Wheatstone anglo special

[gavdav]

Hi Gav,

I'm just wondering now if the way I play Athole Highlanders and Cock of the North in A on my GD Baffetti bears any relationship to the way you play in A on your anglo. I couldn't explain how I do it. My fingers can't talk and they haven't figured out how to translate what they do on musical keyboards to what they do on computer keyboards.

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve - a difficult question to answer. I had a go at playing them this morning in A and there was a lot of bellows reversal or uncomfortable fingering patterns. Following on from what we've talked about previously I just swapped the A and B reeds over onthat extra button on the D row - it does mean it duplicates the directions on the G row but means A is now just one button over on the D row and you have the key triplet in one direction ( the pull). You can chord it then quite easily on the G row, lefthand on the pull, plus I have an A drone to go at - I've made a quick video but it is fourteen megs and I don't now how to link to it... if you can bear a file that size I'll send it to you (and anyone else who cares!) Actually - hang on - I can post it on youtube now I think of it. One day I'll take down my bad movies and replace them with competent versions

 

here's the link -

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBo9b5t10f4

[nkgibbs]

Steve's 61 button seems to be the Anglo Daddy; my 50 button is pygmy by comparison.

Neil

Edited January 27, 2010 by nkgibbs

[gavdav]

Steve's 61 button seems to be the Anglo Daddy; my 50 button is pygmy by comparison.

Neil

 

I have a 50 key as well - half an inch smaller than that monster of steve's across the flats,but a very different layout to yours.

 

 

I've seen a thread some time back about big boxes -

 

JimLucas, on Jun 25 2004, 01:34 PM, said:

you might consider tracking down the custom anglo that Ron Shuttleworth had made for him many years ago, to see if the current owner would like to sell. As I recall, it had 60-odd buttons with 3 or 4 "central" keys. I think Crabb built it for him. When I saw it (about 30 years ago) he said he wanted to sell it, because he had decided it was too heavy to be practical.

 

It sounds a bit like a (duet-sized) Wheatstone Aeola anglo that Paul Davies had about ten years ago. A wonderful machine, but hard work to play. The story was that It had been made in the 1920's for a boxer.

 

Not sure about Ron's box - but might it even outsize Steve's??? And who knows where that 20s wheatstone is? Both of mine were made in 1926 - page 50 of the ledger down the bottom...

Edited January 27, 2010 by gavdav

[Steve Gardham]

How far back are we going with Ron's 60+er? I told Gav offline that when I bought my 61er from Crabbs about 1970 he also had what appeared to be an even bigger box certainly with about 4 curved rows on each side. It had ebony ends and mb and was either aeola or edeophone. It could have been Jeffries duet as I didn't play it, only saw it on the shelf. It may have just been built or was in for repair.

[Steve Gardham]

Hi Neil,

Where are you and can we please have details/pics of your 50er?

[gavdav]

We could do with a new "boxzilla" thread for these things

 

Someone mentioned there were "numerous" AG duets in the wheatsone ledgers, but I haven't seen very many - I guess they would all fall into this category.

 

Steve - there is a link inside Neil's thread to his pics.

Edited January 29, 2010 by gavdav

[Steve Gardham]

Hi Gav,

Yes, thanks, I managed to find it after I'd posted. It looks a lot like yours. Wouldn't it be great to have a get together of the big-anglo club so we can try out each other's monsters?

 

What does 'status' mean on the profile page? Married/unmarried? I'm not sure what a lot of the categories mean on there. Probably because I'm not American and only taught EnglishEnglish for 30-odd years.

[Paul Read]

Great stuff Steve - forgotten how big that thing is - the two left hand thumb keys seems like an eminently sensible idea which you would think might have cropped up on more smaller instruments. Looking at those pics makes my 46 key seem positively dainty!

 

 

Some of the old Jones anglos had two thumb buttons. I've had a couple pass through my hands.

[nkgibbs]

Hi Gav,

Yes, thanks, I managed to find it after I'd posted. It looks a lot like yours. Wouldn't it be great to have a get together of the big-anglo club so we can try out each other's monsters?

 

What does 'status' mean on the profile page? Married/unmarried? I'm not sure what a lot of the categories mean on there. Probably because I'm not American and only taught EnglishEnglish for 30-odd years.

 

 

Dear Steve,

Further details of my 50b are now (hopefully, I am pretty new to this webbuilding lark) on www.concertina.biz (Lachenal #97477).

Regards,

Neil

[Steve Gardham]

Hi Neil

Nice website. Some interesting boxes.

 

Cheers,

Steve

[nkgibbs]

Hi Neil

Nice website. Some interesting boxes.

 

Cheers,

Steve

 

 

Thanks Steve,

 

There are more boxes to follow but all this webbuilding lark takes time (for an old git) to get used to.

 

Regards

Neil

[gavdav]

Hi all - in response to Steve's questions and my own curiosity I started looking through the Wheatstone ledgers to see how many of these things exist(ed). Now, the ledgers are nto very consistent in their labelling of things - I own 30995 and 30998 and both are distinctly the same system - three anglo rows and one duet row - but one is labelled AG Duet and the Other AG Octo - so I have included here a few of the unusually large anglos I spotted as well, like Steve's. I'd be interested if anyone has one of these and can pass on any more info, but here is half an hour's worth of trawling.

 

If, as someone suggested, the AG duets were in fact Jeffries system duets, does anyone own a wheatstone Jeffires Duet to help confirm this supposition?

 

Sadly steve - you're not unique And I think 31693 is currently leading the boxzilla stakes.I've included a bit of info - what the ledger refers to em as, how many keys and if I know who has it Be nice if anyone wants to or can add to this.

 

28474 -48 keys (AG)

28493 – 48 keys (AG special) (Tony – Doodle on c.net)

28898 – 50 keys

28929 - 50 keys

28930 – 61 keys (AG special) owned by Steve Gardham

30096 – 48 keys (AG Duet)

30740 – 68 keys (AG Duet)

30995 – 46 keys (AG Duet) owned by Gavin Davenport G/D

30998 – 50 keys (AG Octo – AG Duet system) owned by Gavin Davenport C/G

31282 – 72 keys (AG Octo)

31693 - 74 Keys (AG mag octo)

31850 – 70 keys (Anglo duet)

31902 – 54 keys (AG duet octo)

32087 – 64 keys (AG octo)

32286 – 56 keys (AG Duet, octo)

32557 – 53 keys (AG Duet all over metal)

[Alex West]

Gavin

 

You've missed one!

 

I have 28853 which is described as a type "62 NP raised side 47 key" instrument - 48 keys if you count the air button.

 

Mine is a straight C/G anglo - basically a 40 key instrument with a few extra buttons to give more options in push and pull.

 

 

I believe Vic Gammon has a large Wheatstone anglo (more keys than mine I think) which may be one of the ones you've listed

 

Alex West

[Geoffrey Crabb]

JimLucas, on Jun 25 2004, 01:34 PM, said:

you might consider tracking down the custom anglo that Ron Shuttleworth had made for him many years ago, to see if the current owner would like to sell. As I recall, it had 60-odd buttons with 3 or 4 "central" keys. I think Crabb built it for him. When I saw it (about 30 years ago) he said he wanted to sell it, because he had decided it was too heavy to be practical.

quote]

 

 

The 'Shuttleworth' Anglo, Crabb No.18427 (1973) had only 53 buttons.

 

I still have the plans and will look up the layout when I get time.

 

Geoff

[gavdav]

Gavin

 

You've missed one!

 

I have 28853 which is described as a type "62 NP raised side 47 key" instrument - 48 keys if you count the air button.

 

Mine is a straight C/G anglo - basically a 40 key instrument with a few extra buttons to give more options in push and pull.

 

 

I believe Vic Gammon has a large Wheatstone anglo (more keys than mine I think) which may be one of the ones you've listed

 

Alex West

 

cool - thanks Alex - it wasn't an exhaustive list, but when I have time... I guess one of the things that is interesting is these big things don't seem to be settled on one system - every new special seems to have a different number of buttons/model number.

[gavdav]

 

I have 28853 which is described as a type "62 NP raised side 47 key" instrument - 48 keys if you count the air button.

 

 

Right - now I have a problem - I've assumed in the ledger that anything not labelled AG, Duet, or Anglo German must be an english concertina, but Alex's box doesn't have that info in there. Oh dear, now I need to start really looking at model numbers! Neither of my boxes have a model number - just batch - and most of these larger boxes seem to be "specials" of some description.

 

Would love to see pictures of that box Alex and compare to my 46 key (pics on page one of this thread)

[Steve Gardham]

Right Gav,

I'm going to look really stupid now. I somehow got it into my head that at least some of these boxes were in the keys of A&G including yours when I've actually seen the layout which is G/D? Now I realise AG stands for Anglo-German. It would be very interesting to find out what keys some of these enormous anglos have. At least mine is still the biggest actually identified so far. It would be interesting to see if the one I saw at Crabbs c1970 when I got mine is one of those you have listed.

[Steve Gardham]

Gav,

I'll be seeing Vic in a couple of weeks at the next TSF meeting in Newcastle. I'll get the gen on his box then.