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-risto-
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1#
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Rank:none
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(Date Posted:03/10/2007 12:46:06)
James Keane plays a set with his custom Castagnari which he sells under the name 'Keanebox'. Does anyone know more about it? Here's the clip at Comhaltas (Land of Sunshine/Capel Street/Hughie Travers):
James Keane Castagnari
PS. What do estimate is the amount of wetness used in this box?
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EeeJay
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2#
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(Date Posted:03/10/2007 14:21:16)
Thanks for the link Risto - looks the same as the Kriss III model - but for the fact his website states that the Keanebox is only available as a B/C... which is a pity...
It sounds to me like there are three reeds in unison there - possibly two dry and another (controlled by the stop) slightly offset...
I just love the plug... "and, er... we're sellin' 'em real cheap"
Now thats what I like to hear! 
Ed J
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Jeff H
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3#
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Registered:15/12/2003
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(Date Posted:03/10/2007 22:17:01)
picking the fly specs out of the pepper
his web site does not say available "ONLY" in B/C
it simply says "available in B/C"
no doubt Alex Music sales would take an order for a C#D
it's just different reeds
and considering he has been known to play C#/D on ocassion..
whats another set of reeds...
but It looks Like a Kriss
Also keep in mind there was a Welti model that was simply an off the shelf box in another blond wood
so no biggie to make an "endorsed" box
Personal;ly I have a policy about musical instrument (or any other endorsed product)
I wont buy one...
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Old Leaky
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4#
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(Date Posted:04/10/2007 00:05:31)
Reply to : Jeff H
Personal;ly I have a policy about musical instrument (or any other endorsed product)I wont buy one...
While we're picking out fly specs (quaint phrase - what's the origin?), let's put yours under the microscope... if you apply your, er, policy as stated, then what's your interest in this forum? Or, do you acquire your instruments by other means?
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-risto-
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5#
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Rank:none
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(Date Posted:04/10/2007 10:07:53)
Reply to : EeeJay
- looks the same as the Kriss III model -
Sure does, thanks Ed.
I didn't notice James Keane saying anything about the type of reeds used in the KEanebox, neither Castagnari page about the reeds in the Kriss III model - unlike for the other models - maybe this is why Keane can sell them "real cheap" (what ever that means)...
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Theo Gibb
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6#
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From: Great_britain 
Registered:30/06/2004
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(Date Posted:04/10/2007 10:38:51)
After running up against typos on the front page of his website "...natural finish of cherry or walnut straps..." and the quote about selling "real cheap" I can't help thinking "would I buy a used car from this man?" 
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Martin Ellison
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7#
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Rank:none
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(Date Posted:04/10/2007 17:34:14)
Reply to : Theo Gibb
After running up against typos on the front page of his website "...natural finish of cherry or walnut straps..." and the quote about selling "real cheap" I can't help thinking "would I buy a used car from this man?"
Yes, I thought it was a bit spiv-like. Maybe they're a bit like those tins of beans you find in Lidl or whatever that look exactly like "Heinz" but say "Hines". Check the spelling of castagnari, maybe it's a tribute box - castagnearly or something.
But Theo, don't knock walnut straps - how else are you going to keep the little buggers under control. Walnuts don't have the placid nature of almonds, they will attack if cornered.
martin
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EeeJay
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8#
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Rank:none
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(Date Posted:05/10/2007 17:11:37)
Picking flies again...
I'm fairly sure that James' site (which, oddly, seems to be currently offline) meant availabile - as in right here, right now, off the shelf, i.e. only - in B/C.
As we know, availability is the big thing with Castagnaris - Alex Music may indeed be able to take your order for a C#/D... but when one might expect to recieve it is anybody's guess...
On reflection, saying "really cheap" is a little indelicate - and undervalues the product a wee bit... then again, James is a musician, not a marketing type. Reading between the lines, I'm assuming they have had a batch produced (one would expect, in B/C) and they are able to offer a keener (...or should I say Keane-r...) price on this particular inventory.
I agree about the general nature of endorsed products. It provides marketing departments with an excuse to slap a premium on... and subsequently discount, and generally muck around with the value of the thing... something any purchaser would be prudent to avoid...
That said, the old Keane signature Weltmeister was not exactly "off the shelf" - the significant improvement was the flat keyboard. This model is still available (albeit unendorsed), and is arguably better than the open stepped keyboard version (where the wooden levers have a tendency to stick).
Ed J
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Jeff H
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9#
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Registered:15/12/2003
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 02:14:33)
To Old Leaky.. I haven't a clue as to what you are "talking" about or implying ....so can't answer
Except....The phrase picking the fly specs out of the pepper was originally "picking the fly S--T out of the pepper"
It obviously means the same thing as spliting hairs or dwelling on minutae..
It is most often used in a humourous context.. as it was here.. but considering that some posts and posters on melodeon.net have proved this is a levity impaired site.. no doubt the phrase zinged by in its intent and context
Correct.. as I stated.. the same box is available off the shelf... not originally but now.
.. According to those who have had the Keane Welty apart.. ( not I ) there is absoulutely nothing special about them internally
Mr Keane would do well to suggest that someoene else author the ad copy for Sympathetic Hernados Clean Used Boxes.. tacky advertising to be sure..
Reminds me of a car dealer from Monterey Calif from the 50's who advertised
" five dollars and a smile changes heels to wheels"
I recall when James played a Castagnari Lully not Lilly but Lully.. remember those.. wonder if he still has it... Then the Borelli whch was called by some the Keane Model was of course a rebadged Menghascini (sp) then the Welty and now back to Castagnari
However the endorsement and the advertising copy is "a deterrent to purchase"
So who is going to contact the hustler.. er dealer and find out if the Keane is available "off the shelf" in B/C or by order only (which would be funny in itself )or available in C#/D by order or off the shelf
and is there any badging that says "this is a "Keane" box
5 Star Spec Picker Outer
Reply to : EeeJay
Picking flies again...I'm fairly sure that James' site (which, oddly, seems to be currently offline) meant availabile - as in right here, right now, off the shelf, i.e. only - in B/C.As we know, availability is the big thing with Castagnaris - Alex Music may indeed be able to take your order for a C#/D... but when one might expect to recieve it is anybody's guess...On reflection, saying "reallycheap" is a little indelicate - and undervalues the product a wee bit... then again, James is a musician, not a marketing type. Reading between the lines, I'm assuming they have had a batch produced (one would expect, in B/C) and they are able to offer a keener (...or should I say Keane-r...) price on this particular inventory.I agree about the general nature of endorsed products. It provides marketing departments with an excuse to slap a premium on..
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NorthernMelodeon
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10#
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Rank:none
Posts:346
Registered:27/06/2004
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 06:04:08)
I've looked at the websites linked below and can't find the ad copy that you guys are quoting -- where is it?
I'm also not sure how much commercial interest can be assumed on James Keane's part.
At any rate, Alex Instruments is run by some non-native speakers of English (including one old man who grew up in Castelfidardo, then spent most of his life in Argentina and speaks his own mix of Spanish and Italian), so that might be the cause of the language cited below. (???)
Jeff, I must have missed the joke in your fly speck post below -- did it get edited out? Can you explain?
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-risto-
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11#
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Rank:none
Posts:185
Registered:23/02/2006
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 09:58:41)
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EeeJay
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12#
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Rank:none
Posts:130
Registered:20/08/2004
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 16:30:04)
Oh yes, the Castagnari Lully - James used that on the CD "That's the Spirit". A very particular sound, very sweet and clean. From the sleeve notes, it seems like it was set up with a stepped keyboard, so there's a greater tendency to be playing up and over the buttons rather than slip sliding around... this partly explains the stylistic precision on this recording...
I still can't recall that the wooden Weltmeisters were available with a flat keyboard before the Keane model came along - and the construction of a flat keyboard is somewhat different to that of a stepped board. Granted, though (having seen one myself), the box is identical otherwise, and indeed has nothing special (reeds, sound boards, mechanics) to distinguish them from a stock Weltmeister instrument.
Incidentally, there is supposed to be a three stopper variation on this Weltmeister - anyone out there seen (or got) one?
Ed J
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EeeJay
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13#
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Rank:none
Posts:130
Registered:20/08/2004
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 17:47:52)
Regarding the Casti Kriss, there's a thread on www.thesession.org
So one can privately import to the UK...
?665 for a Kriss, and a three months wait...
Ed J
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Jeff H
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14#
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Registered:15/12/2003
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(Date Posted:06/10/2007 20:37:24)
There goes another one Mr Custer
Castagnari will sell direct to anyone in my experience...no matter the country
Alex needs to hire someone to edit and correct his web site.. it does him great disservice .
I think I see the Keanebox in gold print on the bass side of the box
T A C K Y
As muich as I admire his playing.. simply Tacky
But that may just be Castagnari as they have gotten increasingly Tacky in their design (logos mostly) inthe past few years
example.. those cheap looking nailed on brass plaques
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NorthernMelodeon
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15#
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Rank:none
Posts:346
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(Date Posted:07/10/2007 03:58:49)
Reply to : -risto-
Reply to : NorthernMelodeon-- where is it?James Keane website
I still don't see where it says "real cheap" -- did it get edited out, like the humour in Jeff's post below?
-Andy
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oonrahnjay
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16#
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Rank:none
Posts:260
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(Date Posted:07/10/2007 05:11:07)
Reply to : NorthernMelodeon
I still don't see where it says "real cheap" -- did it get edited out, like the humour in Jeff's post below?-Andy
__. I couldn't get any text. It just had all the Irish boxes (Casti and Welt - Keane endorsed) under the "Mexican Accordions" banner with the other two-rows. Not a very positive website ...
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-risto-
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17#
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Rank:none
Posts:185
Registered:23/02/2006
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(Date Posted:07/10/2007 10:43:21)
Reply to : NorthernMelodeon
I still don't see where it says "real cheap" -- did it get edited out, like the humour in Jeff's post below?-Andy
If you look the Comhaltas video in the first link, he advertises the box before they play the set.
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NorthernMelodeon
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18#
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Rank:none
Posts:346
Registered:27/06/2004
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(Date Posted:08/10/2007 03:07:35)
Reply to : oonrahnjay
Not a very positive website ...
No, their website has been sub-par for years, but Alex is an old shop, certainly more dependent on in-person business than on business via the internet. Most of their diatonic-playing customers are Mexican and Dominican players in the NY area or traveling through. It's a really "old-world" kind of place, so it's not surprising that their website reflects a lack of understanding of e-commerce! Every time I've ever been in their, there are two real old-timers working on string instruments in their workshop, and they've always given me the (fictional) impression that they are in there all day and all night long. And their accordion guy is a younger fellow who isn't really aware of the range of boxes that the world can offer, so he basically stocks what his customers want -- Gabbs for the Mexicans and Hohners for the Dominicanos and Colombians, but he does try to have alternatives available in case a customer becomes adventurous.
-Andy
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Old Leaky
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19#
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Rank:none
Posts:65
Registered:09/02/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:14/10/2007 19:55:26)
Reply to : Jeff H
To Old Leaky.. I haven't a clue as to what you are "talking" about or implying .... some posts and posters on melodeon.net have proved this is a levity impaired site..
Er, yes, I think you've proved your point about levity, or lack of!
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Jeff H
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20#
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Registered:15/12/2003
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(Date Posted:15/10/2007 04:22:58)
Thanks for being a living example.
Reply to : Old Leaky
Reply to : Jeff HTo Old Leaky.. I haven't a clue as to what you are "talking" about or implying .... some posts and posters on melodeon.net have proved this is a levity impaired site..Er, yes,I think you've provedyour point about levity, or lack of!
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Polkaholic
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21#
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Rank:none
Posts:316
Registered:18/07/2004
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(Date Posted:15/10/2007 16:35:13)
Reply to : Jeff H
Thanks for being a living example.
Jeff, I offer free transatlantic levity-interpretation services. In your original post, you wrote
Personal;ly I have a policy about musical instrument (or any other endorsed product)
I wont buy one..
Remove the bit in parentheses and you will see that these two sentences appear (to anybody in fly-speck-picking mode) to say that you have a policy not to buy musical instruments.
You're right in saying that James Keane needs an editor, but then don't we all? (My rates are reasonable.)
Steve
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Old Leaky
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22#
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Rank:none
Posts:65
Registered:09/02/2006
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(Date Posted:15/10/2007 19:03:53)
Reply to : Polkaholic
Thanks for that Steve. Saves me the bother of repeating myself to Jeff. BTW My real name is James Kane ... 
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Polkaholic
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23#
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Rank:none
Posts:316
Registered:18/07/2004
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:17/10/2007 14:58:44)
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oonrahnjay
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24#
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Rank:none
Posts:260
Registered:30/06/2004
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(Date Posted:17/10/2007 15:05:46)
Reply to : Polkaholic
He's notselling this one real cheap.... I've never seen a celluloid-covered Castagg-naree before.
__. Of course it's expensive, it's IRISH! Have you seen the prices for "Irish-music-suitable" concertinas lately????
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-risto-
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25#
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Rank:none
Posts:185
Registered:23/02/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:18/10/2007 08:30:38)
Reply to : Polkaholic
He's not selling this one real cheap....
Could be that he now has to compensate his balance if he's selling the keanebox real cheap. 
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Jeff H
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26#
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Registered:15/12/2003
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:19/10/2007 06:43:01)
Steve
I do not write for a living nor am I selling anything on line.
I'll make it a point to critique your writing when I have the time
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georgegarside
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27#
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Registered:19/06/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
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(Date Posted:19/10/2007 11:10:29)
Reply to : Polkaholic
He's notselling this one real cheap.... I've never seen a celluloid-covered Castagg-naree before.
they also did it in white. orrectly it was called the 'lully' and was replaced olde worldy looking wooden 'montmatre' . I tried one and it was very good indeed. Pity they stopped making it.
george
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upmine3
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28#
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Rank:none
Posts:3
Registered:21/10/2007
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(Date Posted:21/10/2007 01:44:08)
The "Keanebox" is basically a Castagnari Kriss III. I bought one about three months ago (Kriss III that is) and it's a fantastic instrument. The reeds are hand made (A Mano) and it's got a lovely sound. It cost ?655 including post from Italy to U.K and it took just under three months to arrive. The action is great they keyboard is a speed freaks dream. Here's a link of my pictures of it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14636356@N08/
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Polkaholic
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29#
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Rank:none
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(Date Posted:21/10/2007 03:00:04)
Reply to : Jeff H
Steve, I do not write for a livingnor am I selling anything on line. I'll make it a point to critique your writing when I have the time.
Please do, Jeff. And if in the future I seem not be getting the point of jokes or other exchanges, I hope you'll take the time to explain things to me.
Cheers
Steve
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-risto-
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30#
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Rank:none
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Registered:23/02/2006
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(Date Posted:21/10/2007 10:49:17)
Reply to : upmine3
.. It cost ?655 including post from Italy to U.K and it took just under three months to arrive. ...
Was it easy to get into contact with Castagnari? I sent an email enquiry to them about a month ago but no reply yet. Maybe I should write them a letter.
PS. The Keanebox seller has replied neither.
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