The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hmv-gramopho ... %7Ciid%3A1

To my eye the 511 is one of HMV's most elegant designs. Had it not been for the partially amputated legs this example would have been well worth saving, even though a gilt No.4 soundbox might be hard to find and repairing the 4-spring motor not a job for the fainthearted.

Well, it sold for £150, which considering the work that needs to be done on the legs and the cost of a correct soundbox, seems to me to be a fair price.

Barry

It makes you wonder why anyone in their right mind would saw off the legs??? Lunacy, short mother, dwarf family members, children...???

Rotten wood due to humidity or flooding when stored in a shed is more likely.

I had one like that once and the feet were indeed extremely soft. The main case had to be scrapped and rebuilt but the legs were saved with a hardening material absorbed by the timber which is now structurally sound, usefully forming and supporting a base unit for an EMG Mk Xa.

Boy talk about a dream set up

Cheers,

David

You need to examine closely the before and after photos to detect any difference ... Did you do it yourself?

Two of us were involved in this work which was fun. I made the top from an old teak staircase and a friend re-made the rest. The problem with table-model EMGs is that the dimensions of the base do not conform to any "normal" furniture sizes whereas the shape of the HMV 511 (ex-Lumière) is actually spot on, especially if a new top is made with slightly wider/longer measurements. In this example we reconstructed at a lower height and turned the original horn container into a record cabinet. The EMG base effectively regains the height of the 511 (Lumière). I have done this with several similarly wrecked cabinets and also installed doors and compartments in the rear for gramophone paraphernalia.

Many thanks Graham. Those have to be about the most spectacular before-and-after photographs ever!

Indeed very well done! The EMG has quite unique dimensions, as you mention. I fitted mine on a base that is large enough but squared, so there is some space left on the sides.