The Parnassus English concertina is the result of my years-long personal quest as a professional classical musician to develop an instrument that can stand comparison with high-end string and wind instruments. My goal was to develop an instrument with perfect equilibrium, clearness of sound, and a wide range of dynamics.
The resulting instrument uniquely combines traditional concertina design with modern free-reed techniques and centuries-old luthier traditions.

The heart of the Parnassus models is the custom designed long scale tapered reeds mounted in MS57 brass frames. The uncompromised reed scaling guarantees the highest possible degree of sound uniformity. With half the tip weight of vintage reeds, the reeds significantly lower the airflow requirement while expanding the instrument's dynamic range.
The construction of the Parnassus model incorporates many techniques used by luthiers for centuries such as a braced top, the combination of European maple with Engelmann spruce, the use of protein glues and French polish finish. 
The graduated Engelmann spruce top acts as an active plate comparable to a string instrument soundboard. This affects the sound of the reeds positioned under the top, favouring lower frequencies. The double-layer rosette acts as traditional fretwork, favouring higher frequencies. The balance between these two acoustic principles is determined by the position and size of the rosette; this varies by Parnassus model and increasingly favours the lower frequencies on lower-sounding models.
Due to the instrument's complexity, we make a limited number of Parnassus concertinas per year.

Parnassus Consort

The Parnassus models are available as consort. 
The Parnassus Consort instruments are build from the same tonal woods, and normally have the same frame veneers, button types and finishes.
Harmonically, consort instruments are voiced in a continuous equilibrium, ensuring that each instrument harmonically matches the other consort members, while at the same time maintaining its individual tonal colour.

Small Consort

The Parnassus small consort consists of 3 instruments. There are 3 options:
A) Treble, Tenor, Baritone
B) Treble, Baritone, Bass
C) Tenor-Treble, Baritone, Bass

Full Consort

The Parnassus Full consort consists of 4 instruments:
A) Treble, Tenor, Baritone and Bass
B) Tenor-Treble, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass