Yesterday, my wife and I were shown by its owner an HMV 460 Lumiere tabletop gramophone in excellent condition. It played beautifully.
Of course, I've frequently seen this model in books and YouTube videos, but never until now encountered one in real life. My wife was rather taken with it, which I am conveniently taking as a cue to find out what might be available and to set my expectations in terms of price etc. There's a floor standing version, the 510, which could potentially be of interest too.
Comments or guidance anyone, please? Many thanks.
Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
- Ian
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
Hi Ian,
I'm not sure if there's a great deal of difference in price between the Lumiere 460 and 510. It's all down to condition but mostly prices are in excess of £1000.
The problem with these machines is that the diaphragms almost always have cracks or even tears. This isn't just down to bad handling as it appears that with age the paper becomes brittle and shrinks and hairlines start to appear around the edge. Price should depend on how bad this damage is aswell as the general condition of the machine. In worst cases tidy paper repairs can be made to the diaphragm but they should be discreet and maintain the acoustic integrity of the diaphragm.
There was a recent discussion on prices of the 510.
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... re&start=0
Jamie
I'm not sure if there's a great deal of difference in price between the Lumiere 460 and 510. It's all down to condition but mostly prices are in excess of £1000.
The problem with these machines is that the diaphragms almost always have cracks or even tears. This isn't just down to bad handling as it appears that with age the paper becomes brittle and shrinks and hairlines start to appear around the edge. Price should depend on how bad this damage is aswell as the general condition of the machine. In worst cases tidy paper repairs can be made to the diaphragm but they should be discreet and maintain the acoustic integrity of the diaphragm.
There was a recent discussion on prices of the 510.
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... re&start=0
Jamie
- Steve
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
I've had about 8 460s and most have had diaphragm issues but I've now replaced about 20 diaphragms on a commercial basis which I made from scratch. My current 460 has an original unmarked diaphragm but it cost me a small fortune.
I have a 450 and a 460 (the former is the more interesting French variant)
I have a 450 and a 460 (the former is the more interesting French variant)
Last edited by Steve on Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
They are stunning machines. Who wouldn't want one? Personally I'd rather have a 510 though.
As for price a pristine 460 could set you back anything from 1400 - 2000. The 510 is much more expensive if you can find one.
As for price a pristine 460 could set you back anything from 1400 - 2000. The 510 is much more expensive if you can find one.
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
I've got 3000 GBP waiting for a mint mahogany 510.
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
Thank you, all, for this valuable info. Will keep a lookout and see what turns up.
Intrigued to discover that Steve has successfully replaced so many diaphragms, making them from scratch! I had wondered if this was a possibility in the event of finding a machine with a damaged or missing diaphragm.
Intrigued to discover that Steve has successfully replaced so many diaphragms, making them from scratch! I had wondered if this was a possibility in the event of finding a machine with a damaged or missing diaphragm.
Ian
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
I came across this record sleeve advertisement presumably produced when the gramophones were first produced - thought it might be of interest on this thread.
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
Here is a period advertisement for both models :
- Attachments
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- 510.jpg (129.52 KiB) Viewed 2191 times
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Re: Advice sought - HMV 460 Lumiere gramophone
Excellent, thank you!
Reading back through this thread reminds me that I didn't update to say that I finally found a 460 to buy last autumn. It's in pretty good all-round condition and plays quite well, so we are happy with it.
Reading back through this thread reminds me that I didn't update to say that I finally found a 460 to buy last autumn. It's in pretty good all-round condition and plays quite well, so we are happy with it.
Ian