John Friedl
Hall of Fame – 2004
John Friedl (1873-1949) was born in Bernstein Burgenland, Austria. While growing up, he learned to play almost every musical instrument and went from village to village repairing them. He was blessed with “perfect pitch” and tone control, which later in life served him well. He was called the “Tousend Kunstler” or in English, the magician of a thousand tricks.
John immigrated to Chicago in 1910 and was recognized by professional concertina technicians as a manufacturer of the finest hand-filed, plate reeds for the concertina. The sound of his reeds is considered by many to be superior to all others and they are still sought after by concertina musicians today.
Friedl-made reeds were used by Henry Silberhorn, Otto Schlicht, Rudy Patek, and in a few Star concertinas.