Supreme Concertina
THE NEW ECHO CONCERTINA
Our good friend Bob Novak and his team at Echo
Concertina have built a very special instrument,
designed just for us. The concertina is constructed
of solid cherry wood with a natural finish that has
been expertly engraved, painted with fine details
and set with beautiful rhinestones. All external
metal has been plated in 24 karat gold. The
quadruple, Salpa plate reeds are tuned to the key of
C (5 Press A).
Special recognition must go to Jerry Smith, Mike Smieja and George Hebaus. Jerry is responsible for crafting the solid cherry wood pieces into a flawless case. The joints and seams are virtually invisible, making this concertina appear to have been sculpted from one solid piece of wood. Mike is the master of the concertina's mechanics, constructing and adjusting the button and air valve mechanism until it performed extremely quick, smooth and silent. George is the genius behind the expert tuning of the Salpa plate reeds. He has the special skill to improve upon perfection, resulting in a solid sound with just enough vibrato to please my 'Chicago-style' taste. These gentlemen under Bob Novak's leadership and direction have delivered a modern masterpiece.
This is a one-of-a-kind concertina, although Bob has hinted that he may construct a 'twin' for himself. I am extremely proud of this instrument and know that it will be an heirloom for generations to come. If you happen to see me out and about with this Echo in hand, please stop me and ask to play it. I will gladly allow you to share in the joy of making sweet music with this concertina.
The following series of photos allow you to follow the construction of this chemnitzer concertina from start to finish. Clicking on the thumbnail image will display a larger version of the photo.
The cherry wood frame pieces were literally 'machined' to fine tolerances to make the joints and seams almost invisible. Frame pieces were also carefully routed-out to help reduce the weight of the instrument.
After the individual wooden pieces were made, they were aligned in special jigs for component assembly and glue. Here the frames and endcaps are in-process.
Once the encap components were glued, holes were precisely drilled to accept the assembly hardware. The reed blocks were made to exact specificiations to make certain that the airflow to the long-plate reeds is efficient and thorough.
The solid cherry wood was ornamentally engraved, providing the traditional look of vintage instruments that were normally covered with heavy plastic laminate. Craftsman, Ambrose Kodet poses here with Bob Novak with the engraved endcaps.
Once the components were built and completely machined to accept the assembly hardware, the ornamentation work was performed. Here the endcaps and frames have been engraved, detailed painting had been finished, and the rhinestones were being set.
The bellows were fitted, while the reed assemblies and button mechanism were installed. The gold-plated external hardware was attached, making the instrument physically complete and ready to be cleaned and polished. The final step was testing and tuning. Several musicians in the Upper Midwest were fortunate enough to put this concertina through its paces providing Bob Novak and his team with valuable feedback on what needed to be tweeked or adjusted to make certain that the concertina was perfect before delivery to the very happy customer!
KEN'S CONCERTINAS
The following concertinas are a sample of the instruments that Ken owns, or has owned in the past. They are presented here for your information only. These instruments are not for sale.
This special edition, solid cherry wood Echo
Concertina was manufactured by Bob Novak and his
team. The Salpa plate reeds coupled with the precise
design and construction make it extremely efficient
on air and it produces a very clean and clear
tone.
Manufacturer: Echo Concertina, Lake Elmo,
Minnesota
Model: Custom, 104 Key, Quadruple, Salpa Plate
Reeds
Serial Number: 26
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Key: C (5 Press A)
The waxed reeds in this Star Beauty have been tuned
to have a special "wavy" vibrato; super for playing
that grindy Chicago-style polka music. It is the
best sounding wax-reed concertina that we have ever
played.
Manufacturer: Star Concertina, Chicago, Illinois
Model: Beauty, 104 Key, Quadruple, Waxed Reeds
Serial Number: 2984
Year of Manufacture: 1973
Key: C (5 Press A)