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This little machine is a nice player. I did make a small non factory repair to the speed control rod by gluing a small pressed nut to the mechanism to compensate for stripped threads in the casting. This is visible in the 4th photo down. It sounds quite loud even with a soft tone needle. I overhauled the soundbox and disassembled/ cleaned/ lubed the motor, adding some unobtrusive sound deadening under it to lessen noise transfer to the cabinet.
The cabinet finish is original and a bit thin in spots, but it presents well and the decal is very presentable as well. The aluminum and nickel plating is very nice with the patina of 120 years. The brass colored horn elbow shows wear, and the horn has a few small areas of paint loss, and some extremely minor dents/ creases. The brass bell is tarnished. The horn is stamped "PAT APPL'D FOR" near the bell and the elbow is stamped "PATENTED". As far as I can tell, the arms and horn rest are original, but I'm no expert. If someone can give me definitive clues to look for I'd be happy to do so.
The motor runs with the typical side noise inherent to these very early machines. It is not overwhelming at all. The speed seems reasonably steady- when playing really early records it's always a toss-up whether this is the machine or the record if slight pitch variations are detected. This machine plays best with 65 revolutions of the crank from full wind down. Less and the records rend to slow down and stop in the beginning. It feels like it could easily go a few more winds but why mess with success? I've seen these machines with lots of wear to the top plate on the winding and spindle areas, but the wear here is negligible.
As with all these early-early disc machines, I hesitate to recommend constant daily playing, however, this old girl seems robust enough to reliably demonstrate any time you'd like.
If you've always wanted a super early top wind disc machine but simply cannot justify the eye- watering prices of Berliners and early ERJ/ Victor machines, this might just be the machine for you. I'm asking $1350.00 including careful packing and shipping in the Continental US. Of course, international shipping is also possible at a discounted rate. If you need a few 7" Columbia records to get you started, I will gladly throw a few in (not literally!
).As always... Satisfaction guaranteed, offers considered, payment via PayPal "Friends and Family", your good check, or bank transfer accepted.