Advice on old Jeffries

[boxaholic]

This concertina has been on a shelf in my house for the best part of 10 years, before that I used to play a little. I have been wanting to get it fixed up as one or two reeds are not sounding right and the action on some of the buttons could be a bit better. Apart from that it is in top order and sounds really loud and powerful. As you can see its a 30 key anglo. I live in Dublin so who would be the most appropriate/best repairer to carry out this work for me? Im also curious to know what it might be worth.. Thanks for any advice or help you might be able to give!

[David Levine]

Shay Fogarty lives in Dublin and is doing nice work on concertinas. I'll send you his telephone number via email. It looks as if the bellows have been replaced at some point- not surprising given the age.

As for value... it's worth quite a bit more than you might imagine.

[RP3]

Box, it is hard to set a value on an instrument -- especially in the current economic environment. But similar Jeffries C/G models have exceeded $7,500 and some have surpassed $10,000. And then there's the wooden ended flat pitch Jeffries model that the Button Box recently sold that had an asking price of $13,000. So you can see that you probably have a valuable instrument on your hands.

 

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much. Even if that is your situation, I would recommend having the instrument fixed up and hang on to it. You may never have another chance to own one. I have a 28 button C/G that is not in concert pitch, so it doesn't get as much play as my other C/G anglo. But when I do play it, the Jeffries offers real enjoyment and wonderful tone. Well worth keeping.

 

That's my two-cents worth..........

 

Ross Schlabach

[Robin Harrison]

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much

Never heard this before, how so ? Is this just Irish style?

Robin

[David Levine]

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much.

 

I am offended by this statement.

 

A great maker is being defamed.

 

This thread should be deleted!!

[PaddyLosty]

Yes in fact that looks like one of the later Jeffries, with Chinese reeds. Probably only worth a few quid, best to donate it to some young player like myself.

 

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much.

 

I am offended by this statement.

 

A great maker is being defamed.

 

This thread should be deleted!!

[Paul Read]

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much.

 

I am offended by this statement.

 

A great maker is being defamed.

 

This thread should be deleted!!

I'm guessing that this must refer to a Wheatstone layout player not being able to use the Jeffries layout. Otherwise I can't imagine why anyone would think that. It's the most sought after make and usually as easy to play as any you find. An Irish player layout thing then?

[Paul Read]

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much.

 

I am offended by this statement.

 

A great maker is being defamed.

 

This thread should be deleted!!

I'm guessing that this must refer to a Wheatstone layout player not being able to use the Jeffries layout. Otherwise I can't imagine why anyone would think that. It's the most sought after make and usually as easy to play as any you find. An Irish player layout thing then?

Or maybe confusion with the duet sytem Jeffries?

[Azalin]

And then there's the wooden ended flat pitch Jeffries model that the Button Box recently sold that had an asking price of $13,000.

 

Did this instrument sell for the asking price you think? Gosh gosh gosh, my main reason for going at the NE workshops was to have a chance to try the instrument. Bummer.

[PaddyLosty]

Yes that's the most likely mistake. I can't fathom any other explanation.

 

Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much.

 

I am offended by this statement.

 

A great maker is being defamed.

 

This thread should be deleted!!

I'm guessing that this must refer to a Wheatstone layout player not being able to use the Jeffries layout. Otherwise I can't imagine why anyone would think that. It's the most sought after make and usually as easy to play as any you find. An Irish player layout thing then?

Or maybe confusion with the duet sytem Jeffries?

[s2maur]

In the first picture of the 'tina on its side, does the hand rest appear to have some writing stamped into it? Almost appears to be a lachenal palm rest. Does anybody else see that or do I need my eyes checked for a new prescription again?

 

In response to RP3's comment as to "Many people find Jeffries more difficult to play than other anglos, and so they don't play them much." I had great difficulty playing mine, especially when so many people kept interrupting me and asking if they could give it a feel and then trying to tempt me into selling it with outrageously high offers. Eventually an offer was too tempting and now someone else is having to deal with the difficulty of playing a Jeffries.

 

I had my once in a lifetime and let it slip away. The money is spent and the memory lingers on.

 

Steve

[richard]

In the first picture of the 'tina on its side, does the hand rest appear to have some writing stamped into it? Almost appears to be a lachenal palm rest. Does anybody else see that or do I need my eyes checked for a new prescription again?

 

Hi

 

It does look like a Lachenal hand rest Steve. My Linota also has one Lachenal Hand rest. The other one says "Linota" luckily.

 

It seems like a practical moment in concertina repair history, when one hand rest was unusable and another one available. I wonder how a hand rest could become broken and unusable.

 

Richard

Edited April 13, 2009 by richard

[s2maur]

In the first picture of the 'tina on its side, does the hand rest appear to have some writing stamped into it? Almost appears to be a lachenal palm rest. Does anybody else see that or do I need my eyes checked for a new prescription again?

 

Hi

 

It does look like a Lachenal hand rest Steve. My Linota also has one Lachenal Hand rest. The other one says "Linota" luckily.

 

It seems like a practical moment in concertina repair history, when one hand rest was unusable and another one available. I wonder how a hand rest could become broken and unusable.

 

Richard

 

Thanks Richard, You have either helped to confirm that I wasn't seeing and/or imagining a Lachenal rest on this 'tina or that both of us need to have our eyes checked. I prefer the former of these scenarios. Let us hope that the palm rest on the other side isn't also Lachenal made and that the end plate marked C. Jeffries Maker happens to be the replacement part.

 

Steve

[Paul Woloschuk]

Or maybe confusion with the duet sytem Jeffries?

 

Duet the nothing There's Jeffries confusing system about

[RP3]

Before everybody takes a potshot at my original posting, I should clarify my original statement. I should have said that Jeffries anglos are hard to play well. And before you all jump on that statement too, it came directly from Noel Hill himself. At the time, he didn't elaborate, so I can provide no more enlightenment about his reasoning for that statement. I personally find my Dipper-restored 28 button Jeffries a delight to play, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do well. With reeds that respond as quickly as Jeffries reeds do, your timing on ornaments must be that much more precise or they sound awful. Then there's the dynamic range of the instrument. Some players just honk away on their concertinas. But, for instance, to play an air well on a Jeffries requires a bit more finesse with the bellows than with some less responsive instruments.

 

Ross Schlabach

[David Levine]

There's no doubt that a good player wil sound better on a good instrument than on an inferior one.

But do you think that a bad player will sound worse on a better instrument?

 

And just because Noel says it doesn't mean it's right.

[Daniel Hersh]

Thanks for elaborating, Ross...but I'm still puzzled. I believe that the conventional wisdom in the free reed world is that more responsive reeds make an instrument easier to play well, and that has certainly been my own experience.

 

Daniel

 

Before everybody takes a potshot at my original posting, I should clarify my original statement. I should have said that Jeffries anglos are hard to play well. And before you all jump on that statement too, it came directly from Noel Hill himself. At the time, he didn't elaborate, so I can provide no more enlightenment about his reasoning for that statement. I personally find my Dipper-restored 28 button Jeffries a delight to play, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do well. With reeds that respond as quickly as Jeffries reeds do, your timing on ornaments must be that much more precise or they sound awful. Then there's the dynamic range of the instrument. Some players just honk away on their concertinas. But, for instance, to play an air well on a Jeffries requires a bit more finesse with the bellows than with some less responsive instruments.

 

Ross Schlabach

[Paul Read]

And just because Noel says it doesn't mean it's right.

I couldn't have put it better myself David. Also, I think other great players such as Keith Kendrick and John Roberts would disagree with the statement.