Ashkettle Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, my new Morse Ceili arrived last night and all I can say is that I am in love. I have noticed that there is a great improvement in this one over the last C/G I owned. Not that there was anything wrong with the other one...it's was great, but it's always amazing to see what a few more years of production can do to improve a product. The stiffness I expected in the new bellows was absent. The action on the buttons shocked me at how much more responsive it was than what I expected. The sound is exactly what I wanted. All in all, thank you Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, my new Morse Ceili arrived last night and all I can say is that I am in love. I have noticed that there is a great improvement in this one over the last C/G I owned. Not that there was anything wrong with the other one...it's was great, but it's always amazing to see what a few more years of production can do to improve a product. The stiffness I expected in the new bellows was absent. The action on the buttons shocked me at how much more responsive it was than what I expected. The sound is exactly what I wanted. All in all, thank you Richard. good god, isnt this sort of thing illegal ,being in love with a concertina,what sort of perversion is that . The perversion would be to be in love with an accordion, with a concertina it's totally healthy stuff ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 good god, isnt this sort of thing illegal ,being in love with a concertina,what sort of perversion is that . I suspect it's the one perverson most of us have in common. My wife's already jealous of the attention mine gets. Luckily, Herr Concertina doesn't mind living in the doghouse with me either. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHMark Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 My Ceili will be ready next week. C/G, rosewood finish, I can't wait to make the 5-hour drive to Sunderland and pick it up. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polutropos Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Morse or Marcus. I look at both with longing. I've heard neither but I'm saving for one or the other ... unless something better shows up nearer the time. Both appear to get consistently good reviews. I'd be curious if anyone is able to make an objective side by side comparison. Of course by the time I have the money saved I'll have done that sort of research myself but it's always good to hear what other users have experienced. One thing I've not yet worked out is why a hybrid using accordion reeds is that much cheaper than a model using concertina reeds - what is going on with these reeds to so effect the retail price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 The perversion would be to be in love with an accordion, with a concertina it's totally healthy stuff ;-) Oh dear, and here's me completely enamoured with the new melodeon* I got off Marc Savoy in Louisiana 3 weeks ago - I guess that must make me totally depraved then... (Or would that require it to be a piano accordion? ) * I won't call it a Cajun accordion since he made it in Quebecois tuning for me, which is much better for playing Irish music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUTT Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 One thing I've not yet worked out is why a hybrid using accordion reeds is that much cheaper than a model using concertina reeds - what is going on with these reeds to so effect the retail price? The difference is in, as I understand it, the economy of scale (production-wise, not musical-wise). There are accordion reeds being made in the thousands; concertina reeds are a teeny tiny market, by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceemonster Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 (edited) i can compare the marcus deluxe to the ceili. cosmetics/craft: the marcus deluxe is a thing of beauty and elegance in terms of craft and cosmetics. the ceili, on the other hand, has been a disappointment cosmetically in that the finish on the black version, which would be the only one of their color options i would go for, has chipped and faded to a degree that would be dismaying in anything costing over even $200 or $300, let alone an item costing what this one does. (this is apparently not a problem with their other color option, and according to posts here by the maker, the issues with the black finish have been improved, but as one who paid good money for the problematic version, you just have to shake your head.) bellows: the marcus bellows are A-one, imho. the ceili bellows are spongier and try of their own volition to push outwards more, but are perfectly fine. button action: the ceili button action is faster than that of the marcus, as in, significantly, substantially faster. i find the ceili reeds a bit resistant and wish like heck they offered a premium-reed option. nonetheless, its button action is really impressive, enough so as to give this instrument the edge for me in a comparison of the two despite the shoddy finish. as for tone.....i have only a subjective take here. the marcus tone is really lovely. but as a subjective issue, for tone the ceili remains my favorite of all of the hybrids. i'm not saying it's more "concertinalike," whatever that means....i'm just saying for whatever reason, it's just the one i like the best. weight: the ceili is as light as a feather. the marcus is heavier and very solid; there is heft to it. sheerly subjective as to which you prefer; i have no preference here. price: this one depends on whether you are paying in american dollars or uk sterling. but in dollars, the ceili is significantly cheaper due to the fact that the marcus is uk-made and priced in sterling. miscellaneous: marcus sent my instrument with a wrong note on it that i did not discover for a long while, annoying as hell. Edited February 28, 2009 by ceemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 One thing I've not yet worked out is why a hybrid using accordion reeds is that much cheaper than a model using concertina reeds - what is going on with these reeds to so effect the retail price? The difference is in, as I understand it, the economy of scale (production-wise, not musical-wise). There are accordion reeds being made in the thousands; concertina reeds are a teeny tiny market, by comparison. to piggy back on that, when a maker makes a hybrid concertina with accordion reeds, they order the reeds from a specialty manufacturer in bulk. if a maker produces a concertina with concertina reeds, they almost always make them all themselves. so, reeds made in house cost more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ducky Raley Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Well, my new Morse Ceili arrived last night and all I can say is that I am in love. I have noticed that there is a great improvement in this one over the last C/G I owned. Not that there was anything wrong with the other one...it's was great, but it's always amazing to see what a few more years of production can do to improve a product. The stiffness I expected in the new bellows was absent. The action on the buttons shocked me at how much more responsive it was than what I expected. The sound is exactly what I wanted. All in all, thank you Richard. Just got mine earlier in the month, and I concur that out of the box the bellows were very unrestrained. Also of the rosewood stain variety. Handles & buttons - spaced right for for my fingers unlike my mystery chinese 30btn. Buttons have a nice cool rounded top feel that rolls right off. The button holes have bushing low friction. a second air button on the left could have been put in with the option to make it a drone. My left thumb feels so unnaturally out of the action. on the straps I kind wish it had a buckle on top, instead there is a large headed brass screw which makes it difficult to quickly and precisely adjust. I would like to be able to make it a bit tighter or looser as desired, or pass it around so others could experience it. The ends are held on by reasonable flat head screws, so should not become stripped as easily as the phillips heads on said mystery chinese concertina. Even without garnish , gold leaf, & papers it looks nice just as good plain wooden chairs do to people of the right sensability , but people in my neck of the woods generally aren't familiar with these kinds of boxes. Case - typical Black skinned single latch non locking. The concertina lays lengthwise rather than up. Felt lining, not a deep padding. there are four posts inside that brace the concertina. The bellows are 'pushy' to a degree that you have to keep it pressed in with some minor effort while you slide it in between these posts. The outside corners of the case do not have metal covering, so be careful about rubbing/bumping against these edges or the skin will begin to fray. tone- I really haven't heard any differnt models in person, besides my old twenty and thirty button boxes which is not a fair comparison. the factors that I considerd Location - avoiding overseas shipping/ duty and other taxes availability/presence of vendor - waiting list , the up front presence of the builder Some of us can't just walk down the street and into our corner concertina shop , so a good web presence is essential. price / performance class / users level and intent personal tastes This will likely not be my last concertina as I will eventually mold my Concertina persona and will want to uniquely define more of the charectoristics of my instrument . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 ,being in love with a concertina,what sort of perversion is that . A Poem by Les Barker.. Arnold was an armadillo and oh so in need of romance and it chanced that one Saturday evening Arnold went to a dance The minute he walked in the room He saw her, as if he had known she’d be there, by the side of the stage all he wanted, all in black, all alone, She was there, she was his, dressed to kill, oh if only his glasses were cleaner . . . He was an armadillo She was a concertina He struggled to make conversation He leap-frogged from topic to topic**** If only she’d say something back . . . If only he weren’t so myopic Bright silver buttons in rows From head down to toes in black leather . . . Could this beauty love him? “Here goes,” Arnold thought, “It’s now or never!” He could picture her head on his pillow He had loved her the moment he’d seen her He was an armadillo She was a concertina You can’t help but feel for the lad, oh how happy poor Arnold would be if they could make love in the shadows and no one, but no one, would see Alas, what he hoped might have been a Sweet secret was soured completely Sex---- with a concertina is rarely accomplished discreetly The dancers stopped stripping the willow it was oh such a loud misdemeanor He was an armadillo She was a concertina Picture love as a kind of concerto *** Poor Arnold, his first was unfinished For what let everyone who was there know A very loud C sharp diminished **** Ompa.. Someone said, “Look, its Arnold,” And he ran from their scorn and their laughter into the darkness outside and never was seen ever after *** Tales of lost love and dreams unfulfilled, oh Cruel Cupid, you’ve never been meaner He was an armadillo She was a concertina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidFR Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Not that there was anything wrong with the other one...it's was great, but it's always amazing to see what a few more years of production can do to improve a product. I agree - despite the high quality of Morse boxes from inception, the ones I've played at the last few NEFFAs have been IMHO significantly improved over older models. And I would include in that tone, playability, response, and button feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Not that there was anything wrong with the other one...it's was great, but it's always amazing to see what a few more years of production can do to improve a product. I agree - despite the high quality of Morse boxes from inception, the ones I've played at the last few NEFFAs have been IMHO significantly improved over older models. And I would include in that tone, playability, response, and button feel. How could one recognize the new vs older ones, in terms of serial numbers? I'm looking at a couple of used Morses. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Kruskal Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 ,being in love with a concertina,what sort of perversion is that . A Poem by Les Barker.. Arnold was an armadillo and oh so in need of romance and it chanced that one Saturday evening Arnold went to a dance etc. Tales of lost love and dreams unfulfilled, oh Cruel Cupid, you’ve never been meaner He was an armadillo She was a concertina. Check out the David Cornell section of this page to hear his performance of this very funny song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill N Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) [How could one recognize the new vs older ones, in terms of serial numbers? I'm looking at a couple of used Morses. Thanks!! Since no wise sage has come forward, I'll tell you what I know. I own #647, an Anglo in G/D, delivered in October 2008. When I was at the Button Box for NECW I asked about the numbering system, and was told that they have been numbering sequentially since they began production in 1999. They do not have different number sequences for their different models. Each instrument gets assigned the next available number as it is finished, regardless of the type or model. They also said that they are making more per year now than in earlier times, and orders have gone up and down over the years, so you can't rely on a yearly average to exactly pinpoint date of construction, but it will give you an idea. I was initially surprized at how few they have made, although after touring the shop and seeing how much handwork goes into them, my surprize diminished. Edited June 15, 2009 by Bill N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Creighton Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 How could one recognize the new vs older ones, in terms of serial numbers? I'm looking at a couple of used Morses. Thanks!! I'd be happy to tell you when one of our concertinas was made. You can email me at The Button Box <squeeze@buttonbox.com>, or through c.net if you prefer. Doug Creighton Manager, The Button Box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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