The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This week I flew down to Exeter for a little gramophone getaway, I did a lot of fun things but also managed to go and collect my new gramophone, a lovely expert junior in light oak finish with white horn

It has a collaro electric motor, and it came with its original 4 Spring expert soundbox, I also bought with it the original expert needle cutter and record brush

I've long been after an EMG machine, so when this came up for sale I was very pleased and became slightly obsessed with it as I never thought I'd be able to buy one of these machines, especially so soon in life, so I listed a Gibson guitar I wasn't using too much in an attempt to get it, it sold, I managed to get it, I love it

I spent a lot of time with it over the last couple of days, but when it gets up north the real fun will begin, on Monday I'm taking the 12 hour round trip to bring it home

I managed to get a couple of photos, not the best photos but oh well, I'll do better photos and some videos hopefully next week
And here are two rivals battling it out, the Xb makes my junior seem tiny!, I wouldn't say they were as extremely different as the photo suggests

I want to congratulate you on this aquisition of this Expert Gramophone. I was extremely fortunate to find my EMG Mk VIII a few years back. I also made the monetary choice to go for it and have never looked back.

Your Expert looks wonderful and also seems to come from a home where acoustic playback rules. Is that an early Amberola in the background?

Regards,
Glenn

Well done Alex.
Beautiful. I'm very fond of the Expert Junior. It was my very first Ginn machine. I remember the first time I heard it, it simply blew me away.

Many congratulations Alex---a really super instrument and an acquisition you will never regret. A lifetime of assured happiness ahead. I too remember the great excitement when I bought mine. The cutter and brush are also as rare as hen's teeth. Well done !

The only other addition you might need is a counterweight for use with the heavy four-spring soundbox---but only on sensitive records. There are various designs and you may well have lots of fun and satisfaction making one.

I recognise that interior as the home of a fellow collector, and have spent happy times there with the CLPGS West of England Group listening to his impressive collection, especially the ex Eric Whiteway EMG. You could not have found a better person from whom to buy. Well done!

P.S. Do tell us how you got the machine home!

I didn't buy it from that collection, I was down visiting and he helped me collect it from Somerset and store it until I'm able to go down and bring it back, but yes he let me have a good look through the collection for records to hear on it which was fun, I was spoiled for choice of course!

That's a B250 diamond disc, though there is an early amberola elsewhere

I do play plan on making a counterweight, they seem simple enough to make, though I've not seen many pictures of them in detail

I will update when it gets up north, it's going to be a long drive from Cumbria!

Heartiest congratulations Alex, that's fantastic news, I'm so pleased for you. Like Chunny, a Junior was my first Expert/EMG and it still amazes me. All the other models have their attractions and characters, and the larger ones are capable of even more bass extension of course, but to my ears the Junior seems to punch above its weight.

Well done Alex! That's a really lovely looking gramophone, and in such good looking condition! The horn seems excellent.
You have a lifetime of poverty and pleasure rolling out in front of you!

I'm glad to see in photograph two that you have invested in a gun. Definitely a must have, now that you own an Expert or EMG gramophone. They'll be crawling in the windows to steal it from you. I keep two dogs myself, but a gun does a much cleaner job and gets the business over with immediately. Far less mopping up etc. Not to mention that its upkeep is buttons compared to feeding two slavering hounds.

Anyway, every possible best wish for your new instrument!

Orchorsol wrote:Heartiest congratulations Alex, that's fantastic news, I'm so pleased for you. Like Chunny, a Junior was my first Expert/EMG and it still amazes me. All the other models have their attractions and characters, and the larger ones are capable of even more bass extension of course, but to my ears the Junior seems to punch above its weight.

Cheers Andy, many thanks also for letting me use the hmv savings to get it, I do like the larger ones, though the junior is still quite large and very attractive too, I'm looking forward to hearing my records properly!

Congratulations! Of course, we really never see these here in the US, so I consider myself fortunate to have my EMG Mk IX that a forum member found and then sold to me. I've since assembled a small compliment of various machine-appropriate reproducers. Looking forward to more photos of your and videos.

Sean