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Author Topic: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?  (Read 25706 times)

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ceemonster

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #40 on: May 18, 2012, 11:19:28 AM »

[Would it not be more logical to compare your CBA to a Duet concertina than to either two row melodeons or concertinas, which are not aimed at the same use?]

i also referenced castagnari Lillys as probably being a better return for the money.  single-reed bisonoric instrument, superbly made, hand reeds, weighs about 3.5 pounds. costs about half what a newly-made concertina-reeded anglo costs, and about a quarter of a jeffries.

as for mentioning cba or duets, they're only "not aimed at the same use" if you are thinking rigidly about what they are used for.  (different issue, i'll grant, as to whether you have a strong preference for bisonoric articulation versus unisonoric.)  but unisonoric concertinas and cbas can be used to play the same music you play on anglo concertina or bisonoric melodeon.  compact single-voice cbas weighing just under  10 pounds, no hernias involved, can be had from $1000 to $2000, and you can play polkas or jigs and reels on them, but much, much more as well on top of that.  they articulate irish or other folk dance genres very authentically, they just articulate it in the manner of other air-driven but non-back-and-forth folk instruments such as flute, whistle, or pipes.  if you can live with that, a compact single-voice cba is a very, very good deal.  duets....i'm fascinated by them and would like to have one, but those prices are a-rising.

i'm not making an argument against anglo concertinas in any general sense. i like them.  i'm saying, the price tags on them are very high indeed for the musical scope they offer.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2012, 11:28:22 AM by ceemonster »
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waltzman

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #41 on: May 18, 2012, 02:01:59 PM »

The argument that a CBA (or a PA) offers much greater musical scope for less money is a seductive one but the fact remains that it is extremely difficult to play jigs and reels on these instruments with any where near the energy and lift you can get out of a melodeon.  Melodeons are very effective for what they are designed for and surprisingly versatile if you are not hung up on playing in a lot of different keys.
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Québécois

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #42 on: May 18, 2012, 02:53:09 PM »

Technically PA's and CBA's are NOT "accordions"! The word accordion was invented because the diatonic instrument plays notes "in accord" when squeezing or pulling on the bellows. Depress several buttons on the same row and the corresponding bass buttons and everything is in the same key when you squeeze or draw the bellows.

Not so with a PA or CBA!
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Theo

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #43 on: May 18, 2012, 03:16:24 PM »

That may have been the case in the mid 19th century when the instrument and the word were invented but both instruments and language have moved on a tad in the intervening century and a half ;)
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oggiesnr

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #44 on: May 18, 2012, 06:28:12 PM »


Didn't know that you can use a water cutter on wood, I suppose I presumed that liberally soaking a piece of wood would be counter-productive.


So is setting it on fire if you think about it  (:)

Essentially the water just goes straight through.  If you get splashing then you're not getting decent cutting.

Steve
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ceemonster

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #45 on: May 18, 2012, 11:54:38 PM »

[it is extremely difficult to play jigs and reels on these instruments with any where near the energy and lift you can get out of a melodeon. ]  jimmy keane and the people who jump up and down on the tabletop and break the glassware when he starts to play, would beg to differ with you....i believe there is also a glassware issue when clifton chenier jr. straps on his PA, as there certainly was in the case of his daddy....rumor has it they also hide the glassware when al yankovic enters the building....
« Last Edit: May 18, 2012, 11:58:47 PM by ceemonster »
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Owen Woods

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #46 on: May 19, 2012, 12:20:51 AM »


So is setting it on fire if you think about it  (:)

Essentially the water just goes straight through.  If you get splashing then you're not getting decent cutting.

Steve

This is undeniably true! :P
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Pete Dunk

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #47 on: May 20, 2013, 09:23:01 PM »

On the subject of laser cutting wooden concertina ends I would like to point out that Bill Crossland in Holmfirth has had many sets of replacement anglo ends lazer cut to restore badly damaged vintage instruments. I don't recall burnt edges being an issue but I do take the point that using heat to cut wood must result in some damage. I'll enquire and report back.

I'm agog to hear that a plasma cutter could be used to cut metal ends, the only one I've ever seen in action could cut through 4mm stainless steel as fast as you could move it along by hand against a straight edge but took out a good 2mm wide strip of metal along the way, rather like a table saw does when cutting wood.
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malcolmbebb

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #48 on: May 20, 2013, 10:47:03 PM »

I have a set of these ends. Haven't done anything with them but I can't remember thinking there was any problem when I got them back.
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oggiesnr

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Re: Concertinas, Good Bad and the Ugly ?
« Reply #49 on: May 20, 2013, 11:09:45 PM »

On the subject of laser cutting wooden concertina ends I would like to point out that Bill Crossland in Holmfirth has had many sets of replacement anglo ends lazer cut to restore badly damaged vintage instruments. I don't recall burnt edges being an issue but I do take the point that using heat to cut wood must result in some damage. I'll enquire and report back.

I'm agog to hear that a plasma cutter could be used to cut metal ends, the only one I've ever seen in action could cut through 4mm stainless steel as fast as you could move it along by hand against a straight edge but took out a good 2mm wide strip of metal along the way, rather like a table saw does when cutting wood.

As with all cutting it's in the settings of the equipment.  I use a fretsaw and blades vary from 00 to 13 with the latter taking out over five times the amount of the former and cutting very rounded angles (unless you use the 'correct' in and out techniques which are quite time consuming)

With lasers it's a question of the intensity and the speed of the burn.  It's also an issue as to whether they've bothered to clean up the surfaces afterwards.

Steve
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