box players: something you don't see every day

rh · Post by rh » Fri Nov 05, 2004 11:48 am

Wombat wrote:
glauber wrote: I'm not even sure if anyone is making real concertinas these days. There may be one or 2 makers. Most of what you see are antiques.
Richard Evans makes real concertinas. (I have one.) So does Colin Dipper I believe. Both have waiting lists that are seriously daunting.

suttner and wheatstone, also. still only something on the order of a half-dozen or so. in view of the labor-intensiveness of the task, it is amazing that they are making them at all given the size of the market.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:05 pm

Wombat wrote:
glauber wrote: I'm not even sure if anyone is making real concertinas these days. There may be one or 2 makers. Most of what you see are antiques.
Richard Evans makes real concertinas. (I have one.) So does Colin Dipper I believe. Both have waiting lists that are seriously daunting.

These are the 2 i had in mind. Wait lists of about 5 years, right?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:27 pm

glauber wrote:
Wombat wrote:
glauber wrote: I'm not even sure if anyone is making real concertinas these days. There may be one or 2 makers. Most of what you see are antiques.
Richard Evans makes real concertinas. (I have one.) So does Colin Dipper I believe. Both have waiting lists that are seriously daunting.
These are the 2 i had in mind. Wait lists of about 5 years, right?

Yep, about that. The lists are getting longer rather than shorter too.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:38 pm

rh wrote:suttner and wheatstone, also.

These are also handmade.

Suttner: http://www.suttnerconcertinas.com/
Wheatstone is being made by Steve Dickinson

I looked a lot into concertinas when i was thinking about picking up a second instrument (main = flute), but decided it was too expensive to get a good one (too expensive as a second instrument). I just got started on mandolin, instead.

I love the sound a concertina makes. Totally different from an accordion (closer to mouth harmonica), IMHO. I love the small size too. Very cool.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:10 pm

" i was thinking about picking up a second instrument (main = flute), but decided it was too expensive to get a good one (too expensive as a second instrument). I just got started on mandolin, instead. " Sez Glauber.

Look no further.

Slan,
D.

P.S. there are those that would argue that Mandolin is the back door to fiddling,but I would disagree.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:21 pm

dubhlinn wrote:there are those that would argue that Mandolin is the back door to fiddling,but I would disagree.

...tuned the same, fingered very much the same, I can see an argument for the 'back door' statement. But I wouldn't suggest learning to play the mandolin as a way to learn the fiddle...I play both, and finger pressure on the strings is of each vastly different...the fiddle requiring a lighter touch.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:26 pm

And then there is the small matter of the Bow.....

Slan,
D.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:37 pm

...bow? THAT'S what I've been fogetting all these years! Silly moi!

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 7:04 pm

Is there something different between the strings on the fiddle versus the strings on the mandolin? I've tried dubhlinn's suggestion of using the bow on the mandolin, and its just ripping the s**t out of my bow.

djm

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 10:30 pm

djm wrote:Is there something different between the strings on the fiddle versus the strings on the mandolin? I've tried dubhlinn's suggestion of using the bow on the mandolin, and its just ripping the s**t out of my bow.

You probably have your strings tuned sharp.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 10:48 pm

rh wrote:
Wombat wrote:
glauber wrote: I'm not even sure if anyone is making real concertinas these days. There may be one or 2 makers. Most of what you see are antiques.
Richard Evans makes real concertinas. (I have one.) So does Colin Dipper I believe. Both have waiting lists that are seriously daunting.
suttner and wheatstone, also. still only something on the order of a half-dozen or so. in view of the labor-intensiveness of the task, it is amazing that they are making them at all given the size of the market.

I can't recall having heard good things about Suttners but, since Steve Dickinson took over, Wheatstones have regained their reputation as first-rate instruments. I haven't played a Dickinson Wheatstone yet but I'm pretty sure I'd like it. At one time, Richard Evans was going to make a Wheatstone style instrument for me but I think he's probably shifted the order to someone else now.

Bob Tedrow · Post by **Bob Tedrow** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 3:40 pm

if Bob Tedrow is still reading these posts, i'm sure he would be helpful in this. my understanding is that the reed profile is different, and that combined with other factors -- reed pan layouts for example -- helps give

I check in now and then. There is a difference in timbre in the two styles, Accordion style reed frames and Traditional reed frames. Both reeds are steel.

There is a difference in timbre when comparing a Dipper to a bone button metal end Lachenal as well.

The presence of one type of reed frame vs another does not indicate a good playing and reponsive musical instrument. There are plenty of poopy playing Lachenal concertinas with traditional reed frames.

I make traditional reeds and reed pans as well. I estimate one half of the labor in a Traditional style concertina is in carving, fitting and setting the reeds.

My traditional reed concertinas take almost twice or more the time to build than the accordion reed style..so they cost more in the end.

I will continue to make accordion style reeded instruments as long as the demand for them continues to be high.

Bob Tedrow
http://hmi.homewood.net

Caj · Post by **Caj** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 4:55 pm

Wombat wrote: I can't recall having heard good things about Suttners but, since Steve Dickinson took over, Wheatstones have regained their reputation as first-rate instruments.

Michael Rooney plays a Suttner, which of course sounds fantastic. I've tried a couple of them myself, and I am deeply impressed by their workmanship.

Suttner makes replicas of Jeffries and Wheatstone instruments, designed to have that old-fashioned sound everyone is after. From hearing people play them, I'd say that they meet that goal very well.

I might have bought one if I had the chance, but every time I've seen one it was a Jeffries replica, and I prefer the closer spacing of the Wheatstone. I ended up buying a relatively young Crabb that was very close to what I wanted in just about every respect.

Bob, you make concertina reeds?? Wow!

Caj

Bob Tedrow · Post by **Bob Tedrow** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:11 pm

Caj wrote: Bob, you make concertina reeds?? Wow!

Caj

I've been making them for some time now. I do not offer the instruments for sale yet, maybe in mid to late 2005. No hurry, they have to be just right you know.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:19 pm

Bob T, is there anywhere that I can get practical information on making these reeds, or is it all top secret? I have read several articles at Concertina.net, but they tend to say a lot without actually revealing anything (at least, that I can understand).

Thx,

djm