Hohner Concertina 20 Key

by Hohner

Product Features

• Anglo-German style
• 20 buttons and 40 reeds.
• Comes with a gig bag.
• Incredible Value
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 14 inches ; 3.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0002GWKKA
• Item model number: D40
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,965 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Folk musicians have favored concertinas since the mid 1800s for their low cost, portability, and superior sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concertina's In General, December 12, 2005

By 

R. Wiltbank - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hohner Concertina 20 Key (Electronics)

A very fun instrument to learn! I recently picked up your $80 base model off of eBay that was made from China and had many issues with it. I had to open up the instrument to sand down some of the components and adjust the buttons in order to get the action to the point where the buttons wouldn't stick.

If you ask any skilled concertina player what kind of instrument is a good starter -- every single one of them will tell you to get the best one you can right off of the bat, otherwise, you can be plagued with problems such as mine, or stiff bellows causing a lot more air to be required to move the reeds.

Since a 'superb' concertina can run in the $1,500 - $3,000 range, a good 'starter' concertina is around $300-$500. I'd reccomend a 'Stagi' brand concertina (available at hobgoblin music -- I believe they have a website).

You'll find two general varieties -- a 20 button model and a 30 button model. If you've never played concertina, they'll be listed somewhat like this:

C/G 30 Button Anglo

Basically, the left side of the concertina is the lower octave and the right side is the higher octave. The C/G means that one row of buttons (10 buttons total -- 5 on each side) across both sides) will be the key of C while the other row is the key of G; that's your standard 20 button model. The 30 button models offer another row (5 buttons on each side) that add accidentals (flats and sharps) that aren't in the key of C or G.

There are two basic types of concertinas Anglo and English -- English is quieter, more for a quiet atmosphere, while the Anglo (in the C/G key) is a bit more robust and is generally the prefered choice for Irish music. I'd highly reccomend a 30-button C/G anglo if you're getting started!

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Play, February 4, 2005

By 

T. Rahl (Idaho Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hohner Concertina 20 Key (Electronics)

I can play a number of tunes on the harmonica and that is the extent of my musical ability. That skill was learned on numerous backpacking trips over the years. I ordered up the D40 Concertina and Mel Bay's book. I received the concertina a couple weeks before the book. I managed to work out the details of Red River Valley in the first couple hours I had it. Couldn't play well at that time (still can't) but had the notes figured out. Once I got the book, it was a little easier to learn a new song.

This thing is just fun to sit down with for an hour or so in the evening and play the few songs I know and maybe work on a new one.

I highly reccommend this instrument for anybody that has an interest in this type of thing.

I am 52 years old.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buttons Stick, March 13, 2007

By 

McCarthy (Central Square, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hohner Concertina 20 Key (Electronics)

I purchased a Hohner D40 concertina a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with it. I immediately noticed one button kept getting stuck after I played with it. I would have to pull on it to free it after playing each time. Annoying to say the least!!!

Then a day later I noticed one of the buttons didn't make any sound at all. Now I had two buttons causing me problems. It looks decent and sounds nice but what is the point of having an instrument if you can't play it! The handle had a screw that kept coming loose. I thought this particular one was maybe a fluke so I sent it back and got another one. I just wanted to be able to play a concertina and the price was decent. So I gave it another try. Well I got the second one today and lo and behold a button sticks again. Well it's going back and I am still on the lookout for a decent concertina with buttons that doesn't stick. I hope I can find one that works for me.