Yet another strange Edison with William Mary Grill?

[larryh]

Ok, the last one was a converted William and Mary console, but what the heck is this one?

eBay Item #220468808407

Larry

[estott]

Oh My God- I've SEEN this machine when it was in a shop in Cobleskill NY some months back. It's a thoroughly butchered console, someone must have taken a case completely apart and removed the record storage, then put the remaining sides together utilizing the flat lid with strips of the side molding. It looked as if they'd bent the console-length crank to shorten it and cut it off an the handgrip end. It's an atrocity.

[larryh]

Odd how they got the story that it was a special out of the factory? Special all right! But what lengths to go to create something like this?

After another look though I don't see how they could use the parts that were to a William and Mary to create this, it has entirely different legs. More like a S 19 might have or maybe a London model? But even so the cabinets are different depths and widths so the lid or other sides wouldn't fit? I am not so sure they could have come up with this in the manner we thought?

[estott]

You're right, the notion of it being a squashed William and Mary console doesn't work, but I think that Is a console lid on it. What ever it is, it's a complete bastardization.

[larryh]

Is there no chance this might be a trial from the factory of something that just never got off the ground? Personally I like the idea of a 250 horn in a shorter and narrower cabinet, yet having the big machine sound? Probably not, but wondering?

[gramophoneshane]

I guess anything's possible Larry, especially in the last couple years of production when this machine's mechanism dates from.

[larryh]

I took a closer look again. It does appear in that interior shot that the cabinet is most likely someone's handy work. The use of those two hinges that resemble door cabinet types is not a standard practice with victrola or edison. The wood seems to smeary and cheap to be from a cabinet factory, and those long seams down the rear corners look home made. Also it appears the grill is screwed on to the front instead of inset? The motor board and turntable are in way too good of condition to have probably been mated originally with the cabinet as it appears. Not the worst job of conversion I ever saw, but most likely home made.

[estott]

As I said, I've seen this. I may not recall everything about it but it was definitely not a factory job.