Wheatstone Concertina Restoration

[Phantom Button]

Last year at this time I had a complete restoration done of my Anglo C/G Wheatstone Linota. I had seen Wim Wakker's high-end concertina he builds and had a chance to examine it thoroughly, and based on that made my decision to go with him for the badly needed restoration. My phone conversations were extremely edifying and his overall knowledge and understanding of the minutia involved with concertina physics gave me further confidence that I had selected the right man for the job. It has been a year now and I play my concertina daily giving it a good workout between vigorous practicing and a fairly busy gig and session schedule and I haven't experienced any problems other than a reed becoming dislodged from the slot on one occasion... something that happened more frequently before the job was done. As a result of the work, the improved action has provided me with a platform to improve my playing and the tuning and tone has made my playing more bearable for onlookers and listeners. If anyone is considering to have restoration done on your coveted antique... I highly recommend Wim Wakker for his attention to detail, highly skilled and prompt work. For all that he did to my instrument I found the price very reasonable as well. My concertina showed up at his shop in dire condition going into triage and emerging a short time later playing like it did when it rolled off the assembly line at the Wheatstone factory in 1925.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Gilder

San Francisco

[shelly0312]

....your included picture is worthy of enlargement and framing... beautiful study. Michelle

[Phantom Button]

....your included picture is worthy of enlargement and framing... beautiful study. Michelle

 

Thanks, Michelle, it was a photo that a friend took at Lark Camp this year and he took many that deserve respect. It was last year at the same camp when my concertina seemed to gasp for its last breath. I have a photo from last year of me desperately trying to repair the unrepairable whilst tunes were being played in the same room late into the night... very frustrating. That was what prompted me to finally give up and find someone to restore it properly... which I did immediately following Camp.