In the pipeline
In the pipeline
48-key Wheatstone baritone English
Made in 1914, this is a lovely example of a 6-sided Wheatstone baritone, with raised ends, riveted action, 7-fold bellows and a wonderfully mellow wooden-ended sound.
The layout is identical to a treble, but an octave lower... with one exception: where you would expect to find a low G# on the right hand, this is one of those that goes right down to a window-rattling F natural.
It will be offered with new pads, valves, dampers, bushes and straps, woodwork, stripped and refinished in French polish, and reeds tuned to modern concert pitch (A=440Hz).
Guide price: £3500
Generally speaking, I don't buy concertinas at auction, because I object not only to the rapacious rates of Buyer's Premium, but also to the principle - I've never understood why auctioneers expect to be paid twice for the same job.
However, this one looked really good in the pictures, and I was not disappointed!
It turned out to be one of the finest treble Edeophones that has ever passed through my hands - probably because, some years ago, it passed through the hands of Colin Dipper, who appears to have replaced all pads and valves, and tuned it to modern concert pitch. It is fast, responsive, and astonishingly loud!
The bellows are airtight, and the fretwork undamaged. In fact, the only minor challenges are cosmetic, in the form of hairline shrinkage cracks in the veneers of the end covers.. These will be remedied before I refinish all the woodwork in French polish.
If you're looking for a top Eddie, it could be a few years before you find one as
good as this.
Guide price: £3000
48-key Edeophone treble
Given that you could probably count the players of the Jeffries Duet system without taking your socks off, I'm not expecting an avalanche of enquiries for this one.
However, if you are one of the blessed few, this one is well worth a look. 58 keys
give it much more versatility than its smaller brethren, and it's in lovely, original condition, with airtight 7-fold bellows, undamaged woodwork, and a stonking set of Jeffries reeds.
It will, of course, have new pads, valves, bushes, dampers and straps, and it will be tuned to modern concert pitch (A=440Hz). The other attractive feature is the price-tag, because I'd much rather it went to someone who will love it, than have it sitting on my shelves for the next year or two.
Guide price: £3000
58-key Jeffries Bros Duet