G'day again Uncle Jaque,

I think Oggie's right to go with the Anglos - especially for authenticity, but I love the gutsy style of their push-pull action. The English System and the duets are actually far more logical ... if you are of a far more logical mind than the average folkie.

The English appeals to music readers because it places all notes between the stave on the right hand and the notes on the lines are on the left. This apparently makes great sense to piano playes and other classicists ... if not to horny-handed folk like me!

The duets are indeed designed for Victorian stage virtuosi, except for the so-called "Triumph" or "Crane" (actually designed by Butterworth, introduced by Capt. Crane and branded Triumph by the Salvation Army Stores). These are great for hymns - and not at all bad for folk songs ... but you have to wait for someone to die before one comes on the market!

A lot of the early revival players, here in Australia, took up the English system because they misunderstood what the old country players told them: "You don't want those German concertinas ... get a good English one..." meaning a good Anglo-German model ... not an English system. Notwithstanding this, because they learned the music from real old players, they can still sound good - if you really know what you want to do, you can do it on anything (well ... almost anything).

Regards,

Bob Bolton