Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

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VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

I have a 202 with a polished wood motor board & red plush turntable, No. 9 soundbox. It still has a serial number inside it on a paper tag.

(My only Orthophonic-style machine--that thing sounds great!)

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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by nostalgia »

Thank you Gramophile for adding another good reference to the Columbia list.

VanEpsFan, you also have a 202 with a polished motor board, similar to the one I posted photos in this thread a few weeks ago?
If so, we are at least two who have the 202 with this motor board.

Update: I have another photo of a Columbia 202 to my previous post in this thread. I thought it could be a good thing to show the 3 different Columbia 202 versions ( are there more versions?) on close up photos. I know quite a few forum members already have this third version with rexin clothed motor board, and winding key at the side of the gramophone. I bought this black 102 yesterday, and will collect it tomorrow. Unfortunately it does not have the record album attached, but the owner is still looking it, so there is still a chance it may appear. I bought the machine to complete the 102 versions in my collection, and also because the copy is in very good shape.

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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by epigramophone »

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:I have a 202 with a polished wood motor board & red plush turntable, No. 9 soundbox. It still has a serial number inside it on a paper tag.

(My only Orthophonic-style machine--that thing sounds great!)
Another one has just appeared on UK eBay. The seller thinks it is Victorian :lol: :lol: :lol:. Both the price and the postage are ridiculous.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Vict ... 1438.l2649
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by nostalgia »

I could not find any photos of the Columbia model 113 in this thread, even the model is covered in this thread from august 2019, where Roger (epigramophone) was fortunate and happy to find this gramophone: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=41584&hilit=columbia+113
(I know Barry ( phono48), also have this machine, he tells about his machine in the same thread linked to above here)

Since the story of this machine is covered in the thead link given, I will not repeat this writing, but just add my photos to this Columbia index list to make this thread more complete. I was myself very fortunate to find this machine some days ago, at the same price that Roger paid last autumn. My machine has some scars on the polished wooden interior panel as we can see on the photos, most probably from some careless lowering of the lid with the soundbox in upright position. I will carefully try to colour match the damaged areas that with spirit wood stain, touched in with varnish or French polish ( Thank you for the advice, Roger!) Apart from these scars, the machine looks great, and the machine runs when it is winded. This is not a machine I would mess much with, so all (necessary) steps in refurbishing it will be made in small steps.

Happily and most importantly, we can add another surviving copy of Columbia 113 to the list :D

PS. Did I mention the machine is really HEAVY :o
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by nostalgia »

This thread should have been updated with Italian made Columbia portables in the index,since some forum members some months back kindly uploaded photos of some of these to another Columbia thread. I have not forgotten about this task, but have had to postpone it due to tendonitis problems in my right hand, making typing on a keyboard ( and worse...repairing gramophones !!) difficult.

Meanwhile, I upload two photos of this Columbia portable, that I am myself not able to identify because of the tonearm. On page 2,3 and 5 of this thread, we were looking closely at the Columbia Model 10A and 110, but this Columbia model has a completely different and detachable tonearm than shown on the 10A and 110. The tonearmfound on this Columbia reminds me much of the detachable tone arms on some of my very oldest Odeon/Parlophone portables...
There may be a simple answer though, so I want to ask, is the tonearm on the Columbia Model 10A detachable, so someone can simply have substituted the tonearm on this Columbia with a different tonearm?
And the soundbox, at first sight I thought it was a Paillard no. 8, the one made for Decca 120, but now I am not so sure anymore after looking more closely, and the photo is not too good...
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by epigramophone »

I agree that this appears to be a 10a whose original tonearm has been replaced, probably due to metal fatigue.

The soundbox looks like a Thorens Primaphonic, but without a closeup image it is difficult to be sure.
Meanwhile here is an image which I found on line.
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by nostalgia »

I have promised myself to slow down buying portables, since they all end in a storage locker after getting serviced, due to overcrowded space in my small home from gramophones. But what do you do, when you see a Columbia 111a for sale, and love Columbia portables, and also this portable has been on the wish/hope to find- list for a long time, after reading about this portable here on the forum since I joined the forum now close to 3 years ago.

One week ago, it came up for sale, and when I was offered to have it delivered in my small village !!, it was not possible to resist it of course.

I re open this old thread, since I feel this portable belong and deserve its place here. I also upload some photos, so we can have a closer look at this 1929 Columbia, in brown leather, and with nickel fittings. I understand this portable also was sold with gold plated fittings, but on this portable we have the traditional nickel plated fittings, and I guess this model because of it was named Columbia 111a N.

We can see it has some small issues, but not too bad really. The lid hinge/stay is not working, a metal part has fallen off, and was not found inside the portable. Because of it, there also has been used force to close the lid, which has caused one hinge to break at the back of the portable, and also the long hinge that holds the lid to the body of the machine, has been bent. This last problem is easily fixed, really, but one of the main hinges on the back of the portable needs to be replaced.

1. I have not yet compared the lid stay with the lid stay on a Columbia 9000, if they are exact the same. Unfortunately my two Columbia 9000s are in my storage locker. I also yet can't tell if the broken back hinge are similar to hinges found on other Columbia portables from the same period, I will need to check on that. Maybe I have a replacement hinge on a scruffy Columbia, or not. I would at best avoid to sacrifice a 9000 for restoring this 111a, but if there are no other options....

2. Can someone tell how I remove the winding handle on this front wind Columbia ( Garrard motor)? I don't want to experiment with this portable, ending up breaking something. I have never serviced a front wind Columbia before, and want the motor/board removed safely..

I will upload some more photos of the motor, when I have been able to remove the motor board...
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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by Phono48 »

The winding handle is removed by turning it anti-clockwise. It may need a bit of a "thump" to shift it as it's probably never been removed since it left the factory!

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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by epigramophone »

Nice machine and well found. The 111a(NP) is a de luxe version of the 112a, so the lid stay and hinge fittings are identical.
The leather case covering is thicker and more robust than the paper thin stuff used on red leather HMV portables.
I notice that the winding handle escutcheon appears to be missing. Again identical to the 112a etc.

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Re: Columbia, index/list of USA/UK/DE/Japan made portables

Post by Inigo »

What a luck! A stitched leather covered model! There is one for sale near me (it has been for months) but at 250€ I feel it overpriced....
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