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Ebony-ended 56-key Wheatstone Aeola Alto ( tenor-treble ) for sale


conzertino

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I am selling my ebony-ended 56-keyed Wheatstone Aeola. I bought the instrument some

20 years ago in Dublin. It is the best of three tenor-trebles I had over the years, so I kept it.

 

I am selling it, because I just bought a quite costly 48-key tenor and I do not need the two.

 

It has six-fold bellows in top original condition. It has the serial-number is 36.082,

which dates it to 1954. It has steel-reeds in aluminium-frames and the typical hook-action.

 

The instrument weighs only 1.360 grams, which is about 200grams less than the same model

with brass-frames. Inside and outside it is in good original condition. No rust on the reeds!

 

It has quite a good action and a full and fairly loud tone. Of course it is in concert-pitch

( a=440 ). All notes play and it is in good playing order throughout. However it has been

played very little over the last 50 years, so some regular playing would certainly improve its

quality. It is up to personal taste, if the instrument should be fine-tuned or get new thumb-straps.

 

A couple of month ago I discovered the possibility to use this instrument as an alto-concertina

with very little change. Alto means, that the instrument will sound five notes down, when played

one row down with normal fingering. So it will play in F rather than C.

 

To change the system I have exchanged all B and Bflat reeds ( easy, as they have the same size ).

To complete the change, all Eflat-reeds would have to be tuned down to C# - which I did not do

yet to keep the option open to convert her back easily. There are alternative same notes on the

other side.

 

I liked the new range so much, that I bought the 48-key tenor and converted it completely.

 

I can sell the instrument as an alto ( without Eflat-change ) or normal tenor-treble.

 

More on the subject here: here at c-net

 

You can hear me play the instrument on youtube at:

 

Pics and my price-idea can be found here!

Edited by conzertino
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I am selling it, because I just bought a quite costly 48-key tenor and I do not need the two.

 

Do please tell us more about the new instrument you have purchased.

 

- John Wild

 

John, I eventually bought the tenor that Wim Wacker had for sale for quite some time ( see link )

 

I'm not a big friend of Wim's shiny finish and the action takes some getting used to, but it has a nice strong sound-quality and the response is almost as quick as that of my fastest treble.

 

According to Chris Alger altos only became popular in the thirties, when the salvation-army needed them. So I gave up my hope to find an alto-instrument from the "golden" period... ( if someone is selling an alto-Aeola below 31.500, please let me know! ;-)

 

I have of course converted her to "alto" by swapping the B and Bflat reeds and really enjoy playing all my old tunes in this new range ( 5 notes down ). To help the fingering ( one row down ) I have moved the finger-rests one screw-hole down.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I am selling it, because I just bought a quite costly 48-key tenor and I do not need the two.

 

Do please tell us more about the new instrument you have purchased.

 

- John Wild

 

John, I eventually bought the tenor that Wim Wacker had for sale for quite some time ( see link )

 

I'm not a big friend of Wim's shiny finish and the action takes some getting used to, but it has a nice strong sound-quality and the response is almost as quick as that of my fastest treble.

 

According to Chris Alger altos only became popular in the thirties, when the salvation-army needed them. So I gave up my hope to find an alto-instrument from the "golden" period... ( if someone is selling an alto-Aeola below 31.500, please let me know! ;-)

 

I have of course converted her to "alto" by swapping the B and Bflat reeds and really enjoy playing all my old tunes in this new range ( 5 notes down ). To help the fingering ( one row down ) I have moved the finger-rests one screw-hole down.

 

Why do you change the instrument instead of transposing the pieces 5 notes down which is easily performed with the help of an inexpensive notation program?

Juergen

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