G'day captainbirdseye,

There are more than just "... four makers using english construction and proper concertina reeds ...". Here, in Australia, from our small population of just 20 millions, we have two makers of excellent concertinas, handmade to standards above the common run of London-made concertinas in their heyday. Richard Evans, in the Blue Mountains area west of Sydney and Ian Simpson of Nariel Creek in northwestern Victoria both produce excellent instruments ... but with waiting lists as long as those of the British makers.

(We did have a third maker of equally good concertins: Pierre Hooft, a trained silversmith, but he died recently ... and he made only a small number of concertinas.) I understand that there are a number of very good, high-quality makers in South Africa ... but they can sell all they make to keen concertina players in the local Boer Museik tradition.

All these makers are striving to make instruments better than the best of 19c London-made ... but this means meticulous hand-crafting ... painfully long production periods ... and near interminable waiting lists. I'm sure there are other makers of whom I've not heard ... and I don't think anyone would silly enought to get into the game just for the money!

Regards,

Bob