New (to me) Concertina (or Melodeon?)

[Rix]

Hello People!

I just got a new toy for my birthday, I've been wanting a Concertina and my wife found this one on Craigslist.

 

I know nothing about concertinas or free reed instruments really.

 

It was listed as 100+ years old, and here are the pictures:

 

 

What the heck is this? :-) Anyone have a key chart?

 

The 10 keys on right hand play a different note on push and pull.

 

The 4 keys for left hand play multiple notes:

Pinky plays 3 notes, ring finger plays 2, middle finger plays 3 notes, index plays 2.

 

I had to do a little gluing where the buttons meet the covers.

 

It all seems to work fine, the bellows seem tight.

 

Any info you have one one of these would be helpful

 

Thanks!

Rix

[Rix]

Also, if anyone has any tips on maintaining something this old, I would like to actually play it any not have it just be a shelf-warmer

[Daniel Hersh]

It's not a concertina. You might get better answers over on melodeon.net .

 

Also, if anyone has any tips on maintaining something this old, I would like to actually play it any not have it just be a shelf-warmer

[catty]

Happy Birthday -- it's a lovely looking instrument: a diatonic button accordian (aka melodeon). I have a single-row nearly identical -- a Hohner in the key of C that sounds and plays very nice.

 

Lark in the Morning sells a video on melodeon repair that may be of use to you depending on its condition. In case you haven't yet explored, it's easily disassembled to reveal its reedblocks and button lever mechanisms.

Edited July 21, 2009 by catty

[Stephen Chambers]

What the heck is this?

It's a Vienna-model (like it says on it) diatonic accordion, otherwise known as a Vienna accordion, or melodeon. The design is typical of instruments manufactured at Klingenthal, Saxony (Eastern Germany) between the two World Wars (so it isn't 100+ years old, as it was advertised), and it was made for the New York musical instrument wholesaler C. Bruno & Son, who owned the Lyra brand that's on it.

 

The biggest problem with it may be the reeds, as it also says that they are made of "Bell Metal" (for which read "Brass"), in which case they are of cheaper quality (than steel) and likely to all be mounted on a long strip, instead of individually, which may make it not worth repairing.

 

Anyone have a key chart?

Try these: http://info.melodeon.net/info/layouts/1row, though there may be slight differences.