Howard/Date: 20 Jul 12 - 08:02 AM
"I have a 40-key anglo. I cannot see how this layout could accommodate large buttons unless the whole instrument was made considerably bigger. If that's what you want you might as well get a chemnitzer".

Please don't mix the button issue with features which engage the whole box construction! I have tried up to 10mm diam buttons with 36k Anglos so I know "the layout can accomodate" those.A 40-key is no big difference in principle but the top row truly is terribly tricky as it is and technically speaking squeezing that lot of notes into a "normal" size Anglo is not very attractive anyway.

Now - when using 9mm buttons on an Anglo you get just about analogous conditions as when using 6mm buttons on an English - and that does work - and if you use 8mm Anglo buttons you get almost exactly the same conditions as with the standard English having 5mm buttons. Since "all" English players by tradition seem to accept that, why shouldn't Anglo players be able to do the same??

Concerning general size British style concertinas (6 1/4" - 6 1/2" ) are too small generally speaking. They present several compromised technical solutions and ergonomically they can't offer ideal conditions for most adult hands.But as I said - that is another issue.