DGAG ca 1908

[Grammofon1904]

DGAG as found in Estonia, back in summer of 2000. Two spring motor (everything wrong in the book was done to get it running (welded springs...), so new springs was rapidly installed) Guess I paid some 130 Euros back then. With it, it was an unoriginal soundbox. The grammophone had a non-original german horn. Homemade elbow. Some new carved wood lists was made for it - exellent work! Before I left, I asked in the shop, if they had some parts, horns or soundboxes with the text 'Exhbition' - for example... Then they came up with 2 exhibition soundboxes (one with G&T stamp). These became mine for free.

[jamiegramo]

I think it's a nice machine and certainly worth looking out for the correct horn and elbow. These do turn up on eBay.

[jamiegramo]

Maybe you've seen the catalogue illustration for this? Double-spring with 10 inch (25cm) turntable. There was also a larger version using a similar case design with a triple-spring motor. If your example dates to around 1908 the morning glory horn (lotustrichter) would be more correct than the trumpet shape. I hope you find something.

[Grammofon1904]

Thank you! Will get another horn. Got this, but thats wrong. Most common horn according the DGAG were those wooden painted tin horns (?) (have the recording angel tag and the crank).

[Marco Gilardetti]

I agree: I own a Monarch II and it came with the metal-leaf faux-wood horn. (As a side note, the faux-wood decoration was wonderfully made, and if seen from some distance every guest of mine swears that the horn is actually made with wood).

Your machine however is larger than a Monarch II, I'll check at home on catalogues the exact model name.

I fully agree that you have to look for a proper elbow. This machine is wonderful and highly collectable, and it also delivers an wondrous sound if set up correctly, it definitely deserves an original part.

[Marco Gilardetti]

To the best of my knowledge, here it is: model MONARCH IV.

Please find attached three images taken from three different Grammophon company catalogues. In image 1 and 3 it is shown with the faux-wood sheet metal horn, also displayed in a previous message, and that also my Monarch II features. In image II it is displayed with a different type of horn, but since the picture is B&W I wouldn't be able to tell exactly which horn it might be.

This is a very valuable gramophone and, as already said, it truly deserves being restored at the state of the art, with 100% original parts. When correctly setup, the sound that these machines deliver is absolutely unbelievable.

[epigramophone]

A fine machine well worth restoring. Even a reproduction elbow with the existing horn would improve it's appearance while you source the correct parts.

[jamiegramo]

To the best of my knowledge, here it is: model MONARCH IV.

Hi Marco,

Maybe I'm missing something but why do you think that 'Grammofon1904' has a Monarch IV? In his first posting he says the machine has a 'two spring motor' and the picture accompanying his post of this machine appears to show a machine with a 10" (25cm) turntable. These specifications are consistent with a Monarch II. The Monarch IV has a 3 spring motor with 12" (30cm) turntable.

[jamiegramo]

A fine machine well worth restoring. Even a reproduction elbow with the existing horn would improve it's appearance while you source the correct parts.

Absolutely. Those clumsy angled repro elbows make any machine look instantly wrong.

[Marco Gilardetti]

Maybe I'm missing something but why do you think that 'Grammofon1904' has a Monarch IV? In his first posting he says the machine has a 'two spring motor' and the picture accompanying his post of this machine appears to show a machine with a 10" (25cm) turntable. These specifications are consistent with a Monarch II. The Monarch IV has a 3 spring motor with 12" (30cm) turntable.

As already said I own a Monarch II and at least judging by the above pictures the "chatulle" of my unit looks much much smaller than his. Should he post measures of the case of his unit, I would be very glad to verify if it happens to be so, or if it's just a perspective optical illusion.

I also would expect it to feature a 12'' turntable, but seemingly it was equipped with a smaller one, and at least by the pictures uploaded so far I don't see traces of the brake and other gears having been relocated to a different position in order to fit a smaller turntable at a point in time.

Motors and horns and turntables and other details differing from the German specifications for European gramophones belonging to different countries is quite frequent, I would say that the size of the case is what matters most, but of course there may be different opinions on this point.