The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi everyone!

I am very new to this world.... I saw a pretty Columbia Grafonola at an estate sale and just had to have it. It plays beautifully! Now I want to know more about it. What year? What Model?

I have been looking at a lot of the posts here and other pictures online and I am starting to think it's a 'various year' piece... as in pieces have been replaced with newer ones over the years, as I have not found one that looks exactly like it.

I am attaching a few pictures and would greatly appreciate any insight you all have into it.

Thank you,

Michelle

Hello and welcome! That looks to be a 1915 model 50 that someone has made some modifications to. The tone-arm with reproducer, the crank and the volume knob are incorrect. All of those parts can be found in the collecting community and on Ebay. The tone-arm might be the hardest to find since they often had swelled pot metal problems. Cheers, Russie

Thank you for the insight. It's nice to know what it began it's life.

I am not sure if I will put too much effort into making it the perfect Model 50... but you never know.

Now I know what to look for! I just love the sound. I got a couple of records to begin with, and have more on the way.

I think I did alright, price-wise, getting it for $80 with 6 records and a lot of needles. It just needed a good dusting and soft wipe down with a cotton cloth, as well as the tone-arm to be put on correctly.

This is a great forum!

I used a lot of the advice on here to clean the records and using a magnifying glass went through all the needles to see which ones were new and which were used, so she's sounding beautiful!!

Now I may need a record cabinet to set it on so I have room for all the records I want!!

Congrats on your purchase but be careful! it can become an addiction.

"Now I may need a record cabinet to set it on so I have room for all the records I want!!"
And so it begins.

Bill K

It appears to be a Columbia "Favorite" or " 50 ", their $50 tabletop machine.

The tone-arm and reproducer have been replaced, perhaps a good original could be refitted.

These are decent-playing machine.

Well, Dutchman, it may be too late. While I haven't gotten a cabinet (yet) I do have enough records now to warrant needing one...so it is only a matter of time

And yes, Frank, it's a decent playing machine. After I cleaned it up a little, and cleaned the records I purchased, the sound is crisp. Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how loud it is!

Warning about loudness. If you are playing the most common type of 78s like Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc., it will sound way too loud because those records were played mostly on contemporary electronic radio-phonograph combinations. Your machine is meant to play acoustically recorded records made before 1925. If you still want to play later electric records, you can use soft and medium tone needles, or cactus needles, to cut down the volume. And always remember to only use a needle for one side of a record!