I have a couple of concertinas in need of some work. Anyone know where a fellow could get such a thing done?
Thanks,
Doc
Standard answer: try http://www.concertina.net
I met an excellent repairman in Ireland this summer… if it’s worth sending them that far away, email me and I’ll give you his email address.
Bob Tedrow makes fine concertinas in Homewood, Alabama and can repair them and modify them. He is a friend of mine. In spite of that, I think you should call him.
Phone: (205) 879-4868
Tell him I sent you and that I assured you he would accept the work, perform it very promptly, and at ridiculously low prices.
Dale
Will do. Thanks Dale.
Doc
I second the recommendation for Bob Tedrow ( http://hmi.homewood.net/ ) - also a very informative website and look into how the darn things work.
Kevin Krell
Some advice from an anglo player. Go to a first rate maker, even if you don’t think your instrument is of that quality. He or she will advise you on what is or isn’t worth doing and do it in a way that might well make your instrument better than it has a right to be.
Also, don’t send it away if you can hep it. You probably should have a concertina serviced two or three times a year and you don’t want to be without it for lengthy periods of time. There’s also great satisfaction watching someone work on your instrument if he or she will let you.
The man who repairs mine is the man who made it. He doesn’t complain about my watching as he works, even though one or two perfectionist customers give him the creeps.
If you had US$2000 to spend on a new concertina, from what maker would you buy from? There’s so many out there it’s confusing.
Frank Edgely in Windsor, Ontario has an EXCELLENT reputation as a builder and repairman.
I’d buy from the person who made mine: Richard Evans who lives and works in the mountains outside Sydney. the brand name is Kookaburra. You’d get a new anglo from him for that price which would at least match anything you could get for a similar price and would better all but the best in the world, period. (His anglos easily match well restored Jeffries in my opinion and that’s as just about as good as it gets.) He has an international reputation as one of the world’s top makers, along with people like Dipper, but he is not well known because he shuns publicity and doesn’t drum up business. He’d prefer to make a living doing repairs actually. (He probably wouldn’t like me writing this endorsement.)
As you can probably guess, his waiting time is about 2-3 years at least.
That said, there’s a lot to be said for buying from the best maker within driving distance of where you live. Although you’ll learn to do basic repairs yourself in time, there are great advantages in being close to someone who is very good and knows your instrument.