The long awaited list of Japan made Columbia gramophones

[nostalgia]

Keep on adding comments, Barry:) They were listed on the site, and I chose to upload them, even if I recognized the 160 while uploading, while I was swimming/drowning in photos. Might they have been manufactured in Japan too since they were listed? I just wonder, not state facts, because I have no idea myself...
Also, the listing belonged to an auction house, and who knows, even if they have carefully categorized all the items, there might of course have been a US/UK Columbia sneaking in there, if the item was auctioned. I chose to upload all the contents belonging to the Columbia section, instead of leaving something out.
And then there is actually also one tabletop listed as a HMV gramophone, that I do not recognize from anywhere, and it also has a very odd model number...BUT I don't know if I should mix it into this thread, or not.

[Garret]

The Columbia 710 and 711 were both built in the USA, too.

[nostalgia]

I have found two more Japan made Columbia portables, on associated websites to the one I collected the previous list from. I also found some general information, that I will paste in here, but before doing that I can now tell that the portables with a G prefix, were made after WW2 (1945). That is another mystery solved, and the text now pasted, will solve another, why these gramophones are so rarely found in the West/Ebay etc.

Amended translation to make it somewhat understandable (but far from perfect), since I at the moment am far too busy with trying to prepare the listing and photos for the Victors etc): I once had this gramophone and it was made after the war and was almost new. The sound was very big and clear, but lacked subtlety and lacked bass. It's bright and open, but honestly there isn't much. Of course, it's a promise that you shouldn't expect the elegance, delicateness and bass of a portable type. Well, on the whole, even though it is portable, it is not so bad in sound quality and the automatic stop function has been improved universally and it is a convenient machine, but the sound box (No. 15 made in Japan) is very heavily weighted, the record turned white with a single shot, and the magnitude of damage to the record was obvious at a glance compared to Victorola's orthophonic soundbox. The portable type made by Nippon Columbia (pre-war Japan Phonograph Co., Ltd.) is one of the most remaining in the market, and it can be seen in many online auctions. A wide range of junk that does not stop. However, at present, the scope of junk products are overwhelmingly large, as there are almost no new products for sale. The reason is that the body and internal metal are damaged due to humidity due to the Japanese climate, and the quality of the raw materials of Japanese products is originally not so good, so the sound box, especially the vermilion anti-vibration rubber of No. 15 has deteriorated, the metal material of the diaphragm (diaphragm) is corroded and the hole is opened.This is because the diecast body of many lightweight sound boxes such as 29 has been ragged. In addition to the bad material, the cost reduction in the design (simplification of the horn. (The horn is not connected to the final sound outlet and is cut off), and the wooden box of the main body is regarded as a part of the horn. There is a considerable amount of omission), so it goes without saying that the sound quality is inevitably considerably low. The model number prefix "G" is a post-war product (1945-)

The two additional models uploaded are:

Columbia Portable Model No 250 (1936)
Columbia Portable Model G-51

Update: A similar thread to this, listing Japan made Victor/Victrola gramophones will be started in the "Machines" section of the forum today.

[nostalgia]

Information has been added to the listing, enlargeable photos of the motor, springs, cases etc of both some portables and tabletops.
New model numbers are also constantly added when discovered.

Last thread update: April 2nd, 2020

[anchorman]

Thanks for this list, I was finally able to identify a machine that I recently acquired, a G-50. Do you have any more information about these machines?

[nostalgia]

Anchorman, I understand you have received help to identify your Columbia portable G-50. A nice machine you have in your possession there, and also pretty hard to find in such good condition, as far as I am able to evaluate. Unfortunately it is very hard to aqcuire detailed information about the Japan made Columbias, (this thread is in itself also only about a week old too) BUT when forum members like yourself are uploading detailed pics like you have done in your post, this is a vital and excellent step in knowing more about these models.
I hope you don't mind that I later today also upload your photos to the earlier pages of this thread, where the Japan gramophones are listed somewhat chronologically ( but not without errors). As you now also know, the G- prefix shows that your model was made after 1945(WW2) I am currently working on a (text only) list that will contain the so far known Japan/US/UK made Columbia portables, it will be uploaded to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=44585 very soon, maybe already today.

[anchorman]

I can try to take better pictures for you at some point. The case on mine shows some wear on the outside, and the flocking is coming off of the platter. I’m hoping I can get the arm back together and mounted again. Cleaning the motor and oiling it is up next, the I need to find a new sound box, or make one, since the original is pretty much unsalvageable. Hoping to hear this thing play at some point!

[epigramophone]

This Japanese advertisement may or may not be relevant to this thread. It depicts what appears to be an HMV102, but with the lid transfer panel left blank and a different transfer beneath it. Could that be a Columbia logo?

All I could find on line is that a company of the same name still exists.

[Steve]

This Japanese advertisement may or may not be relevant to this thread. It depicts what appears to be an HMV102, but with the lid transfer panel left blank and a different transfer beneath it. Could that be a Columbia logo?

All I could find on line is that a company of the same name still exists.

I don't think that's a Columbia logo. If you look at the ad it's for Goldring, as manufactured by the "most reliable....." blah, blah, but the Goldring logo is notable for the two enlarged 'G' s at beginning and end of the name. That is what it looks like also inside the lid of the "102". I'm pretty sure of it!

[tomb]

I can not see any of the images. Am I doing something wrong or old age. It would be such a shame if this information is lost. Tom