

Take your time mate, there's no rush and no pressure and the members here specialise in making sure you don't get ripped off. That said there's nothing about the description that sounds either special or particularly valuable; I'm not in the market by the way so I have no axe to grind ...

 

Pete.

[Theo]

Bizarrely, these include the modification of replacing the right-hand A reed, on the draw only, with Aflat. I can't think why this might have been done, except to facilitate particular harmonies; obviously, there's a Gsharp key next to it, but the two are tuned about an eighth-tone apart.

 

Rather than a reed substitution its more likely that the Aflat is just an A reed that has gone flat because it is cracked. This is a very common problem on older brass reeded concertinas.

[Jerry O'D]

Thanks for the kind wishes and offer of help.

 

I think I now have the necessary technology, so here, I hope, are some photos. (The visiting teenagers were no help at all, I'm sorry to say...)

 

The quality won't be great, but if anyone would like clearer shots, or any particular detail, then please say, and I'll do my best to oblige.

 

Cheers, Jerry.

[Jerry O'D]

Theo, thanks for the suggestion. I've had another look inside, and the Aflat reed is a definite deliberate modification, as it's one of the few replacement steel reeds in there, not one of the brass originals. I can only think that it was put there for specific harmonic reasons; but if anyone else knows why anyone would make such a change, please enlighten me !

 

Cheers, Jerry.

[Jerry O'D]

Since putting up this post originally, I've been idly noticing prices achieved for broadly similar ECs on Ebay and elsewhere, and I have to say I'm quite shocked! Most seem to be fetching what I, as a simple enthusiast, would regard as "collector prices".

 

As far as I'm concerned, instruments exist to be played, not as investments or whatever.

 

So, if anyone's interested in this one, I can tell you that the absolute maximum price I will sell it for is £450 plus shipping, not a penny more.

 

Make me an offer below that figure, please...

 

Cheers, Jerry.