Never Seen One of These Before...

[CDBPDX]

Is this real?

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/atq/4050569166.html

Looks a bit fishy to me...

CDB

[Jerry B.]

Pure junk.

[TinfoilPhono]

A Chinese crapophone. They take just a tiny bit more effort than the Indian faker-makers but in the end a stamped nameplate isn't any better than a fake decal.

[estott]

Entirely fake

[whoopinola]

Has anyone here seen what the Chinese motors are like?..they generally make quality mechanisms in their products..You just have to look to the model railroad hobby to see how Chinese products can dominate an industry with astounding quality and detail...If the Chinese think that there's a market for it , they will make a copy of an Opera or a Trademark machine that only an expert will be able to tell..and only after very close examination.....This is only a hint at what awaits in the future...Sure it's fakery , but it's a better quality of fakery...and it's only a matter of time till it's very good fakery.....

[gramophone78]

Has anyone here seen what the Chinese motors are like?..they generally make quality mechanisms in their products..You just have to look to the model railroad hobby to see how Chinese products can dominate an industry with astounding quality and detail...If the Chinese think that there's a market for it , they will make a copy of an Opera or a Trademark machine that only an expert will be able to tell..and only after very close examination.....This is only a hint at what awaits in the future...Sure it's fakery , but it's a better quality of fakery...and it's only a matter of time till it's very good fakery.....

Sure, they look like this...... .

Crapophone Motor.jpg (39.75 KiB) Viewed 3497 times

[Player-Tone]

Has anyone here seen what the Chinese motors are like?..they generally make quality mechanisms in their products.

I thought Chinese phonographs used rubberband motors, like toy airplanes do.

[whoopinola]

OK...I get the jokes...But , we laughed at the Japanese when they started making motor cycles , and at the Koreans when they started making cars...now look....I've been into model trains for a very long time , longer than gramophones...the very best equipment is made in China...they have set the bar so high in detail and quality that none else can compete...At this point they are making decorative fanciful replicas of generic gramophones...If they see a market , they will build replicas with such detail that you will be pressed to see the difference from the vintage machine...

[TinfoilPhono]

There is good reason to worry. The fact is that if they were to change their focus from fantasy phonograph creations there is definitely no reason they couldn't make highly deceptive and accurate counterfeits of popular/valuable machines like Berliner Trademarks and many others.

The coin hobby has been decimated by Chinese fakes. They range in quality from fairly obvious counterfeits, to deceptive enough to fool even a fairly advanced collector, to so precise that only an experienced expert can tell, in a laboratory situation. It has profoundly impacted the overall coin market. Ask any collector.

They are also making some fake watches that again require a very high level of expertise and experience to detect. Yes, the crap sold on most street corners wouldn't fool anyone, but they make some exceptionally accurate fakes that can (and have) fooled experts.

And a very big danger: in the most deceptive watches they take a relatively common stainless steel or gold-filled original watch and merely fake a solid gold case, with all the correct markings, increasing the value by huge multiples. There's nothing to prevent them from taking some original phonograph parts and turning out special-option rarities incorporating some real parts, like mahogany Edison cabinets, Polyphone attachments, nickel plating, Bettini rigs, and a host of others. We can count ourselves lucky that they haven't focused on our hobby -- yet. When they do, watch out. It's not going to be pretty, and it will not be anything to laugh about.

They have proved many times over that they have the ability, skill and attention to detail when they so choose. If they see potential profit, anything is possible.

At this point, anyone who buys an antique American coin at a flea market has a very high likelihood of being scammed. I'd hate to see that in our own hobby.

Edit to add: When they do seriously focus on something like coins or watches, they pay attention to the details. In coins they get the weight, size, and metal content down to the last decimal. In watches they copy the fonts and positioning of the case stamps perfectly. They are very expert at matching patina. I'm not kidding when I say that it sometimes takes serious lab analysis to detect.

Personally, it scares me. A lot of hobbies are suffering because the fakes are so prevalent, and so hard to detect. I pray that Crapophone makers never change their business plans and keep cranking out obvious junk (not that some people don't fall for it). If they get serious, we're screwed.

[Player-Tone]

OK...I get the jokes...But , we laughed at the Japanese when they started making motor cycles , and at the Koreans when they started making cars...now look....I've been into model trains for a very long time , longer than gramophones...the very best equipment is made in China...they have set the bar so high in detail and quality that none else can compete...At this point they are making decorative fanciful replicas of generic gramophones...If they see a market , they will build replicas with such detail that you will be pressed to see the difference from the vintage machine...

I am also obsessively interested in model trains and model (R/C) airplanes, and I will admit that all my quality model trains and airplanes were made in China. In fact, every single model train and plane I have was made in China.

Come to think of it, just about everything in my house (except for....I hope...my phonographs and records) was made in China.