Alex

Chief cook and bottle washer.

No. 6: A 38 Button G/D Anglo

Anglo, Blackbird /

My latest instrument is a 38 button G/D anglo, with raised metal ends.

Here is its full specification:

  • 38 button + air Jeffries layout Anglo in the keys of G/D.
  • Six sides, 6 1/4″ wide.
  • Six fold black goatskin bellows with 1 1/8″ deep cards and Pictish key pattern bellows papers.
  • Traditional long scale steel reeds in brass frames.
  • Laminated maple parallel-chamber reed pans.
  • Black walnut burr veneer sides with Rocklite Ebano borders and decorative stripes.
  • Solid English walnut curved-top handrails (plus a spare set with straight tops).
  • Brass riveted action levers.
  • Sycamore pad/action boards.
  • Raised inset nickel silver end plates with hidden fixing screws.
  • 3/16″ nickel silver capped buttons with acetal cores.
  • 3mm button travel (giving 6mm pad lift at a 2:1 action lever ratio).
  • Black wool bushings.
  • Nickel plating on all external metalwork apart from stainless steel bushing board screws.
  • Weight: 1484g.
  • Italian hard case with custom fitted corner blocks.

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No. 6: A 38 Button G/D AngloRead More »

No. 4: A 44 Button Crane Duet

Crane, Duet /

My latest instrument is another Crane duet, this time a traditional-looking 44 button (+ air) with 6 1/4″ hexagonal ends.

Here is its full specification:

  • 44+1 button Crane layout with Butterworth curve and slightly narrowed column spacing.
  • Six sides.
  • Weight: 1170g.
  • Seven fold plain black goatskin bellows.
  • Black walnut burr veneer with black Rocklite Ebano border inlay.
  • Ebonized beech handrails with integral strap fixings.
  • French polished finish.
  • 6082-T6 aluminium reed frames with steel reed tongues.
  • Standard scale reeds on the left hand, long scale on the right hand.
  • Sycamore radial tapered reed pans.
  • Sycamore action boards.
  • Brass sheet riveted action levers.
  • 3/16″ nickel silver capped buttons with acetal cores.
  • 2mm button travel (giving 4mm pad lift at 2:1 action lever ratio).
  • Black wool bushings.
  • Tuning: 1/5 comma meantone with root note A=440Hz.
  • Includes some modifications to standard Crane layout, such as the addition of left hand A2, Bb2, and B2 notes, and right hand B3.

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No. 4: A 44 Button Crane DuetRead More »