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There have long been reports of EMG papier appliqué horns being partly constructed with London telephone directories. However, until now, I have never actually seen any evidence to back up the claims. Some years ago, a broken Mk IX horn came to light revealing use of pink Daily Mirror newsprint dated July 1948 but not telephone directories.

The photos below of an Oversize horn currently under restoration show the different laminations of the various layers used in manufacture. These include "sugar papers" together with much thinner white papers with black type which clearly derive from London telephone directories evidenced by the WALtmsto 2139 (Walthamstow) entry---amongst others.

The use of relatively thick "sugar paper" would seem to have two purposes :

1. To allow a quick "build" when successively forming the expanding structure of the horn.

2. To augment the sound-deadening capability of the total laminated package.

It would seem that not all Oversize horns contained telephone directory paper as the "Krakenhorn" EMG, found a few years ago, does not.

The horn of my EMG had a small section of the outer sheet unglued which exposed printed paper in the liner, but I could not discern if it came out of a directory. I glued it back so I cannot take photos of the print.

Very useful information Carlos. Many thanks.

Really fascinating! Here's a photo of the rim of one of my Xb horns (now obscured by light conservation work). Thanks for reminding me of this, Graham!

This would seem an appropriate moment to record one or two facts that might otherwise become lost/forgotten in the mists of time.

EMG horn-makers seem to have used various thicknesses of papers for different purposes. In the horn under discussion, the telephone directory paper seems to have been employed merely to strengthen the lip prior to the addition of finishing papers although I am not able to ascertain how much further it actually extends. Various thicknesses of "sugar paper" have been used in the main build and the inner finishing paper, which is rather different from the exterior finishing paper, has been brought over the lip and ended say two inches down the outside of the horn. The exterior finishing paper has then been brought over everything on the outside and cut to end just before the lip. This seems to be the only occasion when a (cosmetically harsh) "cut" edge has been used. It is important to note that only a slightly wavy torn edge will permit a more or less seamless joint so that the build is of a reasonably constant thickness which also allows one piece of paper to meld visually into the next. The eye is thus confused by the general overall cosmetic effect. The choice of pattern is clearly rather important.

It has not been possible to measure paper thickness of this actual horn due to lack of sufficient damage to allow acurate assessment but I have been able to extract pieces from the "Krakenhorn" which are shown below. It is interesting to note that the "sugar paper" thickness is 0.020" whilst the very delicate finishing paper measures 0.008". I am attempting to use the "Krakenhorn" fragments to restore the other horn.

Many Thanks Graham!
That revelation of proof that London telephone directories were used in the papier applique dispels the previous "myth" status of this particular construction circa 1932, which confirms some conversations I had, back in the late 1980s, with the younger brother of the horn form maker, Mr. Watson, working with the firm Paperdura, in a lane off Exmouth street in London, who made quite a lot of these exponential horns for EMG up to 1938.

The younger Mr. Watson had recently moved into Hampton Hill, West London, where I ran an antique shop, partly specialising in old gramophones and 78rpm records, and he was drawn into the shop by my Oversize EMG, parked strategically in the shop window, feeling compelled to introduce himself and apprise me of his part in the horn manufacture. Paperdura he told me, was owned and operated by two Jewish gentlemen by the names of Mr Ranish and Mr Rennington (or Remington?). Worried by the rise of the Third Reich, they emigrated to the United States closing the business in 1938. Young Mr. Watson was apprenticed to the firm in the early 1930s and recalled travelling around central London on the flat bed of a lorry, holding onto a batch of large horns, face down, bound up in ghostly white cloth, delivering them to the EMG and EM Ginn premises. Apparently, this caused quite a stir with onlookers, who took them to be Elephant trunks!

Young Mr. Watson described how his older brother took great pride in making the wooden formers for the main straight section of the horn, in different sizes, following complex design sheets pinned up on the wall. Young Mr Watson recalled that, as well as using London telephone directories, they tore rough squares of sugar paper so that the tears were tapered to prevent edge protrusions and glued on overlapping with a water based adhesive. When enough paper had been applied (and here I can't remember whether he said it was done in stages of layers) the horn would be set aside for a period to dry. When dry enough, the horn would be removed to be held in a jig where Mr Watson senior would then apply a form of plaster called "whiting" to fettle the inner surface to conform with a thin, wooden, hand held template for the particular size horn. When dry, the horn was ready for the final papers to be applied, if any, a number of Experts were left with a white finish, or painted brown, like my Expert All Range...

Sadly, a few years later, young Mr. Watson passed away aged around 90, but not before I had introduced Francis (Frank) James to him, and he was delighted to help him with some background for his fine book, "The E.M.G. Story".

Really wonderful to have your story of direct connection to the horn makers in the public domain Ian. Very many thanks for posting. Accounts like this are so important as they are so easily lost. The thought of that flat-bed lorry trundling through the streets of London with a mass of horns covered in white sheets looking like spectres is hugely evocative ! Where are the cartoonists.............?

I am sure that Alastair will oblige us with a cartoon, but the local Pantomime Society production is at the rehearsal stage and he will be heavily involved until the end of the month. As always my wife and I will be going to see his performance.

Graham and Roger -here is my offering regarding the intriguing story about the travelling horns on the truck.