The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Thanks George,,, this machine appears to have been rarely played, even the crank shows no sign of wear. The consensus from the 2015 thread is the Earlier Model "A" had the leather elbow along with the support arm being closer to center on the metal bedplate. The machine I have has the leather elbow but the support arm is offset on a cast bedplate with a higher serial number of 7113 possibly nearing the switch over to the metal elbow if that makes sense... My question is why the two Model "A"s in the earlier 2015 thread have metal elbows if they were earlier machines and much lower serial numbers ???

I feel like I'm missing something between the two threads..

blizz

I'm of the opinion that "back in the day" , the customer was always right. If you wanted a Zonophone painted green they would do it to make a sale. I've seen a lot of examples of this through the years.

Same here. I've never even seen a Standard Reproducer! But it's clearly a well-made aftermarket replacement that is contemporary to the machine. Having the original box with such a perfect label is a huge plus!

Your need to polish the horn reminded me of my Zonophone A. It had spent most of its life in its original carrying case so the condition was overall superb. However the horn had some heavy discoloration that I feared might be corrosion eating into the brass. But it cleaned up easily and there was zero damage to the brass. It has taken a few years but the horn has now toned beautifully. It's one of my favorite machines.

fmblizz wrote:My question is why the two Model "A"s in the earlier 2015 thread have metal elbows if they were earlier machines and much lower serial numbers ???

I feel like I'm missing something between the two threads..

blizz

Keep in mind that your Zonophone, despite being numbered in the 7000s, is still a relatively early Zonophone. The motor is wound through the cabinet, rather than using the slightly later "humpback" design.

The changes in motor plate design and support arm location (illustrated in detail in the December 2011 issue of the APS magazine) occurred rapidly during Zonophone production. This makes inconsistencies more likely.

For instance, a few years ago I was fortunate to obtain an unrestored Zonophone Type D numbered in the 12,900s. It has the slightly later "humpback" motor design, but was equipped with a closed-face V sound box and a leather elbow. Does this imply that all Zonophones prior to approx. No.13,000 were originally equipped with early V soundboxes and leather elbows? I don't believe so. Here are pictures "as found" and after restoration:
As collectors, we look for nice, neat categories and equipment packages, but so often we encounter proof that parts inventories were sometimes mixed during assembly.

By the way, the upcoming issue of the APS magazine (being delivered to members as we speak) has an article on the first days of Zonophone.

George P.

Thanks so much to all the members that help us with our never ending education on these machine...

Investigating these small differences may seem petty to some collectors but by exploring these differences we gain the knowledge to make better decisions. This gained knowledge also gives us the ability of possibly assisting fellow collectors in their quest for the proper answers. We are very fortunate to have so many members who's passion leads them to pursue all avenues for the correct answers and then having no problem sharing this knowledge to the benefit of all the forum members..

Gary Blizzard

Did all NC Johnson reproducers have a paper label or were some stamped with the same information?

Did all NC Johnson reproducers have a paper label or were some stamped with the same information?

Cheers, Bob S.

Thank you for the clarification. The NC I just got my hands on is stamped. Convinced it is original but thought it odd that others I have seen have a paper label. Early NC's had a paper label and later manufactured ones reverted to stamped? Serial number on mine is 9463

With Thanks

Early NC's had a paper label and later manufactured ones reverted to stamped?

That would be my guess.
Stamped NC serial #10292
Paper labeled NC serial #691