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This advertisement, said to be from a 1929 trade magazine, appeared on eBay recently. The statement that the machine was "Non-Electric" suggests that it was just another acoustic wind up gramophone, and the absence of an illustration suggests that the advertisers were reluctant to reveal it's true origins.

Has anyone ever seen a Wonderphone?

epigramophone wrote:This advertisement, said to be from a 1929 trade magazine, appeared on eBay recently. The statement that the machine was "Non-Electric" suggests that it was just another acoustic wind up gramophone, and the absence of an illustration suggests that the advertisers were reluctant to reveal it's true origins.

Has anyone ever seen a Wonderphone?

Apologies if I misunderstand and if this is irrelevant but there appears to be a wonderphone horn in the attached link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K28Z_xhhrug

The song is worth a listen anyway I think.

Oh, I must have misunderstood as a previous thread on here mentioned this 'horn' - and you were part of it.


http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 11&t=19476

Ah. Having looked at google at various 1929 trade magazines and other reference it seems that this was indeed a horn only - the one depicted in the above thread in fact or very similar - so maybe good enough for a Ginn / EMG ?

It was very well thought of though it seems - but so ugly it needed to be hidden behind a curtain !

PDF link:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 4SofG4JTZq

Once the PDF is opened, right click and search for wonderphone.

Apparently Loveless and Hunter bought / were agents for another camera company around this time - so maybe it bought the Oxford Camera and Gramophone Company ?

Very interesting! The horn appears to be quite similar to the Wilson Panharmonic horn, and the EMG Mk VIII horn.

Orchorsol wrote:Very interesting! The horn appears to be quite similar to the Wilson Panharmonic horn, and the EMG Mk VIII horn.

I will see if I can find images of those.

Most interesting, as you say.

I do remember seeing one of these horns on UK eBay a few years ago in poor condition. IIRC it was discussed here on the forum, and a few people felt it was some kind of covered wickerwork, but someone disproved that - only a vague memory though!

Orchorsol wrote:I do remember seeing one of these horns on UK eBay a few years ago in poor condition. IIRC it was discussed here on the forum, and a few people felt it was some kind of covered wickerwork, but someone disproved that - only a vague memory though!

Oh, the link is mentioned 'above' I think.

It is a shame, because the above link to the pdf issue of Wireless Magazine states (next to a picture of the horn) : 'T h e Wonderphone, which was fully des- cribed on page 383 of the previous issue' - but I can't find that issue on the internet.

Presumably it would clarify everything.

Managed to copy the photo from the abovementioned pdf.

That picture puts to bed a few of the ridiculous statements in the previous thread.

estott wrote:That picture puts to bed a few of the ridiculous statements in the previous thread.

It seems to clarify one or two things.

The review comments for the Wonderphone from the pdf were as follows:


'For a big room the new horn machine, the Wonderphone (£14 14s., with table), a production that defies successfully all our old theories, should be tried. In a dance -hall it is as good as many hundred -guinea electrical reproducers. Excellent Results. In a drawing -room its appearance might be objected to, but should it be possible to place it behind a curtain, and to use a Romantic soundbox and fine -gauge steel grip needles with it, I can well believe that in many cases (e.g., rooms where good tone is difficult to achieve) it might give more satisfactory results than could be got with the most expensive cabinet.'