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Make: Sonora
Model: Symphony
Serial #: 14353
Years Made: 1925-26?
Original Cost: Unknown
Case/Cabinet Size: 36"W x 24"D x 49"T
Reproducer/Sound-Box: Sonora #5
Motor: Double spring, Swiss made
Horn Dimensions: Approx. 86" from reproducer to the grille
- Horn begins as a large saxophone horn, and bifurcates


I picked up this mammoth Sonora Symphony over the Labor Day weekend for free. The guy had it sitting in his garage for over 3 years and his wife wanted to be able to use the garage this winter, which was full of antiques and such, and wanted this gone. I loaded it up in the Explorer on Friday and brought it home. My father and I cleaned it up and it shined up beautifully. It's Walnut with burled walnut accents. It's in extremely good condition. It comes with the Sonora #5 reproducer and needless to say, the sound the Symphony produces is nothing short of amazing.

I've included several photos below of the case, reproducer, tone arm, motor and horn configuration. It's difficult to get great pictures of the horn configuration. From what I could see, from the bottom of the tone arm, the horn extends down the back of the machine, out the bottom of the machine (see photos) and back up into the front of the machine (like a large saxophone horn.) It then bifurcates into the left and right portions behind the grilles that is seen in the photos below. From the Sonora #5 reproducer, through the whole horn, to the front of the machine, my father and I measured the horn length to be about 86". My father and I measured the tonearm length and used a tailor's measuring tape, and fished it through the saxophone part of the horn to get the length of that portion of the horn. Then we measured from the end of that portion, to the front where the grilles are. Record storage resides above the grille openings. The small wood panels above the grilles lift up and reveals storage for 2 albums above each grille. It's definitely an interesting machine and horn design, but provides an amazing sound. I'll include a video of the machine playing if anyone cares to take a listen.

Enjoy!

1925/26 Sonora Symphony, playing "Sunshine." Played by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0uC5PicV4o

Wow, nice! And I see you found this "upstate NY", sort of in my back yard! One day I hope to find one of these, I think it's a very attractive cabinet and yours sure sounds great!

Congrats, you sure couldn't beat the price!

Sean

I like big console/lowboy models made with nice wood like this one. Interesting and uncommon - - congratulations!

George P.

That's really impressive cabinetry. Jerry

Jerry B. wrote:That's really impressive cabinetry. Jerry

Yes indeed. However, I have a question. Is this machine part of the line of machines that have been called "art case" models or is this from a completely different line??. If so, later or earlier??. Love the horn design. The hardware is the typical Paillard (Swiss) type.

Really nice walnut cabinet. Sounds nice too!

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. It is indeed a beautiful phonograph along with being extremely heavy. I picked this up outside of Rochester, NY when I went home for Labor Day weekend where my parents are up there. My parents originally thought I was crazy because my collection has increased to ten phonographs within the year, but the sheer beauty of it has caught on with my step mother. It went from being placed in the corner of the room, to being centered on the wall in the parlor. Nonetheless, my step mother already has me buying Christmas music for it and are planning the holidays with the intentions of enjoying the Sonora. Go figure!

I've attached a couple more photos for reference, along with a Sonora advertisement from the Saturday Evening Post, dated November 6, 1926.

A handsome machine, and what good fortune to find one free in such nice condition!

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:A handsome machine, and what good fortune to find one free in such nice condition!

Clay

Indeed it is very handsome. Took a lot of elbow grease and a good GoJo cleaning to get it to really shine up. The finish looked as if it might have been caked with soot from a fireplace. The inside of the horn was filled with a fine black powder also. The left door was also missing a chunk of the burled walnut veneer on the casing of the door, but low and behold, when I removed the motor for inspection, someone blessed me with storing the broken veneer in a little plastic bag. Luckily with it fitted and glued back on, one can barely notice where it was missing.

Very nice!