This is a Lachenal 56-Key Extended Treble New Model with steel reeds. It has been fitted with new pads and valves, it has had a bellows re-bind, and it has been tuned to concert pitch (A=440hz).

Aside from the standard wear marks around the buttons (from heavy usage over the years), this is a concertina in very tidy condition. The New Model was the first real innovation in concertinas, deviating from the standard 6-sides with flat ends and incorporating raised ends into the new design. It’s unquestionably a step up from the Lachenal models below it, such as the Paragon, Inimitable and Excelsior. This instrument is a very good player. It’s fast with a slightly softer but still balanced tone. Whilst most musicians wouldn’t use the extra buttons at the top of the concertina and might see them as an off-putting thing, they add no real extra weight and the standard 48 buttons are in the same place in relation to the thumb-straps.

A very nice, mid-range concertina.

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