Another off-brand "orthophonic"?

[phonophan79]

Another off-brand "orthophonic"... the Cecelian Melophonic?

http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/atq/1260671773.html

[OrthoFan]

The Cecilian Melophonic line was Montgomery Wards' answer to the Orthophonic Victrola.

Surviving examples are relatively scarce compared to the competing products sold by Sears (Silvertone Tru-Phonic).

One of the more unusual Cecilian models sold was this Treasure Chest children's phonograph --

http://www.collectorsworldwest.com/lookup.php?id=231

[larryh]

I like it and it is certainly a good price, of course your running the risk of never getting it going I guess? I keep thinking I will run into one of those mail order house machines at a farm auction, but only so far saw one Tru Phonic and I should have purchased it, it was only 40.00 and worked, but was missing the grill and some other cabinet piece, can't recall what, but it was the larger console model.

Larry

[larryh]

This is as close as I have to the machine shown. The grill appears the same and size, but the cabinet has different design features. It may have been a year or so one way or the other from 1927 which this is from. Wards Catalog.

Larrt

[brianu]

that machine, and the advertisement, have me wondering now... at what point was it safe for other companies to start placing doors in front of their horn openings for volume control without fear of lawsuits from victor?

[frankt]

speaking of the silvertone tru-phonic machines, i know of one around here that is a mint machine. it has a good tone, but doesn't quite measure up to the orthophonics, good high end, but the bass is there but lacking. this machine does not have a folded horn, but is quite large and similar to the consolette horn in design. i would say the entire horn length is around 5 ft.

[OrthoFan]

speaking of the silvertone tru-phonic machines, i know of one around here that is a mint machine. it has a good tone, but doesn't quite measure up to the orthophonics, good high end, but the bass is there but lacking. this machine does not have a folded horn, but is quite large and similar to the consolette horn in design. i would say the entire horn length is around 5 ft.

I'm wondering if the sound box was overhauled or if the horn was re-sealed. The couple of larger Tru-phonics I've heard were actually a little bass heavy. Actually, more of a "tubby boom" than true bass--as you'd have with a correctly designed exponential horn.

For many of these off-brand Orthophonic knock-offs, reconditioning the entire tone chamber is especially important, since, oftentimes,cheaper materials were used in their construction. (As has been noted in previous posts on other forums, this applies to Viva Tonal phonographs, as well.)

[Lenoirstreetguy]

I've always said that there is an interesting collector's book waiting to be written on the off brand " phonic" machines of the late twenties. I find them interesting . Up here Herbert Berliner's Compo Co, introducted its one and only machine at this time, and the T. Eaton Co....like the American department store chains....had a phonic version of their Amphion brand as well.

[larryh]

I agree, too bad I am too old now to worry with it, but I do love to see these old ads from the catalogs of the period. Would like even more to hear how they sounded. Sometimes we think that off brands will not be good, but I see no reason for such simple technology, or lack of it, to make a huge difference in what various machines do. Even among the top known brands the sound differences are sometimes slight at best.

Larry

[frankt]

i did overhaul the soundbox, the tone chamber seemed to be in very good condition. the cast iron part of the tone chamber was kinda a curved shape. the diaphragm was a thicker aluminum than the orthophonics and viva-tonal. maybe that fact accounted for the difference in bass output, as a thicker diaphragm would be stiffer. it was probably 3 inches, larger than the orthophonic.