This is a Wheatstone Aeola Extended-Baritone with steel reeds. It has been fitted with new pads and valves, and has been tuned to concert pitch. The serial number is 35061.

We spend a lot of time explaining that Wheatstone’s production quality went downhill pretty massively after serial number 33000, where the riveted action was replaced with a hook and lever action, and other cost-cutting measures were taken. This Baritone is the biggest exception to that rule that we’ve ever seen. It was obviously made a show instrument with its eye-catching gold plating and fittings, but it’s also a phenomenal player- we had to double check that it didn’t actually have a riveted action, as it played so well.

Wheatstone obviously made this with a very high quality set of steel reeds, so you have to take its serial number out of the equation with this concertina- it’s absolutely fantastic. The range extends above the standard 48-Key Baritone range.

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