PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

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chunnybh
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PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

Post by chunnybh »

Is this PHONOBELLA a Frankenphone?
Someone in Italy contacted me asking for a Paillard PFR motor to complete this gramophone. I had just picked one up from a friend the day before. With that sort of serendipity you would think it was meant to be. Alas it's just too expensive with postage.
Anyway, It's an interesting item having both internal and external horns. I only know of the Pathé , jour et nuit which has both horns.
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epigramophone
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Re: PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

Post by epigramophone »

I found this image of what is said to be a Phonobella on the Italian auction site www.catawiki.com.
I also found these images of a Phonobella needle tin, so I would say that it is unlikely to be a Frankenphone.
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CarlosV
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Re: PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

Post by CarlosV »

Interesting machine! As dear Marco says, Italian machines are not easy to find. Differently from the Pathé that Chunny mentioned, the sound can be routed simultaneously to both internal and external horns. With the Pathé you have to remove the arm from the external horn support and install it upside down in the hole that connects to the internal horn. On the subject of multidirectional gramophones, there is the Vox, with grills on the four sides and an internal baffle that spreads the sound to the four directions, a feature that would be useful if you place the machine in the middle of the room so you can dance around it without missing the music. I have a couple of them, they have nice wooden arm and soundbox, but their Achilles heel is the German Gubru motor with pot metal governor and gears (!) - hard to find one in working condition.

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Marco Gilardetti
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Re: PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

CarlosV wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:43 am Interesting machine! As dear Marco says, Italian machines are not easy to find.
Indeed. Genuine Italian machines (not just re-branded stuff) are scarce to the point of being basically non-existent. I'll try and see if I can find any information about Phonobella (pictures or other needle tins), but I strongly doubt it. Aside from being scarce, Italian gramophones are also almost undealt with in specialised books.

I don't get exactly what's the purpose of that sort of exhaust muffler below the table. Is there a sort of valve inside, and is it possible to choose to which of the two horns the sound is directed? Or do the two always play together alongside?

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Re: PHONOBELLA. Internal and external horn

Post by CarlosV »

Marco Gilardetti wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 5:09 am
I don't get exactly what's the purpose of that sort of exhaust muffler below the table. Is there a sort of valve inside, and is it possible to choose to which of the two horns the sound is directed? Or do the two always play together alongside?
I guess the tube that looks like and exhaust pipe connects to the internal horn, probably built in the bottom of the case, and the connection to the external horn is inside the screwed blob .

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