Record storage or something esle?

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
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Roaring20s
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Record storage or something esle?

Post by Roaring20s »

I just returned from looking at this cabinet and it feels like an accessory cabinet to a internal horn machine.

What do you think, is it a record cabinet?
Does its style match an existing internal horn machine?

The owner was stationed in England years ago, bought it, and brought it home. He was told it was a music cabinet. It has had veneer work, refinishing and a resent hole drilled in he back for an electric cord, but I did not see obvious signs of alteration from other possible uses. It is petit and would complement a cylinder or disc machine well. The size is 16" x 17" x 39" and looks to date from 1900 - 1915. There was a patent number on the lid stay and a manufacturer name on the back of the door pulls. However, I could not see to actually read them.

I thought at very least it would be a good source of discussion.

Thanks,
James.
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Curt A
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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by Curt A »

It looks like a record cabinet when closed, but the open picture looks more like an actual phonograph cabinet missing it's guts and made into a bar. The slide out on the right side would be about where a hole should be for a crank... The opening in front below the top looks like it could have held a horn. The thing that doesn't make sense about it being a record cabinet for a tabletop machine, is that if you stored anything in the top area, you would have to move the machine off each time you wanted something out of it...
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estott
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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by estott »

What puzzles me is the full length doors- to open the horn you'd have to expose the record storage. That WAS done on occasion, but it is still odd.

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Roaring20s
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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by Roaring20s »

Was Sonora was the only company that marketed an accessory cabinet to match their product line?
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It's only 39" tall, is there a petit internal horn machine that did not offer record storage, similar to this HMV?
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James.

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VintageTechnologies
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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by VintageTechnologies »

I agree with Curt it looks like a phonograph sans guts.

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Retrograde
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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by Retrograde »

where is the hole for the crank?
Why would a phonograph have a drawer in the side?
How does that drawer work with a motor in the way?


(PS: I've not looked through all the P&F books yet to see if this an accessory cabinet)

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Re: Record storage or something esle?

Post by Curt A »

As Retrograde questioned:
where is the hole for the crank?
Why would a phonograph have a drawer in the side?
How does that drawer work with a motor in the way?

Answer: The hole for the crank disappeared with an alteration to place a drawer in the side (no big deal) and obviously the motor was removed to make way for the drawer...

Why would a phonograph have a drawer? Who knows... why would a Pooley flat top be made into a table model? That similar question could be asked about many eBay listings...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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