Review: Gear4Music Concertina- two months on. 

So sad this channel has fallen by the wayside. I hope she's ok and still making music. 😢

I got a Wren from McNeela which arrived 2 1/2 weeks ago: about $500, which seems pretty affordable to me. In the 90s, I bought a $100 Stagi that was really horrible quality, and I never learned anything on it. I've learned since to be vary wary of cheap instruments. I'm really impressed by the quality of the Wren, and recommend it! As a string player, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fingering system which feels weird, but I'm impressed by your progress. I hope I can hit that level of competence in a month!

Only 2 months? Your playing is coming along really nicely, and you make that inexpensive concertina really sing!

I’ve been playing the English concertina for about 20 years now. I play a Wheatstone dating from c1850. I taught myself how to restore and retune it and now fix and repair instruments for others. Your choice of instrument was, in my opinion, spot on. You have picked something affordable and playable. This will give you time to see if you get to grips with it and then, if you are able, upgrade. Please make sure you do not rest the bellows on your knee. Rest either the left or right hand side on your knee or, if it’s comfortable, hold it in the air. You are doing really well and I hope you continue.

Excellent info. Glad to see you are enjoying this instrument and progressing in your playing.

I bought one of the these from Gear4music two years ago. I'm happy with it. The buttons got better with time. The bellows are rather stiff. The sound quality could be better. For the price it's a good starter instrument. I've acquired an old Wheatstone recently which is better quality of course but I still play my cheaper one. Thank you for your review which accords with my experience.

Thanks very much for a great update.

I would love to hear more of your progress!

I bought that concertina for the exact same reasons. I wanted to get into playing the concertina and everything I looked at was way out of my budget. The cheap ones on Amazon didn't have good reviews and I didn't like how they looked. Found the Gear4Music one and it seemed like a good compromise to start off with, plus I like how the instrument looks. I've been playing for about a year and a half, it's still going strong and I love playing it.

Sounds on par with what I'd expect from a Gear4Music brand instrument. It's an entirely usable beginner instrument that's made well enough to get you to the next level, but it will develop faults along the way (like the bellows material) that may not be repairable in the long term. I imagine the bellows chipping is occurring during playing as the bellows expands and contracts. It's those corners that move the most, so that's where the material is under the most strain whilst in use. I agree with Ross that electrical tape should sufficiently patch anything for now that might develop a leak until you upgrade.

The Bellows on a "Cheap" instrument are pretty tuff/stiff. I have an instrument which cost £2700 and it's like a Rolls Royce to a rusty roller skate. It's so smooth, almost effortless to play. I'm ashamed to say I can't paly it to it's full potential but it's so beautifully made and sounds truly awesome.

smashing! i hope to acquire a concertina of my own in the expedient future!

Thanks, i d like to share one concertina soon, You explained very well about this, and you look so cute with it❤

Thanks! Very helpful! Anymore videos forthcoming? 🙂😎

I recently bought a Scarlatti, which looks very similar indeed to your instrument, although for slightly more money. My logic was very similar. I didn't want to commit to the price of a "decent" one until I was sure I'd stick with it. As with you, I expect that as I progress, I'll want to pay more money for a more responsive instrument, but I'm happy to be making good progress without having to break the bank. I'm using the book The Anglo Concertina - absolute beginners by, Chris Sherburn and David Mallinson, and I'm very pleased with it so far. Good luck. I'm looking forward to the next update.

Thanks!

Like the tune you play at the beginning

Padraig Rynne and Pariac McNeela are the reasons I want a Concertina (Anglo), Good People! I hope to hear more about your Concertina Journey, All The Best!

I picked up a Trinity College concertina and so far so good. I had. Wheatstone English concertina in the 80’s and found it easier and more fun to play. I’m still giving the TC Anglo a chance. Thanks for your entertaining videos.

I got a McNeela Phoenix and have found it great! Expensive yes, but it’s a new hobbie for my retirement. Started with Coover’s Easy Anglo 1 2 3, and got the first few tunes down fairly well. The tune you kicked off this video is my next! Please keep up the great work you’re doing.

Thanks for sharing all the info! 🙏 Any further update on how the concertina is holding up, and how your playing has progressed?

Will you plan on posting any new videos again?

Useful thank you

All your questions are answered in the A C Norman & Co. Concertinas videos 'Entry Level Concertinas' Part 1, 2, & 3.

Very interesting to find your videos, as this is the very instrument I bought ( during Covid!) and your comments and decisions are very much the same as mine as I was getting used to the instrument. I too find the bellows are too ‘stiff’ as I play and I think you’re right that a better instrument would be softer and easier! Have you found the tune Sailor at the Fair in the Gary Coover Sailor Songs book? It’s my favourite at the moment! We’ll done and I look forward to seeing more vlogs as I am a lonely concertina player here - haven’t found anyone else who plays and there are no teachers in my area!

Maybe try touching up the bellows by brushing on some liquid electrical tape. You can get it from any hardware store. It adheres well, is strong but also flexible. It should dry air tight. A little goes a long way. It might extend the life of the bellows, or at least keep it looking good. Just a thought.

Hope you’re doing well.

i just discovered your channel....make more vids, dont stop!

The tightness of the bellows when you open the air valve, may be the air hole is too small. I had a 2 row melodeon which was like that, so I drilled out the air hole making it a little bigger and made a new pad to cover the new size which made the bellows open up a bit faster. I made sure I didn’t make the hole too big.

Hope you're keeping up with the recorder still!

I have to add from my first comment that I opened up my anglo concertina (the same one you have) and with a screw driver, small candle, a nail file and seeing machine oil I cured my sticky button problem! Yea! Slowly progressing now and wondered if you are still playing yours? Would love a further update 🤗

This was me 2 years ago. I had the same concertina but sadly the reeds in my unit became out of tune after a couple of months. In addition to that the bellows started leaking more and more and the buttons kept sticking making it difficult to play after a couple of weeks already. I also had to replace my original straps with some homemade leather straps because the original ones were horrible quality and they hurt my hands. The veneer also wears really fast on this instrument. After a couple of months I sent my concertina back and luckily I got my money back. After that I bought the mcneela wren concertina for about 250 euros more. I've had this concertina for about 1.5 years and I think it'll last a lifetime. Other than the black wood finish which has come off at some areas around the buttons because of playing with longer nails😬 the instrument is still as good as new. To be honest I would recommend to either buy a 400+ euro concertina or not buy a concertina at all. The gear for music concertina didn't even last half a year for me and it held me back in learning the concertina because of the out of tune reeds and leaky bellows. The Gary Coover books are great. I have the 123 and pirate books and they're a lot of fun. I also started transcribing some songs for myself. It takes a lot of time and effort with the finger numbering but it's a lot of fun and it's very rewarding. Anyways, I hope your instrument will last longer and have fun learning!

I'd love to learn how to play the english concertina, but man, these instruments aren't cheap and there's surprisingly very little learning material for them. I'm going through the same journey/struggle that you had in regards to finding an affordable beginner instrument that has good reviews, but it is next to impposible. I love free reed instruments, though, so I guess I'll just save up. Anyways, it was nice to hear you play! it sounds like you're making good progress

You are doing well. I hope you stick with the concertina, What made you decide on the anglo, since there are several other 'flavours' of the box? I think you will find that if you stay with that box you will become good at the 'diagnose and repair' side of concertina ownership but don't despair, the more elderly boxes require the same, seems to come with the territory. I've been a beginner since around 1969.

Now that is interesting. I paid 100 quid more for the same instrument about 3 months ago, but I did get a year gaurantee, and if it lasts that long, I guess a quid a day is reasonable. Mine has scarlatti stamped on it, but it is the same build. I'm having fun with it, and I refuse to regret it. I'm having an unreasonable amount of fun with it. Yet, it will upset me if it breaks within a year, and it does worry me a little. Looking forward to an update in a few months. Cheers.

Gracias, no he entendido todo pero me ha servido de mucha ayuda. Pensaba comprar esa concertina, aquí en España no tenemos mucho acceso a este instrumento. Me quedare con la mía alemana de 40 botones. Ah, y ese libro ya lo tengo.

Hi, very nice video and should be useful to a lot of those considering whether and where to start with this instrument. Not sure whether anyone's made this comment & apologies if they have. I've tried with one of the poorer instruments (actually an English rather than Anglo, but the same comments on instruments apply, AFAICT). My recollection is that the player should rest the wood on the left hand end on a knee? For some of this video it looked to me as though you were resting the bellows on your knee? Maybe that's when some of the coating is wearing off? Does that fit with the pattern of wear? BTW, you seem to be making much faster progress than I ever did with my English (which I no longer play & have traded in). Maybe your youth (I'm 65 now) is helping with picking up a new instrument. Thanks.

After watching how you put the concertina back in the case, I wondered if you wear your rings while doing it. Maybe your rings are chipping off the outer layer of the bellows?

Hi there! 👋🏼 Are you still happy with your concertina? Do you still play it regularly?! 😊

I love your information and playing. I received my concertina two days ago and the middle button (3) is sticking in. What do you think I am doing wrong? 😢

Hi, I'd like to know if you're still playing and how the instrument holds up after 1 year? Thanks!

How are you doing? Is te concertina journey going all-right?

Hi where have you gone?

Clay, your activity here and on Insta stopped about one year ago. Is everything well?

i am guessing you were very proficient at playing several instruments before taking up this one? I play guitar to a .....good level and can play a little bit of piano but struggle to get an intricate baseline going whilst playing with my right hand, would this mean i would struggle with the concertina? in your opinion?

Could I ask why you chose the anglo concertina instead of the English? I appreciate that a whiff of passive aggressiveness could be sensed in that question but I want to learn the concertina and I'm trying to decide which system to go with - that's what brought me to your channel. Thank you!

Tape chipping on bellows can be caused by buttons & belt buckles.

How much did you pay for the Mollenhauer Denner Tenor again? 1150?

It sounds to me like you may have some talent on the concertina. Listen to players like Alistair Anderson ("Steel Skies"). Brilliant. My mother sang in a choir in Durham with Alistair's wife. Keep on with that button box, bonny lass. And don't neglect your recorders. I'm a tubie myself. I have far too many assorted tubes...

I think tunes as Breton "scottish" could sound well on the concertina )

So every now and then didnt work well huh ?

Lol I’m here cuz of “only murders in the building”

beautiful, nice playing also

Feel the need to comment, as someone new to the space of this instrument- I've had an interest in the concertina for years now, and just recently purchased that very gaudy green 20 button displayed in the video. (First mistake; 20 button instrument). Also using Gary Coover's resources, very intuitive. Ish. Onto the instrument; the bellows are a bit twisted, the straps arent great, the buttons are wibbly, and the reeds needed some adjusting. Three of my reeds came without valves, and the bellows leak. But... Its definitively, playable, and ive been able to fix the reeds quite easily, and the bellows will follow suit soon. I've learned a few tunes on it in just a few weeks, including ones from the book, Amazing Grace I learned by ear, Hard Times Come Again No More by ear from videos, etc. Is it good? No. Am i getting a better instrument ASAP? Yes. Do I regret going this cheap to see if I liked the instrument? Not really. I'll probably sell it on to someone else interested to fund my upgrade. And I've gotten some maintenance experience, playing, and know what I want. Not a horrible experience all in all, I'd say. Except for those high C buttons on the right, without the valves. Eugh. Oh and it's ugly as sin. But hey.