Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Thrupenny Bit]

Hi All,
Being new to the melodeon, I was wondering of there is a specific way of identifying your own melodeon.
i.e. my concertinas have a serial number on one end so each is uniquely identified.

A quick look at the outside of my Tommy has drawn a blank - do they have a serial number on the inside somewhere?
Do all makers do ths, or is it only some?

It's just i've seen a new Facebook page going up from someone of this parish as an attempt at keeping track of lost or stolen instruments, so it's got me wondering how to specifically identify my box!

Am off to practise now.....    and 

.....will catch up tomorrow evening
cheers
Q

[Broadland Boy]

My newly aquired Liliput has a serial no. stamped prominently into the bass end pearloid, The Preciosa recently noted as on Ebay had a number quoted so presumably the same, however neither my pokerwork or 4 stop 1 row have anything stamped inside or out that I have seen but a few pencilled numbers inside which may well be assembly / batch i/ds or repair nos like watch and clockmakers tend to use. (there doesn't appear to be a published register of Hohner s/n's against date)

Interesting regarding concertinas, my late Lachenal had a stick on paper label with a printed serial no inside the fretting, visible but protected and most that I have looked at closely appeaar to have similar.

I would suggest burning (pyrograph pen, soldering iron, heated nail) or indelible marker somewhere inside an identifier, the police seem to recommend postcode and house number IIRC

Theo, Rees or Microbot must have seen the innards and outards of hundreds of boxes of all makes will probably know what makers other than Hohner do or did 

Richard

[Theo]

I've seen numbers on Hohners,  I think only from prior to WW2, but I don't know of any data on serial numbers that would tell you age, or anything else.   Some older Italian boxes are numbered, but again I don't think there is any info on what the numbers mean. 

From a security point of view it must be worth recording any serial numbers that do exist. 

I would suggest burning (pyrograph pen, soldering iron, heated nail) or indelible marker somewhere inside an identifier, the police seem to recommend postcode and house number IIRC

I think it's much better to use an invisible ink pen (UV pen) to record postcode etc then a thief is much less likely to attempt to remove the mark.

[Thrupenny Bit]

 
just returned from practise - and couldn't resist a quick peek at the forum!

Hmmmm.... will give my box another good look over this time, maybe wearing my glasses too

Theo - I find that quite remarkable, I'd have put money on something inside somewhere, how strange!

Perhaps a marker pen is the way forward, I can't bring myself to put a hot iron onto my lovely wood 
....but some marking must be good in the case of loss one way or the other.

Ok..... off for a kip!
Night all
Q
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[rees]

Castagnaris have the month and year of manufacture stamped inside.
Sometimes under the grille and sometimes inside the treble casing.

Wessons have the date and serial number inside the bass end.

[aflanderas]

I've seen numbers on Hohners,  I think only from prior to WW2, but I don't know of any data on serial numbers that would tell you age, or anything else.   Some older Italian boxes are numbered, but again I don't think there is any info on what the numbers mean. 

From a security point of view it must be worth recording any serial numbers that do exist. 

There is what seems to be a serial number stamped on my Chinese Pokerwork underneath the grill. The number also matches the number on the quality control tag that was on it when it was new, so maybe only certain batches get numbered when they go through QC. It might also just be that Hohner use multiple sources in the east, and that the different factories do things differently in that respect.

-Anders

[Lester]

There is what seems to be a serial number stamped on my Chinese Pokerwork underneath the grill. The number also matches the number on the quality control tag that was on it when it was new, so maybe only certain batches get numbered when they go through QC. It might also just be that Hohner use multiple sources in the east, and that the different factories do things differently in that respect.

-Anders

Hi Anders - welcome to mel net

[aflanderas]

Hi Anders - welcome to mel net

Thanks Lester. I've been lurking for a while - this site's pretty much been the kick start from me 'playing about a bit with a melodeon-like-object' to actually trying to learn to play properly .

I've seen numbers on Hohners,  I think only from prior to WW2, but I don't know of any data on serial numbers that would tell you age, or anything else.   

The current lack of data on age might not be insurmountable.

If the serial numbers run consecutively, it would probably be possible to work out at least rough dates for instruments of unknown age, using a few instruments where the manufacture date is known as a reference point. You'd also need at least an approximate idea of the annual output from Hohner as well, but I would think that there are probably records somewhere of that. This is how a lot of Lachenal concertinas are approximately dated I believe.

It could be an interesting little project to take a look at (well, probably quite a big project actually - given how many melodeons Hohner have made over the years). If only I had the time and a whole load of prewar hohners to get the data from...

-Anders

[HallelujahAl]

I think it's important to note for identification purposes if your box has any distinguishing marks
 

[Broadland Boy]

But Al, I thought that you had Theo de-rusticate this box hence annonymizing it amongst the throng 

[HallelujahAl]

Yes, but I've decided to keep the bird droppings - so in keeping with my new image 

[Thrupenny Bit]

Rees: Thanks for the info about Castagnari's.
So far I haven't ventured inside it, but no doubt will at some point!
I'm still a bit....nervous, but no suspect I'll get bored at some point!
cheers
Q

[Québécois]

It's interesting to see what we find inside many (old) melodeons... hand written numbers, names, and sometimes dates!

[Andy Simpson]

It's interesting to see what we find inside many (old) melodeons... hand written numbers, names, and sometimes dates!

On the underside of the soundboard of my first guitar I wrote, "If you can read this then that was one hell of an accident or you've really ballsed this up".

I read that message again as I removed the top after I realised I'd put the bridge plate too far forward...

[Thrupenny Bit]

Quebecois:
You can someytimes find similar jottings and things inside concertinas, the odd note, or mark to signify how the end plates fit in, and also amazing displays of workmanship.
I've one that has had an optional button left out. I had no idea until I opened it up once and noticed the end had a barely discernable ring where the optional air hole should have been. They had even matched the wood grain, so much so that it took several openings before I noticed it. Simply immaculate workmanship on an area that would never have been seen. True crafstmanship.
.....but the serial number was a nice silver plate inscribed, on the outside.
Many years ago I remember chatting to ( argh forgot his name! ), but a now ex -Seven Champion who used to play a similar concertina to mine but then went onto single row melodeon. He's known on here I think ...
He had done some silver smithing/jewelry work and cast an expert monacled eye over my concertina and said the end plates ( serial number one end, maker the other ) were hand engraved. These would have cost a fortune nowadays just to hand engrave!
The workmanship in some old instruments is quite staggering.
anyway, I'm drifting here!
cheers
Q