Wakker Phoenix
Anglo  concertina
 

the Phoenix Anglo, made by W. Wakker. 
Traditional made concertina with vintage concertina reeds.

The Phoenix project is an idea of Chris Algar of Barleycorn Concertinas. As a dealer Chris frequently comes across concertinas that are beyond repair.  The reeds of these instruments (english, anglo and duet) are salvaged and used in new, traditionally made anglo concertinas. The Wakker Phoenix anglo is made exclusively for Barleycorn Concertinas.

Construction
The Wakker Phoenix concertinas are based on the 30 key Wheatstone anglo. Many parts, such as the reedpan,
action board, face plates, end bolts, etc. are identical. 
All Wakker Phoenix anglos are french polished. The basic
models are black (ebonized) with 6 fold bellows. 

The instruments with top quality reeds can have exclusive veneers, such as amboyna, or metal ends.

Reeds
The Wakker Phoenix anglos have vintage reeds mounted in a traditional radial reed pan (Wheatstone type). 
The reeds used can be from a Lachenal, Wheatstone or any other 'old' concertina. The label always shows the origin of the reeds.
                                            

Reedpan
After selection, the reeds are digitally measured to assure a perfect fit in the reed pan.
Because we use reeds from different makers and periods, every reed frame is a different size.  
The reed pan is made on a CNC machine, with a tolerance of less than 0.02 mm (0.003 inch).

Bellows
Our Anglos have standard  leather black 6 folds bellows. 
The folds are thicker than English/duet bellows. They allow less side movement. The most important asset of anlgo bellows is stability.  When playing on an anglo the bellows movement is very short and irregular. Because of the rapid changes it is important that the folds themselves do not move. The folds should not 'bounce' when you change bellows direction.  
This does not mean that they should be stiff.  We use a special acid free type of card for our anglo bellows, with a higher weight. All movement in the panel construction is eliminated.  
The heavier bellows feel more stable and give the player maximum control over movement and still feel very supple. We use the finest quality goat skin, tested for impurities and air tightness.

Action
The action of the Wakker Phoenix concertina is identical to the one we use in our other instruments. It is a heavier version of the riveted action found in Wheatstone concertinas. The design of the brass post, through which the lever moves, eliminates all  side movement of the button, which makes the action very quiet, smooth and fast. Our action allows for 'fine tuning' the key travel to ca.60 grams of pressure.

We use 'Wheatstone type' keys on the Wakker Phoenix: delrin core with a metal sleeve.The top of the keys are domed.
Because of the delrin core, our keys weigh only a fraction of the solid type keys which are used by most makers nowadays.  Lighter keys result in a faster and quieter action.

Brass fittings
The end bolds, inserts in the bellows frames, and the hand strap screws and inserts, are all hand made out of brass.

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