Update

I'm very pleased with the responses I have been getting about the new Heritage Model:

"Hello All,

Last summer, Frank Edgley announced he would be building a line of concertinas using traditional style reeds. I got to try his prototype and then put an order in for one. It recently arrived, #401, the first production model. I have been greatly enjoying this new concertina... It looks and sounds fantastic! He wanted it to sound as good as possible with nothing left to guesswork, so in addition to the traditional style reeds he cloned the reed pan geometry of a vintage Wheatstone Linota. I would say that it worked - the instrument has a wonderful tone. He does put his usual action mechanism on it, which I have always found to be so easy to play. It's very responsive. In terms of appearance, mine is mostly black, to look as traditional as possible, though there is just a bit of edge trim in Mexican Bocote to reveal it as something new. (However, he will do whatever exotic wood one would like.)" ---TL

"My new Heritage concertina sounds so sweet my wife is getting jealous."---DW

I have been playing the prototype almost exclusively for six months now. I'm very pleased! Production models have all had solid hardwood reedpans, and sound great. I made the prototype using birch aitcraft grade laminate as it was a prototype, and it sounds really good. However, the solid hardwood reedpans which I have used on all the production Heritage models (going to customers) sound better. Nevertheless, I used the prototype for all the St. Patrick's gigs, and I couldn't be more pleased with it's sound, especially as it was the first one.