Cheap concertinas like this are like cheap Uilleann pipes. Better suited for wall decoration than for learning.
I highly suggest saving your pennies and buying a Tedrow, Edgley, Morris, or other "real" instrument.
I don't recommend the Rochelle or other instruments of that class, even if it is tempting to try to save some money by getting one. I realize some people find them perfectly adequate, but the few I've played were just awful, really.
If you're looking to get started, Morse concertinas are excellent value and with the exchange rates, you'd have an advantage by purchasing one.
I've owned one of the instruments you linked to and mine did not play well at all. It was not worth the purchase price but it did get me started on free reeds.... I switched to accordion.
An instrument which looks similar and supposedly plays better is the Jackie or Rochelle by Concertina Connection. Dealers seem pleased to offer them to beginners, which is hardly the case with many Chinese instruments.
My first squeezebox was a 20 button red plastic Chinese concertina that was $80 including shipping on eBay in 2002. I was able to play it for a couple of months before the buttons started sticking, but it served its purpose just fine. For the equivalent of the cost of a couple of lessons, I was able to convince myself that I could wrap my head around such instruments. I put the concertina on a shelf as a decoration and bought an accordion. Five years later, I bought a Morse concertina to go with it. I'm not sure I'd have taken the plunge without the toy concertina. No, you can't really learn on such an instrument. No, you can't play it in sessions. No, it won't last or keep any value. But it's a great way to see cheaply if you really want to go ahead with a big investment. That said, I think £170 with shipping is excessive for that purpose.
Unless it's really a matter of not having the cash to buy a "real" instrument, you're better off getting a decent one, which you will be able to sell for exactly what you paid for it if you don't like it. Whereas a cheap Asian-made thing loses almost all of its "value" the moment some sucker buys it.
And another thing to think about is that you may not be able to tell whether you'd like it or not with an instrument that doesn't work well, and isn't easily playable. So again, you're better off investing in one, and getting your money back by selling it, if you decide it's not the thing for you.
But I'm not a concertina player. Gary's experience seems to answer your question pretty well. (But keep in mind that his "toy" concertina sits on a shelf, so he's out the cash that he invested in it...)
Pity Wim doesn't make a Rochelle in G/D - people have been asking for some time.
If a G/D was available, many of the good players would get one as a cheaper one to take to sessions, beginners would see them and more would be sold.
I started out with a very cheap, lousy 20-btn, which made me decide to buy a very cheap, lousy 30-btn Hohner. Then I decided to buy a Morse. In a few years I am getting a Sutner. For me the "trial"-instrument was the way to go. Good luck!
An experienced player may well pick up a cheapo instrument and say "that's awful, it's virtually unplayable!" - and so it is, *to them.* (because they know the difference.)
A beginner doesn't know what a concertina should feel like, and can learn a lot. Cheapo string and wind instruments could be almost unplayable, or untunable, or highly discouraging. In my experience even very cheap "concertinas" do actually "work" and play pretty much in tune.
A Hohner 20 button anglo convinced my partner that push-pull wasn't for her. A Jackie got her to the point on English system where she was ready to pay £1000 for a vintage instrument. We sold the first two on Ebay and lost very little money.
A Stephanelli could get you started, but I'd have thought around £100 on Ebay was the cost to aim for.
I bought a Stephanelli purely to have a go. I had played classical guitar for a couple of years in my youth but no instrument since. I was motivated by a mixture of alcohol and adrenaline having spent 5 days at my first ever folk festival at the age of sixty.
I bought it for about half the price of the one you are looking at on ebay on the grounds that at that price it didn't matter too much if I couldn't get on. It did the job and I decided to go further.
It wasn't until I bought my next one (a secondhand Crucianelli CC2 that I found when wandering around the stalls at another festival) that I realised how hard I had been working to get anything on the Stephanelli.
Having had the experience I know exactly why others are saying it will hold you back but if you can afford to lose the money with no regrets it allows you to dip your toe in the water.
If you get the bug then move to a better one as soon as possible.
After a lot of scrimping and saving I bought myself a low end Lachenal from Barleycorn Concertinas who I am happy to recommend. The concertina is better than I am or am likely to be and the playing of it is a physical pleasure in and of itself.
The Stephanelli has been passed on to others to try their hand and to find out what an Anglo concertina is. "Is that an accordion you are playing - I have always wanted to have a go at that!"
Buying a cheap concertina?
Buying a cheap concertina?
I'm looking on this one right now http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STEPHANELLI-30-NOTE-CONCERTINA-BLACK-HARDCASE-C-G-NEW-/320626247298?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL&hash=item4aa6d04682 and since I've never tried a concertina before and don't really know if I like it, I don't want to spend a huge amount of money on it. This is just to learn how it works and to play around with.
Are these cheap ones not even worth buying even if you only want to learn the system and play beginner/intermediate tunes on at a good tempo but not too fast?
# Posted on December 25th 2010 by Patriarch K
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
Patriarch, before buying, you should at least read through the 'Anglo Concertina Buyer's Guide': http://www.concertina.net/guide.html
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on December 25th 2010 by Ptarmigan
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
Cheap concertinas like this are like cheap Uilleann pipes. Better suited for wall decoration than for learning.
I highly suggest saving your pennies and buying a Tedrow, Edgley, Morris, or other "real" instrument.
I don't recommend the Rochelle or other instruments of that class, even if it is tempting to try to save some money by getting one. I realize some people find them perfectly adequate, but the few I've played were just awful, really.
# Posted on December 25th 2010 by Michael Eskin
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
If you're looking to get started, Morse concertinas are excellent value and with the exchange rates, you'd have an advantage by purchasing one.
I've owned one of the instruments you linked to and mine did not play well at all. It was not worth the purchase price but it did get me started on free reeds.... I switched to accordion.
An instrument which looks similar and supposedly plays better is the Jackie or Rochelle by Concertina Connection. Dealers seem pleased to offer them to beginners, which is hardly the case with many Chinese instruments.
http://www.concertinaconnection.com/rochelle%20anglo.htm
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by gravelwalks
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
The Jackie is the English system offered by the same company, btw
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by gravelwalks
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
My first squeezebox was a 20 button red plastic Chinese concertina that was $80 including shipping on eBay in 2002. I was able to play it for a couple of months before the buttons started sticking, but it served its purpose just fine. For the equivalent of the cost of a couple of lessons, I was able to convince myself that I could wrap my head around such instruments. I put the concertina on a shelf as a decoration and bought an accordion. Five years later, I bought a Morse concertina to go with it. I'm not sure I'd have taken the plunge without the toy concertina. No, you can't really learn on such an instrument. No, you can't play it in sessions. No, it won't last or keep any value. But it's a great way to see cheaply if you really want to go ahead with a big investment. That said, I think £170 with shipping is excessive for that purpose.
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by GaryAMartin
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
Unless it's really a matter of not having the cash to buy a "real" instrument, you're better off getting a decent one, which you will be able to sell for exactly what you paid for it if you don't like it. Whereas a cheap Asian-made thing loses almost all of its "value" the moment some sucker buys it.
And another thing to think about is that you may not be able to tell whether you'd like it or not with an instrument that doesn't work well, and isn't easily playable. So again, you're better off investing in one, and getting your money back by selling it, if you decide it's not the thing for you.
But I'm not a concertina player. Gary's experience seems to answer your question pretty well. (But keep in mind that his "toy" concertina sits on a shelf, so he's out the cash that he invested in it...)
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by Reverend
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
I have a student with a Rochelle, and I really wouldn't recommend them even if they are one step up from the cheapest.
They really hinder rather than help progress on the instrument.
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by Michael Eskin
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
Just for the record, links to videos of some of the Concertinas mentioned above. Interesting to hear how some sound exactly like an Accordion!
Rochelle C/G:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf4mteXOVUU
Morse C/G:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUyotjoBMCE
Jackie {English}:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWvlLCzvJ98
*****************************************************
Stagi C/G:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63tarcisP4
Silvetta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzsF-6x1K7A
*****************************************************
Tedrow C/G:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F11QG4JvGDw
Edgley C/G:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HAgstaPzXI
****************************************************
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on December 26th 2010 by Ptarmigan
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
Pity Wim doesn't make a Rochelle in G/D - people have been asking for some time.
If a G/D was available, many of the good players would get one as a cheaper one to take to sessions, beginners would see them and more would be sold.
# Posted on December 27th 2010 by geoffwright
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
I started out with a very cheap, lousy 20-btn, which made me decide to buy a very cheap, lousy 30-btn Hohner. Then I decided to buy a Morse. In a few years I am getting a Sutner. For me the "trial"-instrument was the way to go. Good luck!
# Posted on December 27th 2010 by snorre
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
PS! Both my cheap, lousy concertinas have been given away to people curious about the concertina. One is being played regularly.
# Posted on December 27th 2010 by snorre
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
An experienced player may well pick up a cheapo instrument and say "that's awful, it's virtually unplayable!" - and so it is, *to them.* (because they know the difference.)
A beginner doesn't know what a concertina should feel like, and can learn a lot. Cheapo string and wind instruments could be almost unplayable, or untunable, or highly discouraging. In my experience even very cheap "concertinas" do actually "work" and play pretty much in tune.
A Hohner 20 button anglo convinced my partner that push-pull wasn't for her. A Jackie got her to the point on English system where she was ready to pay £1000 for a vintage instrument. We sold the first two on Ebay and lost very little money.
A Stephanelli could get you started, but I'd have thought around £100 on Ebay was the cost to aim for.
# Posted on December 27th 2010 by TomB-R
Re: Buying a cheap concertina?
I bought a Stephanelli purely to have a go. I had played classical guitar for a couple of years in my youth but no instrument since. I was motivated by a mixture of alcohol and adrenaline having spent 5 days at my first ever folk festival at the age of sixty.
I bought it for about half the price of the one you are looking at on ebay on the grounds that at that price it didn't matter too much if I couldn't get on. It did the job and I decided to go further.
It wasn't until I bought my next one (a secondhand Crucianelli CC2 that I found when wandering around the stalls at another festival) that I realised how hard I had been working to get anything on the Stephanelli.
Having had the experience I know exactly why others are saying it will hold you back but if you can afford to lose the money with no regrets it allows you to dip your toe in the water.
If you get the bug then move to a better one as soon as possible.
After a lot of scrimping and saving I bought myself a low end Lachenal from Barleycorn Concertinas who I am happy to recommend. The concertina is better than I am or am likely to be and the playing of it is a physical pleasure in and of itself.
The Stephanelli has been passed on to others to try their hand and to find out what an Anglo concertina is. "Is that an accordion you are playing - I have always wanted to have a go at that!"
# Posted on December 30th 2010 by Belgarth