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Can Anyone Add Anything About My Crabb Anglo?


DerekR

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Good day to you all.

 

I own, in my small collection, a Crabb 30 key anglo. I have been trawling through many items about Crabb Tinas, but have managed to uncover just a small amount of information, as opposed to the small mountain of info I have uncovered about my two Wheatstones.

 

Details:

 

The oval plate on the Right side states "H Crabb Maker 158 Liverpool Road London"

There is no plate on the LHS, but the serial number 8577 is stamped onto the underside of the reed pan, and also on the side of the bellows ends. There is also a hand written number "1285" along with the words "6 fold" on the bellows end.

 

It was supplied originally by JT Vickers of 82 Royal Hill, Greenwich, London (The company stamp is on the underside of the reed pan), to a person who seemingly wrote his name and address inside the tina as "R Frewin 490 Ripple Road, Barking"

 

From what I have managed to gleen from various sites on the web, this info appears to date the instrument at around the turn of the last centaury.

 

Do any of you good folks have any further information regarding the Crabb brand that may help me peice together a bit more of this instruments history?

 

I have emailed this information to Geoff Crabb, hoping that he may shed some light as to the actual aged of the box, and also help him to some degree in building his database of Crabb instruments.

 

Kind Regards

 

Derek

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Derek,

Geoff Crabb will be the one to supply definitive information on your instrument.

 

I might add that Geoff has always been generous with his wealth of information not only about Crabb family concertinas but all aspects of the instrument and its workings as well. He is a wonderful resource to all of us who take an interest in the concertina.

 

I will share with you that I have a 30b Bb/F H. Crabb with a serial # of 8340. If my memory serves I was told it dates to 1890. (Perhaps Geoff would be kind enough to comment on that as well.) It is quite similar to Jeffries of that period (or should we more properly say, "The Jeffries of that period were quite similar to the Crabbs"?)

 

Here is a picture of mine (Photo compliments of Gavin Davenport). A picture of yours would be helpful to us all.

 

Regards,

 

Greg

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Thanks for the reply Greg.

 

I'm just getting the hang of this techo lark - adding images took a little bit longer than I thought!!

You can see in one of the images, a blurred bit of my Wheatstone Anglo with one end off - it's just getting a bit of a clean-up at the moment!

 

I also own a Wheatstone 46 Key Duet, which I was taught to play by my Grandad way back in 1970. The duet was his from new - Serial No 30521 dated July 1927.

 

post-1003-1171813335_thumb.jpgpost-1003-1171813289_thumb.jpg

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Thanks for the compliments Greg

 

I was admiring your Crabb too - was thinking just how much bellows papers add to the instrument.

 

After my small restoration job currently under way on my Wheatstone anglo, I will be cracking open the Crabb and giving it some TLC. A bit of boot polish after some scuff cote dye on the bellows helps keep them in tip top order - a couple of hours of elbow grease on the end plates helps the appearence etc...

 

My Grandfather was Royal Navy and took his Duet with him every where, and the thing even survived a sinking in 1941 (I can't remember which ship) on the Atlantic Convoys. My Grandad made certain the Wheatstone didn't go to the bottom!!

 

He taught me Military marches (a whole myriad of them) and Hymns. I belive the first tune I ever learned was "The Old Rugged Cross" (brings my old mother to tears whenever I play that one).

 

I fell away from playing it for a few years after a messy divorce, but last year, I rediscovered the concertina, and my old rusty fingers took all of 30 seconds to run around the keyboard. (Took me about 30 mins back on an anglo).

 

I had forgotten what pleasure creation of music on a suberbly crafted instrument gives. I am currently experimenting with a wide variety of music attempting to recreate old music hall melodies and modern classics (from Country/Blues through to rock and roll) in a style of my own.

 

Time will tell if I am successful.

 

The email sent to geoff Crabb has been returned to me as user not identified. I have checked the address from this site and it was sent as given. I will try to find him by other means.

Derek

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Derek,

I believe Geoff, smart man that he is, prefers using his time to build concertinas rather than being on the computor. But he seems very thorough, so I think it is only a matter of time before he checks concertina.net and your post catches his eye.

 

This doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying to reach him by email; but I'm sure with patience you will get all the information he has to share.

 

What a wonderful legacy from your grandad for you to continue! I for one would love to hear some of your marches. Concertina.net has a forum for recordings when and if you are ready to set them down to share.

 

The Reuben Shaw DVD from Garland Films has a number of hymns done on the Maccann duet.

http://www.concertina.com/callaghan/reuben...video/index.htm

You may find Barry Callaghan's archival work interesting and the http://www.concertina.com/

site has a wealth of concertina information with a special emphasis on Maccann duet.

 

Welcome to concertina.net and we hope to hear more about your renewed concertina adventures.

 

Greg

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Hi Derek

 

I do not know why your email was returned but I offer the following:

 

From the records, 8577 was made in 1897. However there is a slight anomaly with this instrument in that I would have expected it to bear the J Crabb stamp in a smilarly shaped cartouche as Gregs, a typical John Crabb Anglo of 1890. The H Crabb name in an oval cartouche was in use from 1903 until about 1926 when it changed to H Crabb & Son until closure.

My supposition is that the instrument may have born metal hand rests originally. It was a common problem that rough usage of the instrument resulted in these handrests being pulled away resulting in damage to the end plates or at least the right one and this was replaced at some later date. As stated above this repair could have been done anytime between 1903 and 1926. Wood hand rests are now common to many early and most later instruments.

 

I have entered the details and picture of your instrument on the database, thanks.

 

The Crabb family business was established in 1860 and continued till 1989.

 

It is unlikely that your instrument was supplied originally by Vickers, probably it was sold as a used instrument. The number on the bellows is indicative of a Vickers repair job number and may relate to a new bellows (probable as lack of papers) at some time or other repairs. The majority of Vickers repairs, reed replacement etc. were carried out by Crabbs.

 

I hope this meets your enquiry.

 

Geoff

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Good Day to you Geoff

 

Many thanks for that valuable information about my Anglo.

 

I have to say that despite it's age, it still plays beautifully. A true mark of a quality manufactured product.

 

Living history indeed.

 

Regards

 

Derek

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