Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
datamath
Victor Jr
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by datamath »

I'm located in Mexico City!

I collect records that fall on one (or more) of three categories:
a) Music I like
b) Culturally significant recordings (examples: early rock n'roll records, notable jazz recordings like Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert, Concerto for Group and Orchestra of Deep Purple, some early Disco, that overall shifted culture around music).
c) Technically significant (early berliner records, a copy of a "longer playing" record from columbia from the 1930s that played for around 5 minutes on a standard 10" disk, RCA Program Transcriptions, the first electrically recorded record in America and in the UK, the first record with an album cover, the first LP, the first HiFi LP, and such).

So basically, my collecting goes around storytelling how technology shifted music and how music shifted technology in a very rich bilateral exchange.

What about you?

gramophone78
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by gramophone78 »

I was going to say the machine looked like a Mexican made crapophone. There was a man in Mexico City and another in Gaudalajara that loved the etched glass panels idea as an eye (hopefully money) catcher. I remember years ago going to see their work shops. They cast their own parts and etched the glass panels on site.

Both men are now gone. Two Son's continued making some of their Fathers creations for awhile but, has long ended.
Mexico Fantasy Phonograph (2).JPG
Mexico Fantasy Phonograph (1).JPG

datamath
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by datamath »

gramophone78 wrote:I was going to say the machine looked like a Mexican made crapophone. There was a man in Mexico City and another in Gaudalajara that loved the etched glass panels idea as an eye (hopefully money) catcher. I remember years ago going to see their work shops. They cast their own parts and etched the glass panels on site.

Both men are now gone. Two Son's continued making some of their Fathers creations for awhile but, has long ended.
Mexico Fantasy Phonograph (2).JPG
Mexico Fantasy Phonograph (1).JPG
Oh yes, It does actually make sense! I bought it in Mexico City so it is very likely that it comes from one of these two workshops. Lucky for me, on future occasions I'll come to the forum to get some expert advice first before making any purchasing decisions.

The pics, btw, are nice finds! At least I now know some info of where it comes from!

OrthoFan
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by OrthoFan »

The "sound box" or reproducer looks interesting --
Capture.JPG
At first, I thought it might be an HMV 5a or 5b, but it doesn't quite look like it when enlarged. In any event, it's not the cheap HMV knock-off normally attached to Crap-O-Phones, and might sound quite good restored and attached to a proper era gramophone--something from the late-1920s to mid-1930s.

OrthoFan

datamath
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by datamath »

Hey guys!

https://youtu.be/NwU81YpEmO4

Here you can see how the machine plays!

What do you think about it?

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

I'd say, even if it's a crap-o, it plays quite nicely, and it matches the decor of the room pretty well to boot. The glass panels and floral castings give it a feminine, graceful airiness that matches the white and blue of the room.

What I'd do if I was you, is hang onto it and then go get me an old antique phonograph and enjoy both of them!

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kirtley2012
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by kirtley2012 »

OrthoFan wrote:The "sound box" or reproducer looks interesting --
Capture.JPG
At first, I thought it might be an HMV 5a or 5b, but it doesn't quite look like it when enlarged. In any event, it's not the cheap HMV knock-off normally attached to Crap-O-Phones, and might sound quite good restored and attached to a proper era gramophone--something from the late-1920s to mid-1930s.

OrthoFan
Brunswick soundbox I believe

datamath
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by datamath »

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:I'd say, even if it's a crap-o, it plays quite nicely, and it matches the decor of the room pretty well to boot. The glass panels and floral castings give it a feminine, graceful airiness that matches the white and blue of the room.

What I'd do if I was you, is hang onto it and then go get me an old antique phonograph and enjoy both of them!
That's just what I'll do.

Actually, since this one has a nice design I will transform it into a lamp. I'll install LED bulbs on the inside of the cabinet. The glass will become useful for this purpose and I'll be capable of doing this without actually damaging or transforming the machine at all. This way it will look beautiful.

Then I'll find a way of getting a Berliner Gramophone. That's gonna be my target for next year :D.

BTW, I attach a picture of the reproducer!

Thanks for all the ideas and feedback!
Attachments
IMG_4465.jpeg

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gramophone-georg
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by gramophone-georg »

Lights in the cabinet should be interesting. Maybe even a disco ball! :lol: But seriously- having a machine like this can be very fun. If it looks, works, and sounds nice as this one does you can use it and not worry.

I had a "Phantasy-Phone" like this one once- it was a tabletop lidless Victrola made into a "Victor III". It looked really nice- almost good enough to fool- and whoever built it used all Victor Victrola parts with repro elbow and Victor MG horn so it was hardly a "Crapophone". As I was running out of room collecting "legit" machines I stuck it on eBay advertising it for exactly what it was and was thrilled to get over $600 for it. It went to a dad whose young son was just getting into collecting. Dad was thrilled to give his boy a "worry free" outside horn machine instead of a Victrola as his first wind up.
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

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gramophone78
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Re: Help Dating American Graphophone Machine

Post by gramophone78 »

datamath wrote: Then I'll find a way of getting a Berliner Gramophone. That's gonna be my target for next year :D.
Well, that's quite a target your setting. In the 30+ years I have been buying machine's and collection's down in Mexico, I have never seen a Berliner.

The only Berliner item I found years ago was a very rare Berliner disc. Ironically, the disc was found on a shelf at one of the places that made the glass etched crapophone's. The only copy known to have survived and there it was... :shock:. So, you never know what you will find and where... ;).

I hope you are able to find one.

It reminds of a collection I flew down to buy. What a mess that was. I wish I could find the rest of the pics I took. There were hundreds of machine's. Rooms full of machines and horns. These pics were of just one of the rooms.Reminded me of king Tut's tomb... :lol:. The man found most of his stuff in San Luis Potosi.
Mexican Collection (9).JPG
Mexican Collection (11).JPG
Mexican Collection (6).JPG
Mexican Collection (7).JPG
Attachments
Mexican Collection (5).JPG
Mexican Collection (4).JPG
Last edited by gramophone78 on Sat Dec 29, 2018 5:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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