We are pleased to be able to offer our own line of concertinas. These instruments are meticulously designed and well crafted by us right here in western Massachusetts. Our goal is to produce high-quality, reliable, affordable, and available concertinas to fill the niche between the lower-priced Italian models and the increasingly scarce and correspondingly expensive vintage concertinas. We currently have two models:
| 30-key Céilí Anglo concertina | 37-key Albion English concertina |
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| Available with Jeffries or Wheatstone/Lachenal fingering layout (see note charts here), in the keys of C/G, G/D, D/A, and Bb/F. With hardshell case: $1,950. |
Available in treble (G below MC to the D above the treble staff (d3)) and baritone (range exactly one octave lower) versions. With hardshell case: $2,150. |
Ordering
From the Button Box:
A Morse concertina can be ordered by placing a $50 non-refundable deposit. Morse concertinas are built to order; the average delivery time is currently around 4-6 weeks. To see what is available immediately, visit our Instruments in Stock page. Please contact us if you have any questions.
United Kingdom and Ireland:
UK customers can order a Morse through The Music Room in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire.
Our Irish distributor is Micheal O' Raghallaigh - Rathmolyon, County Meath, Ireland. tel. 011 353 46 95 55589 morconcertina@hotmail.com
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Here's what Micheal says about the Morse: 'These concertinas are great; I recommend them to my students. They respond well, sound good, look great, are light in weight, and can do anything that can be done on a good Jeffries or Wheatstone.' |
Both models are 6-¼" hex (across the flats), similarly designed and carefully crafted to effect the best features typical of high-end vintage concertinas. Cherry is the most popular choice for woodwork; black is also available upon request.
| Action: | We use a riveted action of brass and stainless steel for quick and even response. |
| Reedpan: | Our reedpan and action pan are integrated making our instruments significantly lighter than most other concertinas. This design also enhances certain tones of the reeds which results in a full and bright sound. |
| Reeds: | We use high-grade accordion reeds set to give a response and dynamic range that is equal to - and in some cases surpassing - that of many vintage concertinas. |
| Bellows: | Our traditionally-constructed bellows have six folds and are constructed of acid-free card stock, goat and cow leathers, linen, and some synthetic materials, for strength, flexibility and durability. |
| Endframes: | The ornate ends are made of solid cherry. They are durably finished with a rich natural stain or a black satin lacquer finish. |
| Buttons: | Black DelrinŽ with slightly elliptically-domed tops. |
| Fittings: | Brass endbolts and thumbscrews. |
| Each of our concertinas comes with a fully lined and blocked hardshell case and a 5-year warranty against defective parts and workmanship. |  |
Testimonials
“I own two R. Morse & Company Anglo concertinas; a C/G (#126) and a G/D (#280). I am very happy with both of them. The instruments have that rich ‘old concertina’ sound, yet are very light, fast, and effortless to play. The tuning on both instruments are excellent, making them great in the recording studio as well.” John Mock - Nashville studio musician and instrumentalist with the Dixie Chicks and Maura O’Connell.
"Now for some first impressions. The first shock is the weight. There isn't any. It weighs just 915 grams. It is much the lightest concertina I have ever encountered. You could play this thing standing up for hours." Chris Timson review
"At the 2001 Squeeze-In I talked and played tunes with Frank Edgley quite a bit and it was fun to get to know him. He tried my Morse Ceili (serial number 36) for a while and gave it a great workout. When he handed it back, he said it was a great instrument that responded as fast as nearly anyone would possibly play it." Ken Coles review
"As soon as one tries to play on it you are struck not only by the lack of weight - but the feather lightness of the touches - you hardly notice any resistance under the fingers - and yet there is no feeling of sloppyness - you really feel comfortably "in control" all the times. It's such a pleasure to play that I really feel reluctant to return to my Wheatstones or my Lachenals where the fingerwork is so much harder." Jon McNamara review
"UPS delivered the concertina this evening. Within a minute the damned thing had attacked me and jumped onto my hands. I had to defend myself. Four hours of rapturous playing later, I finally managed to wrestle it back into its case for the night. But, I'm afraid it's going to attack me again tomorrow. You folks should be ashamed of producing such a beautiful and responsive instrument that keeps me from my work like that." Marcus Brandt
"I think it's a great instrument - love the tone, the responsiveness, and the amazing lightness. Also found it had the full dynamic range which I need." Gill Noppen-Spacie
"I have a Morse D/A, which I like very much.... My instrument is very light and extremely responsive in terms of bellows and reeds. The action of the buttons is very responsive with just the right amount of travel for the buttons. The sound is loud and much more concertinaish than the other mid-priced instrument I own. I'm so fond of the instrument that I will be quite satisfied for the few years I have to wait until my Wheatstone is ready." Jeff Myers