Concertina Restoration

We offer both full restorations and periodic maintenance of vintage and modern English, duet, and anglo concertinas.
The first step is an evaluation of the instrument. We cannot give a quote without first evaluating the concertina. Contact us to ship the concertina to us for an evaluation. After the evaluation you'll receive a detailed report, outlining the issues, suggested repairs/remedies, and cost.

Based on the evaluation, we will advise whether we feel the investment is justified. We will not perform any work on a concertina that we feel is not worth the investment.
Based on the evaluation and value assessment, you can make an educated decision to have the instrument restored or returned to you. If you decide to have the instrument restored or serviced, we will reserve a time slot for the instrument. Appointments usually are several months out. We offer a 5 year warranty on workmanship and parts.

Periodic Maintenance

Unless an instrument is damaged, periodic maintenance is often all that is needed to bring the concertina back to its former glory. There are many 'time limited' parts in a concertina made out of felt, leather, and brass that wear out over time and affect the geometry of the action and reed performance.
A "Standard Reed and Action overhaul" replaced these worn parts with custom made, original spec parts. This allows for correct calibration of the action and airflow. When every part works as originally intended, the reeds can be voiced and tuned. Depending on how much an instrument is played, a Reed and Action overhaul should be performed every 10-15 years.
Other maintenance issues that are common in concertinas are replacing bellows and reedpan gaskets, reedpan block repair, bellows hinges, and endbolt repair.

Restoration

A concertina restoration always includes periodic maintenance as described above. The restoration part deals with damage to the instrument. This damage can be caused by age, extreme humidity, accidents, and extreme wear.

Restoration examples

Fretwork repair, before

After

Bellows repair, before

After

End repair, before

after

action repair, before

after