Unseen122 Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 I need to know where I can get a good *real* Anglo (for Irish style) for under $1000 no cheap Stagis and "beginner models." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Keaveney Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Unseen, "good" and "cheap" are words that rarely go together, especially with anglo concertinas! You might keep an eye on e-bay for bargains, BUT remember that it's "Buyer Beware" on sight unseen instruments. A "good" anglo 30-button concertina will usually run closer to $1500 and up. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Sadly, I have to agree with Bill here. Unfortunately, what gets in the way of the production of good cheap concertinas is the sheer complexity of the beast. Consider the guitar. Of course the very finest guitars are craftsman productions and command the sort of prices you would expect for top quality instruments, but nevertheless a guitar consists of a relatively small number of discreet bits that lend themselves to mass production, meaning it's not too diffficult to produce a reasonable instrument for not too many shekels. The concertina, however, consists of literally thousands of discreet parts. What is worse, many of these parts are small and fiddly. On top of this, there isn't the demand for concertinas that there is for, say, button accordions worldwide that would enable economies of scale. In recent years the situation has improved greatly with the arrival of the modern makers with accordion reeds and a price point of about $1300, but when I started the choice was either old concertinas (bing in the right place at the right time) or craftsman-made (long waiting lists and high costs). The decent $1000 anglo is still the Holy Grail... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 The decent $1000 anglo is still the Holy Grail... And George Jones' nickname was "Indiana"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 And George Jones' nickname was "Indiana"? Unless I'm very much mistaken, that is a jocular reference to a variety of "moving pictures" entertainment show. It'll never catch on, you mark my words... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 And George Jones' nickname was "Indiana"? Unless I'm very much mistaken, that is a jocular reference.... Chris, you must be more careful about your spelling. It's "jugular"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reid Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 In recent years the situation has improved greatly with the arrival of the modern makers with accordion reeds and a price point of about $1300, ... Just so 'Unseen122' doesn't get his/her hopes up unduly ("Yes, I can come up with $300 more"), I feel obliged to point out that in North America the current prices from the new makers are north of $1300 --- more like $1500 to $1900. And due to the decline in the dollar vs. the Euro, a new instrument from, say, Geuns-Wakker will be well over $2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 My figures are out of date, then. Thanks for the correction. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Mills Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 (edited) At least Unseen didn't say "new". My guess, in your near price range, the best Anglo might be a used instrument from Homewood, Edgley, Groff music or Button Box, depending on what they have available. These vendors can be found in the sponsor link at the home page of this site or www.groffsmusic.com. Many say that this $1300 Marcus is great bang-for-the-buck at the buttonbox. This is a 30-button; other dealers may have used 20-buttons below $1000. Edited April 13, 2004 by Stephen Mills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animaterra Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Stephen, I'm sorry to report (actually, I'm not sorry at all!) that I have purchased said Marcus and am VERY happy with it! Yes, Unseen, used is probably the way to go. Check the Buy and Sell forum here, contact the Button Box and other sites mentioned, and be prepared to save a few more hundred dollars to add to your budget. In the meantime, maybe a rental would keep you playing? I had a Stagi from the Button Box which taught me the rudiments and made me realize it was time to move up and on. Now I have an instrument I will be happy with for years to come! All the best, Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unseen122 Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 Ok I should used alright and Chris I already play guitar along with eight other instruments so it is just one of those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Bradbury Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 You need to take the plunge.... make the committment. Check Frank Edgley, Bob Tedrow, The Button Box. Believe me, you won't be dissappointed in a couple of years for spending too much money today!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I've been playing a Norman 30 button---in my opinion it's very close to the sound of several "vintage" concertinas I've heard with traditional concertina reeds---not accordian sounding. I would recommend it to anyone! I also have an old Stagi. Many people who actually hear the Stagi (that is casual listeners who themselves don't play the concertina) actually like the sound of the Stagi better. (Some describe the sound of a traditional concertina reeded instrument as a bit shrill.) I think it's because accordian reeds vibrate with more dynamics than traditional sounding concertina reeds. In any case, don't be surprised if accordan sounding concertinas aren't more pleasing to the "uninitiated." It can be a bit of a bummer when you do an A-B comparison and they like "B" better! You may want to consider a higher end Stagi---I won't tell anyone. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unseen122 Posted April 15, 2004 Author Share Posted April 15, 2004 Maybe I should consider a Stagi a higher end one will last me a couple o years then when I am ready I go with some thing good (like a Tedrow or something). Thanks for the advice everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Weinstein Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 This Guens Wakker concertina would make an excellent instrument for you, and it is currently going for less than your price point. --Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomlaw90 Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 It is a baritone, tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unseen122 Posted April 16, 2004 Author Share Posted April 16, 2004 Two problems one it is a Baritone I have short fingers two I was planing to find something save up enough money and buy it right now I do not have enough money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Yes, while baritones have their wonderful uses, I don't know that it is the first box I would suggest to a beginner. And I'll warrant the price will rise a fair bit, as all ebay auctions for nice items do at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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