Instrument Section C-370 to 376 German & French "English" System
This group of rare instruments represent the attempts made by French and by some German makers to duplicate the 48-Key “English” fingering system invented by Charles Wheatstone, yet using cheaper materials, often with riveted reed plates as in Item C.372, rather than reeds in individual frames, and basic fretwork and crude wooden lever methods. Many now bear the oval labels of alleged “makers” such as Ebblewhite (Item C.374), or even have carefully-faked “C Wheatstone” labels within their end-frets! (C.373) (Though Ebblewhite later edited his labelling to merely admit that his instruments were “from”, rather than “by” Ebblewhite!) (C.375).
Evidence that these instruments are of French
manufacture is the frequent use of hand-pencilled labelling to the inner
bellows frames, with the large “D” and “G” lettering applied (in addition to a
scribbled Batch Number to indicate either Droite (right) or Gauche
(left), as on Instrument
C.375.
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Created August 2009 by Neil Wayne
Modified September 2011 by Wes Williams
This page created Wednesday 14 September 2011.
