wally Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 (edited) 2nd attempt Any thoughts on this concertina on ebay? Can you tell how quality an instrument it is? Edited April 7, 2009 by wally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerryFrank Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 2nd attempt Any thoughts on this concertina on ebay? Can you tell how quality an instrument it is? Wally, I think this is an instrument you'll want to keep your eye on! From the pics shown, it looks to be in very good shape. There are no breaks or missing pieces in either of the ends, only some minor wear in the finish. Both leather thumb straps look to be in good condition. It's a rosewood ended model with non-standard finger rests. (all my English Lachenals have brass rests, (gold-colored) this one has silver-colored rests) The pic of the 5-fold bellows shows only a bit of discoloration, otherwise they appear in very good shape also. The case looks to be in VERY good shape, with the leather handle intact and even a KEY! (both rarities!) The ID button, (Douglas & Co, with address) on the case, is probably the retailer's customization. The slot, for the thumb strap's brass screws, indicates the case was specifically made for an English concertina. (The slot for an anglo or duet would be right at a corner of the case.) Depending on how high the bidding goes, this might be a real deal. Admittedly, the best way to evaluate a concertina is to handle and play it. Nothing beats a hands-on evaluation. By appearances, though, this looks to be a well kept instrument. It would surprise me if this instrument would need to have any substansive work done on it. Maybe a tuning, if anything. About a year ago, I bought a very similar Lachenal for about 450GBP. But I think this one might be in a bit better condition than that one and I would bid accordingly. (Not to worry, Wally, I have enough Englishes that I won't bid on this one! LOL) The best of luck Wally, this one is a real beauty! If at all possible, inspect this instument personally. I hope you can buy her for a reasonable price and she brings years of musical joy to your home. Cordially, KerryF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Wally, So much depends on condition and what is inside that we cannot see. Outside, rosewood ends with the chamfer (routing along the edge) puts it above the 2 lowest tiers of Lachenal englishes. Inside, whether the reeds are steel or brass and how good the tolerances are will count a great deal toward playing quality. More than likely a tuning will be necessary and some bellows work and overall reconditioning. Count on another 200-300 GBP in addition to the purchase price to put it in playing condition. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 There are no breaks or missing pieces in either of the ends, only some minor wear in the finish. Frank seems not to have looked at all the pictures. Pics 9 and 12 both show the left side which clearly has several open cracks, and the finish is in very poor condition. Pic 7 shows cracks on the right end. From the deteriorated finish on the left end I suspect that it has spent some time stored on a damp surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stella24 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I would tend to agree with the last two opinions. There is another English on ebay uk now that shows much more potential, a Wallis. much finer construction, but will need some work and i think worth the time. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140312215651 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marien Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 3d opinion quite the same as the previous two, There are traces of moist. There is no view on the reeds. It is not the cheapest model but still, rosewood ends and 5 bellows it has, which is more than 4, but there are no fancy bellows papers so it is not really "special" and it appears to have suffered a lot. The Wallis concertina has 'special' bellows and the reeds are steel. Both features make it interesting but it is still unknown what it is after cleaning the reeds, and it is not a top model as it has bone buttons. New pads and valves, overall retuning and making it air tight may be expected... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marien Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 in addition, it is a gamble if the seller is not familiar with concertina's (or worse if he/she is, but won't tell you because they know it is crap). In the past I have bought maybe about 4 english concertina's this way like gambling via ebay and 3 of them were in a very bad shape. But they were cheap and they brought me some spare reeds..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stella24 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Not to belabor the topic, but the Wallis looks to be a top model of its type. Let's see, gold leaf pattern on the bellows with fancy papers. Metal inlay on the faces. Those are metal buttons, btw. It's just the photos are a bit blurry. the thumb straps even have gold leaf designs. The reeds look to have a little rust and there are some areas on the chamois seal that are slightly black indicating leakage which may be warping, but who knows. The bellows look in good shape, no heavy rubbed areas. So overall if it doesn't go too high i think it has potential to be a very good instrument but it is always a gamble. hope the seller puts it back together right, and doesn't bugger up the screws...I bought a high end wheatstone that needed quite a bit of service, and the biggest is that it is tuned so high i really don't want to change it to modern, so will lose on that end. good luck. wes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stella24 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 forgot to add that the case and instrument are made of some fancy burl wood, maybe amboyna. I don't mean to sound that it won't need the work that Marien listed and more, but that it is worthy of the work. possibly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 To purchase an old instrument based purely upon outward appearance must always be a considerable gamble. Looks are a bonus but we don't buy a Concertina to sit and look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marien Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 You are right, I missed that the wood is Amboyna and the metal buttons, so I agree it is a better model than I thought yesterday. I thought that it had mahogany ends. Also I agree the pictures suggest bellows in good shape. If I would consider a bid I would ask the seller first about the playability. Cheers, Marien Not to belabor the topic, but the Wallis looks to be a top model of its type. Let's see, gold leaf pattern on the bellows with fancy papers. Metal inlay on the faces. Those are metal buttons, btw. It's just the photos are a bit blurry. the thumb straps even have gold leaf designs. The reeds look to have a little rust and there are some areas on the chamois seal that are slightly black indicating leakage which may be warping, but who knows. The bellows look in good shape, no heavy rubbed areas. So overall if it doesn't go too high i think it has potential to be a very good instrument but it is always a gamble. hope the seller puts it back together right, and doesn't bugger up the screws...I bought a high end wheatstone that needed quite a bit of service, and the biggest is that it is tuned so high i really don't want to change it to modern, so will lose on that end. good luck. wes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I would tend to agree with the last two opinions. There is another English on ebay uk now that shows much more potential, a Wallis. much finer construction, but will need some work and i think worth the time.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140312215651 Sold for £1320 Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now