Hi guys!
What do you think about anglo concertina's prices?
Would it be worth buying a Lachenal for something like 2500 €?
Which one of them has the best value for money (with concertina reeds, of course)? Uhm...
Hi Dyna, the concertina market is kinda strange. The old Lachenal instruments fill in the gap for an intermediate player looking for something better than a starter instrument like a Stagi etc. There was once a good supply of these vintage Lachenals anglos but obviously they stopped production a long time ago and the supply is dwindling which causes the cost to rise.
You should look at www.concertina.net and watch the Buy & Sell section there as various instruments come up for sale all the time. Also try Chris Algar at Barleycorn Concertinas in UK - with the exchange rate between the £ and the €, you might pay a lot less than €2500.
to be hosest i wouldnt go over the 2500 euro mark for a lachenal for after that you could get your self a half decent wheat stone and then a bit higher and your at the jeffries
chris algar ( barlycorn concertina's ) is probobaly the best person to get in touch with because he is most probobaly in possesion of the largest supply of concertina's
i bought a lachenal off himlast year for £ 1600 and this year it has went up in price to £2400 so it is worth the investment even if you aint going to play the concertina
Well I think you would have to go a *good bit* over €2500 to get a Wheatstone and even then it might not be a particularly good one.Prices for Jeffries and Wheatstones are nearer the €8K and upwards depending on quality. For around the €2500 you might be better of with a Morse which are a pretty good player and used by a lot of good young players until they can afford a Suttner or Dipper/ or until the one they have ordered is ready
i bought a concertina from Chris Algar in march, and i can recommend him as a fantastic saler, he really tries to give the right instrument to the right person...
To talk about money, the prices have gone up in the last year, and you'll probably have to go a bit over 2500euros to buy a good concertina. In my case, i bought a very good John Connor concertina, a lachenal rebuilds, for about 2900-3000euros... after the stagi that i played for a year and a half, this concertina is fantastic and will probably be very useful for at least 3-4 years before going up to a wheatston or a dipper...
My SO bought a concertina from Chris Algar recently and I'd second what seems to be a fairly universal opinion that he's a very good bloke to deal with.
Mind you, the concertina world is so small a dealer who wasn't decent surely wouldn't last long.
If you get back what you've paid for an instrument, that's great, but I'd have thought Anglo prices in particular are already at the high end of what players will pay and there's surely no "investment" market without a players market.
The are no "big names" playing concertina in the concert hall/cd sales sense, nor even a pool of salaried orchestral players, so I don't see even Jeffries' hitting violin prices!
I doubt if the 'market value' of a Lachenal 30 button has risen from £1600 to £2400 in a year, partic with economic difficulties. If I recall correctly when I last talked to Chris Algar over a year ago, the lesser quality 'mahogany ended' Lachenals 30 button sold for about £800 whilst the better grade 'rosewood ended' models sold for about £1500. Even at that time the shops were selling the latter at the £2000+ mark, so they obviously have a bigger markup.
I'd expect a absolutely top-end, metal ended steel-reeded model for that price, AND already reconditioned. Even so, it seems a bit steep to me, though I'm more interested in English than Anglo.
I don't reckon top-end Lachenal any bit inferior to top-end Wheatstone, it's just that Lachenal also did make some very down-market Anglos which aren't worth bothering with.
Shops obviously have their mark-up.
Chris Algar has a good reputation.
Stephen Chambers was also dealing, from Dublin, but I understand he's retired now.
"I don't reckon top-end Lachenal any bit inferior to top-end Wheatstone, it's just that Lachenal also did make some very down-market Anglos which aren't worth bothering with."
This statement is defensible in relation to English concertinas but not in regard to Anglos.
I highly suggest you check out Frank Edgley's latest instruments, they really are quite amazing.
While his older instruments are still excellent, his most recent ones are phenomenal, He's had some major breakthroughs in how he builds them that results in an extremely fast and good sounding instrument. I was at his workshop in Windsor about a month ago where I played a couple of his latest instruments. I was very impressed.
dyna's original question precludes consideration of hybrid concertinas, but the clear direction these days if you have only a moderate amount of money is; buy a hybrid. They are terrific value. Those I have seen, Morse, Tedrow, Norman, were all decent concertinas which would not impede the learning process, unlike most Lachenals. The other brands, the Edgely mentioned by Michael Eskin and Marcus, have to be at least as good. Down the track you may be able to afford a top instrument. If you are having to raise the money, because of your solid experience with a hybrid you will know you are working towards something that is actually what you want.
Thank you for the boost, Martin_BC, most unexpected. It is true orders have gotten a little out of hand lately...
I second that, Chris. 6 months of intense practicing with my Morse have given my reassurance that this is what I want to do in the future. Hence looking to order high-end instrument now.
secondhand concertina prices
secondhand concertina prices
Hi guys!
What do you think about anglo concertina's prices?
Would it be worth buying a Lachenal for something like 2500 €?
Which one of them has the best value for money (with concertina reeds, of course)? Uhm...
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by clorophilla
Re: secondhand concertina prices
Ops... here's the link
http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/shlist.htm#anglo%20concertinas
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by clorophilla
Re: secondhand concertina prices
Hi Dyna, the concertina market is kinda strange. The old Lachenal instruments fill in the gap for an intermediate player looking for something better than a starter instrument like a Stagi etc. There was once a good supply of these vintage Lachenals anglos but obviously they stopped production a long time ago and the supply is dwindling which causes the cost to rise.
You should look at www.concertina.net and watch the Buy & Sell section there as various instruments come up for sale all the time. Also try Chris Algar at Barleycorn Concertinas in UK - with the exchange rate between the £ and the €, you might pay a lot less than €2500.
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: secondhand concertina prices
to be hosest i wouldnt go over the 2500 euro mark for a lachenal for after that you could get your self a half decent wheat stone and then a bit higher and your at the jeffries
chris algar ( barlycorn concertina's ) is probobaly the best person to get in touch with because he is most probobaly in possesion of the largest supply of concertina's
i bought a lachenal off himlast year for £ 1600 and this year it has went up in price to £2400 so it is worth the investment even if you aint going to play the concertina
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by mohsen
Re: secondhand concertina prices
Well I think you would have to go a *good bit* over €2500 to get a Wheatstone and even then it might not be a particularly good one.Prices for Jeffries and Wheatstones are nearer the €8K and upwards depending on quality. For around the €2500 you might be better of with a Morse which are a pretty good player and used by a lot of good young players until they can afford a Suttner or Dipper/ or until the one they have ordered is ready
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by concertinaplayer
Re: secondhand concertina prices
One of the reasons the prices are high, might be that concertinas are bought as investments, not for playing?
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by snorre
Re: secondhand concertina prices
i bought a concertina from Chris Algar in march, and i can recommend him as a fantastic saler, he really tries to give the right instrument to the right person...
To talk about money, the prices have gone up in the last year, and you'll probably have to go a bit over 2500euros to buy a good concertina. In my case, i bought a very good John Connor concertina, a lachenal rebuilds, for about 2900-3000euros... after the stagi that i played for a year and a half, this concertina is fantastic and will probably be very useful for at least 3-4 years before going up to a wheatston or a dipper...
Good luck
Charles
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by charliechamo
Re: secondhand concertina prices
My SO bought a concertina from Chris Algar recently and I'd second what seems to be a fairly universal opinion that he's a very good bloke to deal with.
Mind you, the concertina world is so small a dealer who wasn't decent surely wouldn't last long.
If you get back what you've paid for an instrument, that's great, but I'd have thought Anglo prices in particular are already at the high end of what players will pay and there's surely no "investment" market without a players market.
The are no "big names" playing concertina in the concert hall/cd sales sense, nor even a pool of salaried orchestral players, so I don't see even Jeffries' hitting violin prices!
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by TomB-R
Re: secondhand concertina prices
I doubt if the 'market value' of a Lachenal 30 button has risen from £1600 to £2400 in a year, partic with economic difficulties. If I recall correctly when I last talked to Chris Algar over a year ago, the lesser quality 'mahogany ended' Lachenals 30 button sold for about £800 whilst the better grade 'rosewood ended' models sold for about £1500. Even at that time the shops were selling the latter at the £2000+ mark, so they obviously have a bigger markup.
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: secondhand concertina prices
I'd expect a absolutely top-end, metal ended steel-reeded model for that price, AND already reconditioned. Even so, it seems a bit steep to me, though I'm more interested in English than Anglo.
I don't reckon top-end Lachenal any bit inferior to top-end Wheatstone, it's just that Lachenal also did make some very down-market Anglos which aren't worth bothering with.
Shops obviously have their mark-up.
Chris Algar has a good reputation.
Stephen Chambers was also dealing, from Dublin, but I understand he's retired now.
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: secondhand concertina prices
Stephen is operating out of Kilrush now
# Posted on July 1st 2009 by concertinaplayer
Re: secondhand concertina prices
"I don't reckon top-end Lachenal any bit inferior to top-end Wheatstone, it's just that Lachenal also did make some very down-market Anglos which aren't worth bothering with."
This statement is defensible in relation to English concertinas but not in regard to Anglos.
# Posted on July 2nd 2009 by cag
Re: secondhand concertina prices
I've heard great things of this Sydney-based maker:
http://users.tpg.com.au/cghent/
His are being compared to some really top-end instruments - and his waiting list is growing fast, apparently.
# Posted on July 2nd 2009 by Martin_BC
Re: secondhand concertina prices
unless you actually "need" an above-average box, the Wim Waker Rochelle are excellent value for a low-end anglo.
I got my anglo and english from Chris Algar - most helpfull chap and thoroughly reputable.
# Posted on July 2nd 2009 by geoffwright
Re: secondhand concertina prices
I highly suggest you check out Frank Edgley's latest instruments, they really are quite amazing.
While his older instruments are still excellent, his most recent ones are phenomenal, He's had some major breakthroughs in how he builds them that results in an extremely fast and good sounding instrument. I was at his workshop in Windsor about a month ago where I played a couple of his latest instruments. I was very impressed.
# Posted on July 2nd 2009 by Michael Eskin
Re: secondhand concertina prices
dyna's original question precludes consideration of hybrid concertinas, but the clear direction these days if you have only a moderate amount of money is; buy a hybrid. They are terrific value. Those I have seen, Morse, Tedrow, Norman, were all decent concertinas which would not impede the learning process, unlike most Lachenals. The other brands, the Edgely mentioned by Michael Eskin and Marcus, have to be at least as good. Down the track you may be able to afford a top instrument. If you are having to raise the money, because of your solid experience with a hybrid you will know you are working towards something that is actually what you want.
Thank you for the boost, Martin_BC, most unexpected. It is true orders have gotten a little out of hand lately...
# Posted on July 3rd 2009 by cag
Re: secondhand concertina prices
I second that, Chris. 6 months of intense practicing with my Morse have given my reassurance that this is what I want to do in the future. Hence looking to order high-end instrument now.
# Posted on July 3rd 2009 by snorre