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For a number of years Capt. H.T. Barnett, M.I.E.E. published these booklets. Fascinating reading.

Thanks...

Very interesting, thanks. It even includes a tip for cutting glass with a steel needle. The other interesting point is the comparison of record surfaces, with HMV rated as Superlatively Good.

Yes, Cpt Barnett was indeed a gramophone "scientist" if you could call him that, and experimenter. He did design the Beltona Peridulce, of which I had a very nice example, dated 1924. complete with weight adjuster-unheard of on other makes of machines in those days. As far as I am concerned, his greatest achievement in gramophone design was for a range of machines called The "Micro-Perophone Chromogram "series of machines, made for Mr Cullums Perophone Company, and widely advertised in"The Gramophone" magazine from 1928 to 1932, or thereabouts. To make sure there were no patenting infringements, all the machines were designed in such a way that they were almost completely different from any other gramophone on the market durimg the time of their production run.The cabinets were hollow, the internal horns were constructed of part wood, part metal, with peculiar "sounding boards"to help create a good bass response. I have three of these machines, and they are interesting. I also have a Micro=perophone portable gramophone of about 1929, well made, and quite adequate sound from it. I have a copy of a catalogue somewhere, but I think my good friend, "Epigramophone|"(who also owns one of the gramophones), may be able to post sometime on the forum a copy of the interesting catalogue. The rarest models were model 27 and 28, and they were as big as a model 193 His Master's Voice machine, but at only a fraction of the cost.
Thanks for posting the 1927 edition of Barnett's gramophone tips. I almost bought a copy about 30 years ago, but I have read various copies of the booklet over the years.

This is hopefully, a scan of the 1929 Micro-Perophone "Chromogram" series, Models 27 AND 28, These are two of the models I have never seen. Does anyone else know of either of these, or any other "Chromogram" models...?

Thanks for sharing, Orchorsol, it will be an amusing reading while on the train!

I posted the entire Micro-Perophone Chromogram catalogue here :

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... ram#p67370

This little manual turned out to be a quite irrational miscellanea of comments and observations, some of which almost digressed into "british humour" in my opinion, which were in most cases amusing to read (unfortunately in the remaining cases there were reviews about ultra-niche products, possibly unknown to most people even back then).

Two observations have particularly striken me. The first is the comment about fiber needles dragging terribly over the motor. It's not the first time that I read comments in which fiber needles are described as not so gentle as many people think they are.

The second is the note about the sound of new records getting actually better after having been played with steel needles (possibly because some asperites of the grooves are removed by the action of the needle). This is really interesting as it is contrary to commonplace, but it also seconds my impression that worn-out records were basically damaged by playing them over and over with overused needles or unproper pins, nails etc.

Thanks for posting this. I have always wanted to see it after I read a mention of it in The Gramophone. It's great fun...written in a sort of stream of consciousness style.

Jim

Yes indeed, much of the content is whimsical and irrational as Marco has said, although clearly containing some very good ideas! Highly amusing too, in an eccentric English way, and evocative of the period.