The Concertina Doctor

The Concertina Doctor Nigel Sture - the concertina doctor. We repair and restore concertinas - all work undertaken includ

I have been repairing concertinas since the early 80's when I started by tinkering around with my own and doing repairs for friends. I spent a lot time learning from Dick Cherry over in Exeter, who taught me tuning techniques and so much more. I have been restoring and tuning full time since 1997, and have a long list of very happy customers. We do a little buying and selling, so usually have a small number of nice instruments for sale.

Making and fitting new springs.
05/04/2026

Making and fitting new springs.

A possible solution to the common Staggi and cheap Chinese concertina problem. This works to a degree, but needs refinin...
04/04/2026

A possible solution to the common Staggi and cheap Chinese concertina problem.
This works to a degree, but needs refining.

Latest restoration, a lovely George Jones 30 key Anglo Concertina. This was a particularly difficult restoration as the ...
19/02/2026

Latest restoration, a lovely George Jones 30 key Anglo Concertina.
This was a particularly difficult restoration as the concertina was really in scrap condition when it arrived, it had fretwork damage, some reeds missing and many reeds in the wrong places, and many other problems, it also needed new bellows. A further problem was trying to source, and in the end recreating the original Jones pattern decorative bellows papers.
The concertina had been subjected to inexpert repairs in the past, including use of what appeared to be car body filler.
Now it is a great player with a lovely tone.
Soon to be returning to it's home in Northern Ireland.

A pair of nice rosewood ends from a Jones 30 key Angelo Concertina undergoing a full restoration in the workshop at the ...
22/01/2026

A pair of nice rosewood ends from a Jones 30 key Angelo Concertina undergoing a full restoration in the workshop at the moment.
There was some fretwork damage with some pieces missing, which has now been patched up using fretwork pieces cut from scrapped rosewood ends from broken up concertinas.
The ends have not been re finished, just polished.

Here we have it! 🙄 A 20 key rosewood Lachenal that someone thought that the best way to tune the reeds would be to slack...
11/11/2025

Here we have it! 🙄
A 20 key rosewood Lachenal that someone thought that the best way to tune the reeds would be to slacken off the clamping screws on the reed shoes 😬.
It makes the tuning job take much longer than it should as the reeds have to be re centered and the screws carefully tightened the right amount (they snap off easily if over tightened, so great care must be taken).
The screws have to be tightened enough so that the reeds can't move sideways, and that is pretty tight.

Lachenal rosewood 30key anglo Concertina upgrade. Fitting felt button hole bushes. It makes a much smoother playing expe...
08/11/2025

Lachenal rosewood 30key anglo Concertina upgrade.
Fitting felt button hole bushes.
It makes a much smoother playing experience.

Restoration of a nice Jones 32 key C/G Anglo Concertina just completed.
22/09/2025

Restoration of a nice Jones 32 key C/G Anglo Concertina just completed.

Work in progress.A nice amboyna 58 button Lachenal extended treble English Concertina with extra whistle and squeaker bu...
20/07/2025

Work in progress.
A nice amboyna 58 button Lachenal extended treble English Concertina with extra whistle and squeaker buttons.
When restoration is completed, this one will be available from Steve Turner at Turner Violins of Beeston, Nottingham.

Porous bellows corner gussets in a Chinese Scarlatti Anglo Concertina.The gussets are not leather, they are made of clot...
24/06/2025

Porous bellows corner gussets in a Chinese Scarlatti Anglo Concertina.
The gussets are not leather, they are made of cloth coated with a plastic material, which perishes after a while, leading to pin prick holes, visible in the first photo.
The solution is to line the gussets from inside with thin soft leather, as in the next two photos.

10/06/2025

Hand cutting and thinning Jeffries valves with a scalpel.

Fitting new chamois leather gaskets to the reed pans on a Jeffries Brothers Duet Concertina (Jeffries duet system).
09/06/2025

Fitting new chamois leather gaskets to the reed pans on a Jeffries Brothers Duet Concertina (Jeffries duet system).

On the work bench today, an interesting C/G anglo concertina. This one is a Lachenal copy most probably made by the litt...
20/05/2025

On the work bench today, an interesting C/G anglo concertina. This one is a Lachenal copy most probably made by the little known maker Tidder. Unusually Tidder never labeled his concertinas. Tidder & Co were more known for making harmoniums and seraphinas and for reed making.
This concertina will be for sale when the restoration is done,

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Kingsbridge
TQ72NR

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+441548531525

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