Music, Pipes / Folk / Instruments

Repairing my Concertina

Last Updated or created 2023-07-18

UPDATE: 7 Jan 2023 – Another repair

15 Feb of this year my Concertina was deliverd on my doorstep.

It is a Wren 2 Anglo C/G Concertina by McNeela. A affordable good instrument.

Features

  • 30 button Anglo Concertina in the key of C/G
  • Fully chromatic
  • Measures 6.3″ across the flats (16cm)
  • 8 fold bellows
  • Steel reeds
  • Loud, crisp tone
  • Durable black buttons
  • Wheatstone/Lachenal layout
  • Excellent response
  • Easy to play
  • Lightweight concertina – easy to handle for all ages
  • Traditional size – unlike other bulky beginner concertinas
  • Softer, more comfortable, adjustable hand-straps – suitable for both children and adults
  • Finished with improved stylish gloss exposed-grain wood
  • Comes with a complimentary Concertina Padded Hard Case 

The word concertina refers to a family of hand-held bellows-driven free reed instruments constructed according to various systems, which differ in terms of keyboard layout, and whether individual buttons (keys) produce the same (unisonoric) or different (bisonoric) notes with changes in the direction of air pressure.
It is weird playing two notes with the same button, but i gives you a broader tonal range. Some notes are double, one on the pull action and one on the push action. When playing for a while it is possible to switch between those two to be able to play faster.
Because you can use the same pull or push as you already where playing, or the button is close by the one you already play.

A little diagram i drew myself using inkscape to learn the buttons i needed. (Blanks also have notes)

So i had a little problem with the pull motion of the right hand A’ B’.
I didn’t want to send my Concertina back (Still has garantee, i know)
But sending it back to Ireland will take a while and has postal costs.
(I’ve fixed my Accordeon also, so why not try to fix it myself?)
(… aaand i was curious of the insides )

I had to look at the inner workings for a minute, and finding the right reed.
The middle picture above shows a white plastic strip, one of them was stuck. Moving it a little and carefully bending it, got it free and moveable again.

On with the lessons from Caitlin Nic Gabhann again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tPzc6kKM0

2023 Repair:

One of the reeds fell off! It was not glued properly. A 5 minute fix!