The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi all,

I just purchased a floor standing Columbia Grafonola which has a decal that states it was made in England.

See attached photos.... yes I know it has a cheap Indain made crap-o-phone sound box. A correct unit is on it's way to me.

The machine has the Plano Reflex tone arm and the split dual horn shown in the photos.

Does this combination of tone arm and horn make it a Viva Tonal machine ?

This type of horn and arm are different from the ones in the viva tonal machines sold in the US

This appears to be a c1926 Cabinet Model No.126 which has been updated with a Plano-Reflex tonearm. The "Stereoscopic" horn (Columbia's catalogue description) does make the machine a "Viva-tonal". It would originally have had a one piece pot metal tonearm which probably broke, hence the fitting of a Plano-Reflex which first appeared for the 1929 season. The correct soundbox for this tonearm is either the No.9 or the later No.15.

This is a Model No.126A, as found, just picked up two hours ago. I would think that this model is pretty scarce considering the time in which it was released. Consoles and large cabinets were all the rage in the mid-twenties, with few exceptions. Mine plays nicely, it just needs to be cleaned up.

Here is the 1929 catalogue page. I have posted the entire catalogue elsewhere on the forum :

It's awfully cute and with that Plano-Reflex arm upgrading the original it should sound just fine if you can find a reproducer.

Wow, what a nice viva-tonal split horn! Should sound terrific!

I see that the catalogue posted by Epigramophone lists the tonearm as being of the "plano-reflex" type, so I suppose this machine may be very well born with the tonearm it currently features, doesn't it?

Together with the already mentioned inappropriate soundbox, pelase also remember to immediately trash that dreadful gummy mat placed over the turntable!

The original poster's machine has the old style Grafonola lid transfer. The Plano-Reflex machines have the later "Viva-Tonal" transfer, so the tonearm on this older machine is as previously stated a later replacement. The second machine posted by Mpellicano is the later Plano-Reflex model.