Compo’s eighty-three comments

Forgot to add that John Williams’s bass is (apart from the C/F buttons) similar to the basque two row instrument - 12 bass with the same note/chord in both bellows directions. more…

Kjay, I’m not saying that there aren’t semitone box players that do a great job of playing them but, there are many that hardly, if ever, seem to play more than the odd bass. more…

Doesn’t the bass side come into it too? Many semi-tone box players hardly (if ever) seem to use the basses whereas the quint boxes are brill for playing chords in its main major and minor keys. more…

I must admit that I concerts full of singers/guitarists usually fill me with dread. One problem with the guitars is their ubiquity but I’d have a similar problem with everyone playing fiddle or box for example. more…

Not many box manufacturers do have prices on their websites. more…

One “tip” I had was that if both ends of the wire that the levers pivot on are accessible you can attach both ends of this wire to a car battery. This causes the wire to heat up and expand which will open up the hole in the lever. more…

I once saw Spiers and Boden start Oops! I did it again (at least I remember it as that Britney song it may have been another) and segue into Boston Harbour. Worked quite well as I recall. Richard Thompson does a killer version of Oops! as well. more…

Not my sort of box but I’ve heard good things about Fantini but if at all possible I’d suggest trying as many different makes and models as you can get your hands on first. more…

Well they convinced me to not p*ss my life away and to visit the dentist on a semi-regular basis. more…

Isn’t Michael McGoldrick Irish (just had the grievous misfortune to be born in Manchester🙂) more…