Please id / assess this gramophone

[neilmack]

This is a reproduction from the late 70s/80s. They were being sold on the Portabello Road Market by a lady called Maggie (Maggie Snell?). They are distinctive because they always have the beading to just the front panel and often use old cycle transfers. Better than the later Indian crapophones they would be safer to play records on. I always thought the horns looked good.

Edit: when I say reproduction, these did use motors, turntables and fittings taken from portables and other less saleable machines. This one has an old tonearm. The rather oversized and thick metal horn elbow is another distinctive feature of these machines.

So do you think the horn may be from some other musical instrument ?

No the horns always look the same or at least similar and were made for these machines.

I actually owned one of these horns some years back. Sold it as a repro, and the scoundrel who bought it promptly cooked up a fake machine and sold it for genuine. The horn is characterised by that thick aluminium elbow, riveted to the brass horn. Badly thought out, the end of the horn partly blocks the passage through the elbow. Usually made to go on a G&T bayonet fit arm/bracket, but I saw a 'drop in' version recently on ebay (where else?).

[jamiegramo]

It’s surprising how many of these machines turn up. Very often sold as original. I think the absence of the crude 2 piece stepped horn elbow and non panelled horn convinces people they are right.

Here’s one currently being sold in Germany for 500 euros. Being sold as ‘Antik!’ and ‘Original!’ This one is made from old wood so may fool more than most. If the seller really does have his collection of more than 60 gramophones to sell he should at least be more suspicious of the late parts probably from a portable and newish condition of the horn, bracket and elbow. Or perhaps because he has priced it at less than half of his original horn machines he knows it is not right.

You will note the large aluminium elbow, front-panel beading and old stock transfer. Distinctive features of these copies.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trichtergram ... ect=mobile

[Steve]

Surely that won't fool anyone? It's so obviously repro it might as well have a flashing neon light spelling "C-R-A-P-O-P-H-O-N-E" on it.

So has no one else heard from or seen Maggie Snell for two decades?

[poodling around]

So I watched the video provided by the seller and my immediate thought was that the turntable was a bit wobbly.

Then I noticed he was playing it initially without the horn connected. Then he connected the horn and then removed it again ...... and I thought, 'hang on a minute', it sounds better without the horn ! Weird man !

Not a bad over-all sound though I thought. (I know it probably has bad tracking etc etc etc).

The record was great !!!!

I am glad I saw the video !

[Sherazhyder]

This seems to be a very neat design, beautifully integrated and aesthetically balanced. It might be one of the off brand machines. The evidence from Singapore is convincing. By its appearance, this is certainly not a random hodgepodge of leftovers from the era machines. We need to move beyond anecdotes to prove that it is a crapophone or replica machine.

Best regards
Sheraz Hyder