Welcome to Suttner Concertinas!

The sound of a concertina is determined ultimately by the workmanship and the materials used. Suttner Concertinas are handmade to the highest standards. All together about 1000 individual parts are manufactured and assembled. Each reed is individually made from hardened steel, mounted in a brass frame and finally tuned by hand. The reed pan is made from maple and the bellows of high quality leather. For ease of playing the most important feature is a precise action. The valve leathers and springs of a Suttner Concertina are manufactured with such meticulous accuracy that a smooth and easy action is guaranteed.

I design and build my concertinas according to the historical models of Wheatstone and Jeffries, although my instruments are unmistakable in appearance as the characteristically decorative feature of each instrument are the endplates. The filigree ornamentation is sawn out according to the old original patterns, using materials such as German silver, ebony or rosewood, depending on the model. For many years now, I have been gathering experience in building and restoring historical instruments. Careful craftsmanship and the continual refinement of the smallest details to improve the sound make Suttner Concertinas quality instruments of the highest standard.

The history of the concertina began in the middle of the last century. Since 1825, an Englishman called Charles Wheatstone had been working on the design of an instrument which produced notes from "free reeds" caused to vibrate by a stream of air. This "symphonium", as it was called, still had to be blown at first using a mouthpiece. Finally in 1844 Wheatstone took out a patent on his first concertina. As an almost parallel development in Germany, Carl Friedrich Uhlig from Chemnitz built his first concertina in 1834. Even today the old instruments built by the English firms "Wheatstone" and "Jeffries" are considered to be the world's best concertinas, but Jeffries has since stopped production (in the 1920's).

Basically there are two different types of concertina: the "Anglo-German Concertina" produces two different notes with one button, depending on whether the instrument is squeezed or pulled (similar to a harmonica).

In the case of the "English Concertina" the note is the same. Thus the two instruments are played very differently.

Besides these two basic types there are also various types of Duet Concertinas.

Whether in the elegant English drawing rooms of the turn of the century, in the shows of the English Music Hall, in the circus or in folk music, the concertina has always been a popular instrument. It is small and lightweight, has a full, rich sound and is easy to learn.

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