How long were cabinet acoustic phonos made in the US?

[OrthoFan]

I never realized that these two product lines under the Brunswick name were the same company...
Thanks to Google for the link, because a search is only a tab away in Firefox. And I Google everything.

— MordEth

I first stumbled upon Google shortly after the site was established in the late 1990s. It's been my home page ever since.

There's quite a bit of piecemeal information online about the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, now Brunswick Corporation. A good synopsis is available on This Site

I also did a cursory search, using the Google News Archive but did not see any mention of a deal between Sears & Brunswick.

I'd imagine that the actual manufacturer that made the phonograph for Sears probably bought up Brunswick's old parts stock. It would seem, though, that using the old style -- pre-1925 -- tonearm would somewhat diminish the advantages of an exponential horn--if that's indeed, what was installed in the cabinet. Hopefully, one of these late production Sears acoustic cabinet models will surface someday. (I've never seen anything like that on eBay, or in any shop over the past 30 years!)

[larryh]

I received a nice reply from Rick Wakeman today about my inquiry as to the late sears machine with the "brunswick 4 spring motor". I also sent him a copy of the advertisement. He was also stuck that the rear tone arm was pretty surly original brunswick design. His feeling was that the company probably sold off the extra pieces when the quit producing machines and that as we may have guessed, Sears or a supplier to sears, purchased the parts and used them as late as 37.
It does beg one to wonder why with the kind of design that normally is seen in Electrical era acoustic tone arms was abandoned in this machine? The only good guess is that they simply didn't have anything else that was suitable in a quantity to offer in the catalog by that time?

[phono-smitten]

I recently picked up an example of one of these later Silvertone cabinet models. Thanks to all the great info here I was able to figure out what this unit was so I thought I'd bump this older topic to add a bit more.

The ad for this machine caught my eye because I thought it looked like a radio and I was surprised to learn it was an acoustic phonograph. It is very inexpensively made and behind the scenes appears quite cobbled but I like its Art Deco look. It will also make a nice practice restoration machine for me.

Cabinet is made of thin veneered plywood making it very lightweight. Finish on this is very dry and flaking but veneer is in good shape. Grill cloth is not original.

This came with a common Waters-Conley Orthophonic style reproducer and tone arm unlike the earlier type shown in the Sears ad and on another example of this model discussed in this topic: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 620#p32968

If, as others have suggested, parts were being used up, this might be ‘original’ to this unit.
I found another example of this model with the same setup here: http://krrb.com/posts/10248-vintage-192 ... sole-table

Photos of another model I found an ad for, not the one I have.

Brunswick motor. I have wound this up to about 90 cranks without feeling resistance leading me to believe it is probably the 4 spring motor.

Motorboard.JPG (67.78 KiB) Viewed 1767 times

I have found no model info or serial number on the cabinet other than this on the back of the lid. I’m guessing this is probably a cabinet maker’s marking though.

193.JPG (38.21 KiB) Viewed 1767 times

Interior of the cabinet from the back. If you peer through the webs on the inside of the cabinet note the crank hole and the too long escutcheon screws. Again, inexpensive and cobbled, but an interesting phonograph.

The sound was not too bad in my small kitchen after I replaced the reproducer gasket despite tears in the diaphragm and separations at the horn seams until the needle bar completely sheared off the diaphragm. Oh well, this will be a fun learning project for me!

[Moooperator]

Wow... the grill is telling a big whopper of a lie!

[Moooperator]

I know the question was late model US machines but I had to show off my art deco HMV British machine that I keep by my desk. Plays well. Some English collectors might know more about this machine. Found it way out in the sticks of Mississippi of all places.

[Phono48]

That HMV 152 is quite a rarity, even here in England. It was made first in 1934, and deleted from the catalogue in 1936. The fittings were finished in "Florentine Bronze", and it's an updated version of the model 145, one of the most popular HMV models.

[Uncle Vanya]

I recently picked up an example of one of these later Silvertone cabinet models. Thanks to all the great info here I was able to figure out what this unit was so I thought I'd bump this older topic to add a bit more.

The ad for this machine caught my eye because I thought it looked like a radio and I was surprised to learn it was an acoustic phonograph. It is very inexpensively made and behind the scenes appears quite cobbled but I like its Art Deco look. It will also make a nice practice restoration machine for me.

Silvertone1.JPG

Silvertone2.JPG

This came with a common Waters-Conley Orthophonic style reproducer and tone arm unlike the earlier type shown in the Sears ad and on another example of this model discussed in this topic: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 620#p32968

If, as others have suggested, parts were being used up, this might be ‘original’ to this unit.
I found another example of this model with the same setup here: http://krrb.com/posts/10248-vintage-192 ... sole-table

DecoCabinetAd.JPG

Motorboard.JPG

193.JPG

CabinetInterior.JPG

The sound was not too bad in my small kitchen after I replaced the reproducer gasket despite tears in the diaphragm and separations at the horn seams until the needle bar completely sheared off the diaphragm. Oh well, this will be a fun learning project for me!

That is a very rare machine! I lost one in my late fire, though mine was fitted with an Ultona and a four-spring motor.

There was NO direct connection between Brunswick and Sears, but remember that after the collapse of the record industry the owners of the Brunswick Radio and Phonograph Company, Warner Brothers Pictures, leased the record label to Consolodated Film Industries' American Record Corporation division. The radio and phonograph business, which collapsed with the bankruptcy of the Brunswick affiliate Bremer-Tully, was essentially given to Bremer-Tully's principal creditor, the Mersman Brothers Table Company, of Celina OH. Mersman Brothers Received all trade marks, tooling, service information and stocks of parts, in fact all property of both the Bremer-Tully and Brunswick Radio and Phonograph Company save for their real estate. Mersman Brothers was also a large supplier of furniture to Sears Roebuck, ans I suspect that this might well have been their way of working off some of their otherwise worthless stock.

[phono-smitten]

Wow... the grill is telling a big whopper of a lie!

Yes that was a surprise! Maybe the cabinet was originally intended for something else?

That is a very rare machine! I lost one in my late fire, though mine was fitted with an Ultona and a four-spring motor.

Oh gosh, so sorry to hear. Not sure if you noticed but the link I posted to another machine is for sale in DC. More than I paid but also looks to be in nicer condition. Thanks for the additional information.

[gramophone-georg]

I followed the link to this thread from the discussion on the "Machine" thread.

Years ago, I had one of the "handsome table models" larryh posted on P.1. I picked it up at a thrift shop in Coburg Oregon in 1998. The seller told me it was a Telefunken but I knew it wasn't. It didn't have any markings whatsoever. In a "thinning the herd" spree years later, I donated it to a Rotary Club auction where they got $500 for it! I think I paid $75. It was a very cool, excellent sounding machine. I've never seen another like it.

Silvertone made some really interesting and nice looking items.

[Jwb88]

That Art Deco Silvertone is awesome! Even if it is lacking in the horn department.