German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

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nostalgia
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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by nostalgia »

I am adding another Odeon portable to this thread, and this time a really unique machine. We know well that for intstance HMV and Columbia never made a circular portable, but Odeon actually seems to have done exactly that. The machine pictured is up for sale, and I have myself to date never seen anything similar. I can't say I like it that much from the photos, but it for sure is an interesting machine. Look at that tonearm ! How can it possibly balance, and where is the horn? I for sure need someone with much bigger and longer experience than myself to possibly understand how the sound system is working on this portable...
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phonodesbois
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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by phonodesbois »

Well, mine is far from being in mint condition but it’s working…
The tonearm does balance, there is an internal horn and the sound is coming though the motor board holes (see pics). I will try to make a short video later on.
Also called the Bauhaus Odeon, this gramophone is quite special.
Jeff
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Inigo
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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by Inigo »

How many interesting things!
First, the Polyfar or the similar Polydor portables with that soundbox... I've always thought they must sound great! They're pretty nice!
The Lindex 301 sbx... I've also seen the same sbx advertised as the Odeon Scala. It was the German Odeon/Parlophon version of the orthophonic sbx. They are similar to the Columbia no15, same features. But the parts at a given moment we're made from mazak, and they deteriorate very badly. Odeon and Parlophon must have been amalgamated somewhat prior to the Columbia purchase, which must have happened pretty next to that. Although in Germany things must have been somewhat different. Here in Spain, the Parlophon records started c. 1926 or so, I believe after the international merger with Columbia, for Spanish Parlophon records were always laminated, while Odeon weren't until after that merger. Here they were independent since the beginning, but with some common owner, because you can find records reissued and mixed between them, even with crossed matrix numbers. As a brand in Spain, after the 1931 merger those both became under the Gramofono umbrella, and son they discontinued the Parlophon in favour of the Odeon brand (latest Parlophon c. 1933) and the laminated process was abandoned. Odeon records started to bear the Gramofono-Odeon S.A.E. name in small letters on the labels, which was the new name of the Gramofono Spanish branch since 1933 or so.
The Spanish Polydor industry also had a short life, c.1928-1932. they also sold records in Spain under the Brunswick label, and sold portables like those on Spain (they could be all imported from France or Germany). It could be (in not sure about that) that they had a pressing plant in Catalonia. They were very good pressings.
That round Odeon Bauhaus portable pops up in eBay from time to time.
Odeon is one of the most interesting labels, full of mysteries for a discographer... A powerful long lasting company which also recorded anything in every part of the world... Fascinating! I recommend you to Google for the Paul Vernon articles about the ethnic recording industries and about the Odeon history. Odeon was the eternal pebble in the shoe of Gramophone Co., and they couldn't cope with it until the great purchase of Columbia in 1926 (not in Germany, but in the rest of the world) and later in the merger of 1931. But Germany was by then a powerful industry, and inside Germany the Odeon brand continued independently, and was always a serious competitor in every part of the world!
Inigo

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by nostalgia »

"Phonodesbois"...Thank for adding up with photos of your Odeon Bauhaus, and explaining its functions. A trully different machine ! Thank you too, "Inigo", for adding odeon history to the thread.

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by phonodesbois »

I put a video of the Odeon "Bauhaus " on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ouoz0nGW58).
Although I spent a significant amount of time understanding and fixing the brake and speed regulator, the gramophone will still need a lot of TLC…

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by Steve »

I'm a fan of the Odeon Bauhaus but they seem to fetch over £1000. Are they exceptionally rare or something?
Or have I just seen greedy dealers selling them at unrealistic prices?

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by phonodesbois »

Steve wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 12:41 pm Are they exceptionally rare or something? Or have I just seen greedy dealers selling them at unrealistic prices?
From my experience, they seem to be rather scarce but 1000£ is quite a lot of money...

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by gramophoneshane »

Marlene Dietrich had one in the 1932 film "Shanghai Express".
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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by nostalgia »

I am adding another Odeon since the machine is not listed in the thread and I also could not find it listed anywhere else on the forum, this time an Odeon 2. It came up for sale 2 days ago, and I could not resist it simply because it looked like new, and absolutely no sign of rust, also on the lock. And indeed, when getting it back home, it looks like new, apart from the Pakawa carrying handle (of course). I keep wondering how this company were able to keep selling so many poorly made carrying handles, they really could have had no good competitors in the market.
We can see the machine was manufactured in November 1938, it was lucky enough to be exported and sold in due time to a household where it survived the worldly horrors soon to come...
The machine has not yet been cleaned, but it will be an easy job this time.
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Last edited by nostalgia on Tue May 11, 2021 4:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: German portables...Odeon, Parlophone etc.

Post by epigramophone »

The paper label on the motor board is something we see on Decca portables. I have never seen one on an Odeon before.

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