We wanted to show in an unbiased, matter-of-fact way what you can find for £100 or less in 2022 and what problems you might find. Stephanelli, Scarlatti and Stagi.
I like the simple explanations about what we experience with bottom-grade instruments, good for photo shoots but not for playing. The pickings are rather slim in these parts where concertinas are not popular so availability is…really a thing, and affordability goes along with it. Hard to know I’m not just paying more for the same materials and design! Thanks!
Thanks a lot for this explanation! I have one of the Scarlatti models and noticed it took longer to close or open the bellows when holding the air button, comparing to a friend who was playing on a much more expensive concertina (a Jeffries or Suttner I think). This is the first time I saw how the instrument is constructed, and imagine the difference is in the diameter of the air hole you showed (plus maybe the plasticised bellows are stiff compared to leather?).
Really enjoyed this. Very informative, I find the inner workings quite interesting and it’s good to know why these concertinas are inferior but could still be useful to someone just dipping their toes in folk music
