Now Sold – thanks Theo!
It’s a 56 key extended treble Lachenal English Concertina – made for the retailer Harry Boyd of Newcastle. These concertinas were made to a high specification and are very bright with good response – also easily identifiable through the ‘H Boyd’ in the fretwork design on the right hand side. It’s number 39851 which puts it somewhere around 1900.
Concert pitch, raised metal ends, bowing valves (air in & out), five fold bellows, light action (standard Lachenal hook), original(?) wood case.
I purchased this instrument from Barleycorn ~1994 and it was refurbished at or before this point. It’s also been rebushed and bellows rehinged since then and the long thumbstrap screws replaced with bolts. I’ve used it as my main instrument for over 12 years but I’ve recently got hold of an instrument I’ve been after for over ten years. This one turned up in Yorkshire but it turns out I used to live about 3 miles from it’s previous previous owner. It’s been bashed about a fair bit and needs a full overhaul – all which means I will have to sell my current back up instrument.
It sounds like this: [audio:http://milecastle27.co.uk/wordpress/audio/SevenStars001.mp3|titles=Seven Stars * Dunstanburgh Castle][audio:http://milecastle27.co.uk/wordpress/audio/SilverWings001.mp3|titles=Silver Wings Polka]
It’s not the instrument on my CD – but it sounds very similar! If you want to buy this concertina get along to Theo Gibb of The Box Place
I’m off to Aberdeen for a weekend of free reed indulgence. Ian Russell of the Elphinstone Institute at Aberdeen University organizes the ‘Button Boxes & Moothies Free Reed Convention‘ that runs every four years. It’s a great line-up of concertina, accordion and mouth organ players and I’m very happy to join them.