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I have two examples of 551 - the first, serial number 473, I bought about 30 years ago at Christie's, when nobody wanted electrical players. It came with an American Atwater Kent radiogram and another of no consequence, which I sold on. Serial 473 (below) had been fitted with a ap30s bakelite tone arm, which I later replaced with something more appropriate and fitted with an HMV No. 11 electric "soundbox", as they called them then. As the automatic brake mechanism was also missing, and someone had already fitted it with a small Paxolin panel with two toggle switches, I kept that part and serviced it like that.
The second machine is earlier - serial number 63, plate below needle tray. This one is completely original, with automatic brake/on/off switch etc.
I have more pictures of the loudspeaker, pot rectifier unit etc that I will add later.

Thanks for looking.

I have the 11A soundbox in my Pickup collection

They actually sound pretty good! It could be fitted to the arm of a 101 portable and played through a vintage radio.

I have written a fairly extensive article on the first attempts to play 78 records electrically. Turns out it was Brunswick by a short head. Would I be able to upload it on TMF Archive area? It is about 11 MB in size with many illustrations.

Edit: You can now read that article here.

condenser wrote:I have written a fairly extensive article on the first attempts to play 78 records electrically. Turns out it was Brunswick by a short head. Would I be able to upload it on TMF Archive area? It is about 11 MB in size with many illustrations.

That would be great - I am sure the moderator will pick up your request and arrange with you for that to be done but to make sure you should send a P.M. to MordEth who moderates the forum to ask him to arrange the upload. That looks like a really early machine you have there. Are there any you tube videos of it playing?

No 473 is probably earlier than No 63. The metal label with 'For spares quote' was used in 1929, although it does not usually have a serial number on acoustic models.
The circular ivorine label with a long number with lots of 0s in the middle came in some time in 1930. HMV changed their serial numbers series frequently, and there is no sequence between different systems (at least, not as far as I have been able to deduce!).

Oedipus wrote:No 473 is probably earlier than No 63. The metal label with 'For spares quote' was used in 1929, although it does not usually have a serial number on acoustic models.
The circular ivorine label with a long number with lots of 0s in the middle came in some time in 1930. HMV changed their serial numbers series frequently, and there is no sequence between different systems (at least, not as far as I have been able to deduce!).

That could well be - thank you! No. 63 is much more original that no. 473. The latter has had the amplifier modified to take later 1930s tubes/valves and (as bought) a later replacement pickup arm from the late 1930s. I replaced it with a swan-neck arm and added the electric 'soundbox' to make it look more authentic.

phonosandradios wrote:

condenser wrote:I have written a fairly extensive article on the first attempts to play 78 records electrically. Turns out it was Brunswick by a short head. Would I be able to upload it on TMF Archive area? It is about 11 MB in size with many illustrations.

That would be great - I am sure the moderator will pick up your request and arrange with you for that to be done but to make sure you should send a P.M. to MordEth who moderates the forum to ask him to arrange the upload. That looks like a really early machine you have there. Are there any you tube videos of it playing?

He has, and it is! Which machine did you have in mind? I haven't put any videos on You Tube, but could do so.

Excellent I will have a read through it. A video of either of the 551's would be interesting - what are those two toggle switches on the motor board for?

They are a modification. One is for motor on/off, as the original tone arm/pickup arm and auto-stop are missing, the other for main power on/off. The other 551 is much more original.
Will see if I can record it shortly. Bear with me!