Tedrow 2005 Tour Concertina



Thanks to Bob Tedrow, I was able to try one of his 30-key Anglo concertinas as it toured the country. I had it early in the tour, and played it for several hours a day over a few days before sending it to the next reviewer. Bob tells me (months later, now that I'm posting the review) that the concertina was adjusted and revamped quite extensively during the tour, after I got it. Bushing, action, etc., were all modified. You can see the tourbook at his website. He also tells me that the instrument will be auctioned to benefit Gulf Coast Hurricane relief. So, my impressions below have to be considered out-of-date, but they do represent my honest opinion of the instrument as it was when I had it.

First of all, this is a nice, playable instrument, much better than a Stagi or any mass-produced concertina I've tried. It plays easily and quickly, and has a strong tone. It's a very handsome instrument, especially if you like a bit of a "Victorian" look. I would be happy to own this instrument.



The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the concertina was a big scratch in the bellows. This didn't seem to affect the performance. I don't know if it happened in shipping or not, but the concertina was packed so well that it's hard to believe it did. It was in a soft bag, in a hard case, in a corrugated cardboard box, surrounded by styrofoam, and in another corrugated cardboard box.

Some people have complained about the fairly thin hand strap, but it worked OK for me. The holes weren't in exactly the right place for me -- I would have liked to have the straps a little tighter than the setting I settled on. Maybe if the holes were a touch closer together that would help. The hand bar (handle) under the strap was a bit thinner and not as tall as I'm used to, but it wasn't much of an issue.

I compared the Tedrow directly with my Geuns-Wakker 30-key Anglo concertina. My Geuns is a higher-end model, with fancy amboyna veneer and seven bellows folds, and cost several hundred dollars more than the Tedrow new. Actually, due to the weak American dollar vs. the Euro, even a more basic Geuns would currently cost at least $500 more. The Geuns is a bit smaller (which I like), and has a more "finished" look. It has softer edges, a bit more rounded and smooth, which gave it more of a refined look and feel in my hands. The glossy finish of the Geuns also has a more polished look than the Tedrow. The Tedrow had some gold stamping on the bellows, and bellows papers, while my Geuns has plain black (all-leather) bellows. I liked the look of the Tedrow, although the fine details in the gold stamping melded together a bit.

The buttons on Tedrow are a bit larger and a bit further apart. They're made out of delrin (a dense black plastic), and have a flatter top than the metal buttons on my Geuns. Which you prefer is a matter of taste, I suppose. I was a bit more likely to slide off the smaller metal buttons, but a bit more likely to accidentally hit an edge of an adjacent button on the Tedrow. The tops of the buttons on the Tedrow weren't polished, they still showed some marks from the machining process, which added to the slightly less refined look. The throw on the buttons on the Tedrow was a bit shorter than my Geuns, which gave it a slightly faster feel, although the springs were a bit stiffer, which I didn't like. When playing faster passages, I could sometimes miss a note due to not pressing the button firmly enough. This could be because I'm used to the lighter touch of my Geuns, but there's no downside for me to the lighter springs, so I definitely prefer them.

Once or twice when playing the Tedrow, my finger would release a button quickly by sliding off the side, and the button would stick in the up position. I couldn't get this to happen on my Geuns. Also, the buttons on the Tedrow weren't bushed -- there's no felt between the buttons and the holes in the wood that they protrude through. This made the buttons click and clatter quite a bit more than my Geuns, and also gave a rougher feel. The concertinas on Tedrow's website seem to all have felt bushing, so I presume that's now standard, and a welcome improvement. I would say the button response on the Tedrow might have been a bit quicker than my Geuns (possibly because of the shorter throw). There was a bit more of a instant on/off sound, whereas my Geuns has a slight roundness to the attack, which actually sounds nice, but is a slight detriment to very fast runs.

The air button on the Tedrow was a bit of a problem for me. It's a little further away from my thumb than on the Geuns, and even after playing it for a few hours, I couldn't get used to it. Sometimes I need to take a quick "breath" while I'm playing, and it's easier for me to press and hold the thumb button on the Geuns while playing with the right hand. The air button on the Tedrow did let in air VERY quickly, more so than my Geuns. Possibly because of this, it was difficult for me to control smoothly. Often while I pressed it to get a bit of air while playing on the draw, a distinct "hiccup" could be heard when I released the button. This happens a bit with my Geuns as well, but it's much less pronounced. The air button on the Geuns seems to open more gradually, so you can quickly "goose" it open and closed smoothly without it slamming closed too sharply. This is probably what bothered me most about the Tedrow.

The bellows on the Tedrow were very nice, and I've have to say a little better than the bellows on my Geuns-Wakker. Even with six folds instead of seven, the Tedrow bellows held more air, partly because the instrument was larger, and partly because the bellows are a bit more flexible. The Geuns has thicker leather, which may be more durable in the long run, but makes them a bit stiffer. The feel of the Tedrow's bellows was maybe a touch wobblier than the Geuns, but that wasn't a playability issue for me.

The sound of the Tedrow was louder and a bit more strident than my Geuns. I'd say the Tedrow has more of an accordion sound than the Geuns, although the Geuns is not really close to the sound of vintage concertina reeds. The Tedrow would probably cut through the sound of a large session better, but I like the mellower sound of the Geuns. Also, the E/F key on the left side (middle finger on the C row) of the Tedrow sounded a little hoarse. I didn't take the Tedrow apart, so I don't have any clues as to why it sounded that way. The tuning seemed very good. On my Geuns, the A notes on the draw in the left hand on the C and G row have slightly different tuning, which sounds a bit funny if you alternate them quickly. The Tedrow didn't have that problem. Here are a few sound files comparing the Geuns-Wakker and the Tedrow, first a sprightly sea shanty with a little ornamentation, and second a simple waltz with a left-hand vamp. You can hear occasional "hiccups" on the Tedrow, where I couldn't operate the air button smoothly enough.
Amsterdam Maid, Tedrow
Amsterdam Maid, Geuns-Wakker
Laurel's Waltz, Tedrow
Laurel's Waltz, Geuns-Wakker

There were a few cosmetic issues with the Tedrow that I should mention. One oddity is that on the left hand, there's a hole where the air button would be if there was one (see the picture at the top of this page). Not a big deal, but I think it looks a little funny. I also noticed some "chatter" on the handles, it looks like some marking from the cutting of the wood wasn't sanded out thoroughly. Click on the pictures for a closeup view.

I didn't mind the look of the allen screws, and I think they're practical. But I did notice that along the edges the finish was a bit cracked, and you could see distracting light areas around the heads. If the edges of the screw holes were smoothed more, the finish probably wouldn't have cracked. It was more noticable in person than in this picture. I do agree with others that recessed screws would give an even classier look (as long as they wouldn't compromise durability).

The inside edges of the fretwork seemed to be unfinished. It doesn't look bad, but adds to the somewhat less refined look compared to my Geuns (which has the inside edges painted black). Also, there were some leftover fuzzy slivers of wood on the underside of the fretwork, which besides not looking polished, I presume could fall into the internals and maybe jam a reed. It would be a very nice touch to sand away the edges of the fretwork to remove this roughness.

Overall, in cosmetics, feel, playability, and sound, the Tedrow is somewhat less refined than my Geuns-Wakker. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Tedrow, especially if the buttons were bushed. For someone who wants to play fast and loud, it may have a few advantages over the Geuns (especially if the springs were a touch softer), and it's cheaper, especially in the United States. The air button was an issue for me, but it might not be for everyone. The Tedrow is a huge leap above a mass-produced instrument like a Stagi.

[Jeff Lefferts]