No. 15: A Bass G/D Anglo
My fifteenth concertina was a bass G/D anglo, i.e. one that plays one octave lower than a standard G/D like No. 6, with 34 buttons and five latchable drone levers.
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No. 14: A 48 Button Viennese Duet
My fourteenth concertina was a small, lightweight, 48 button duet with an unusual keyboard layout inspired by an antique Viennese concertina. We modified the concept slightly by giving the instrument the same keyboard curve, spacing, and hand rails/straps as a Crane duet rather than the slanted straight rows and English-style thumb straps and finger grips of the Viennese original. We felt this change improved the ergonomics as well as freeing up all four fingers to be used for playing.
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No. 13: A 40 Button Müller English
My thirteenth concertina was a beautiful English concertina with Müller-style keyboard and hand rests/straps, plus some additional thumb-operated bass drone buttons.
Specification
- 40 buttons: 18 treble + two bass buttons on the left, and 19 treble + 1 bass button on the right. Also has an air button on the left.
- Six sides, 6 1/3″ (161mm) wide.
- 5.7mm diameter nickel-silver capped buttons with domed profile.
- 3mm button height and 3mm button travel (buttons stop flush with end plate).
- 2:1 action lever ratio giving 6mm pad lift.
- Three bass drones operated by 10.6mm diameter flat topped nickel-silver capped thumb buttons.
- Brass reed frames with long scale steel tongues, except for the bass reeds which are extra-long and have phosphor-bronze tongues.
- Brass sheet riveted action levers.
- Full-width flat nickel silver end plates with crimped edges.
- Extra-fine hand cut fretwork with custom decorative elements and hand engraving.
- Dark red button bushing cloth.
- Black bog-oak thick-veneered action box sides.
- Solid bog-oak hand and thumb rests.
- Seven fold black goatskin leather bellows, fully leather covered.
- Real gold tooling on the bellows ends.
- French polished external woodwork.
- Hand engraved silver decorative inlays on the hand rests.
- Sycamore reed pans with parallel chambers and multiple chamber depths.
- Tuned Equal Temperament, A=440Hz.
- Weight: 1600g
- Special hand made brown leather hexagonal hard case.
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No. 12: A 40 Button Maccann Duet
My twelfth concertina was a special 40 button Maccann Duet with some custom ergonomic features.
Specification
- 40 buttons (+ air): 20 notes per side, one octave apart
- Lowest note on left hand is G3
- Six sides, 6 3/8″ wide
- 3/16″ diameter brass capped buttons
- 2mm button height and travel (buttons stop flush with end plate)
- Air button in right thumb position, 8mm high
- Black button bushing cloth
- Amboyna veneered end plates and walls
- Thuya burr, ogee profile borders
- Thuya burr handrails, extra tall with curved top and adjustable position
- All external woodwork stained dark red and French polished
- Flat ends with fancy fretwork
- Seven fold plain black goatskin bellows
- Black imitation leather bellows papers
- Aluminium alloy reed frames
- Aluminium alloy action levers
- Long scale steel reeds on both sides
- Radial sloped sycamore reed pans with no inner reed chambers
- Bach/Lehman tuning, A=440Hz
- Weight: 1305g
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