For sale now
Reserved
48-key treble Lachenal New Model
This is an exceptional example of Lachenal's New Model, which I'm selling on behalf of a customer.
I restored it some 5 years ago, with new pads, valves, bushes and straps. At the same time I refinished the woodwork in French polish, tuned the instrument to modern concert pitch, and made and fitted new bellows. (I'm a big fan of the New Model - it's basically an Edeophone without the fancy clothes. But it does have one common fault - the original bellows never seem to open as far as they should. That's why I nearly always replace them.)
5 years on from restoration, this one is in remarkably fine fettle. It looks gorgeous, with beautifully figured rosewood veneers, and it's a lovely player too - fast and loud, but without the harshness of its metal-ended brethren.
Finally, it comes complete with a fitted Peli Storm hard case. (If you're planning a trip up the Orinoco, this is just the case you need!)
Price: £1750
Click on any gallery picture to enlarge it.
Click on any gallery picture to enlarge it.
8-sided Crabb 64-key tenor-extended treble
Made in 1931, this is a rare example of a Crabb "Aeola", made even rarer by the amboyna veneers, gold-plated buttons and fittings, and tan leather bellows and straps.
It offers a range of four and a half octaves, which includes the bottom end from a tenor-treble, and the top end from an extended treble, and it is every bit as fast and responsive as you would expect of a top-quality vintage Crabb,
It has been the subject of a comprehensive restoration, with new pads, valves, bushes and springs. New wrist and thumb-straps have been fitted, the bellows have had a cosmetic re-bind, and the woodwork has been refinished in French polish. Finally, it has, of course, been tuned to Modern Concert Pitch (A=440Hz).
On the minus side, the left-hand end has had some slightly agricultural repairs to the fretwork, but it is sound and solid, and I thought it better to leave honest repairs visible than to try to disguise them. (And these imperfections are reflected in the price.)
It plays beautifully, and it could well be many years before you see another one like it offered for sale.
Price: NOW ONLY £2850
Click on any gallery picture to enlarge it.