Can anyone identify this gramophone?

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78monarch
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Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by 78monarch »

I thought that it was homemade, but to day I found a similar gramophone at eBay. Both gramophones have a similar Sonata soundbox.
At eBay you find the gramophone at this address. http://www.ebay.com/itm/141393919673?ss ... Track=true
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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by alang »

Sorry, I cannot help identify it, but I like yours with the natural wood grain a lot better than the gaudy eBay machine. I don't think that will sell at this price or anywhere close to what they ask. The machines do remind me of the early Decca trench models. Maybe a Swiss version of that?

Thanks
Andreas

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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by estott »

alang wrote:Sorry, I cannot help identify it, but I like yours with the natural wood grain a lot better than the gaudy eBay machine. I don't think that will sell at this price or anywhere close to what they ask. The machines do remind me of the early Decca trench models. Maybe a Swiss version of that?

Thanks
Andreas
The early Decca trench models ARE almost entirely Swiss machines, so I think you are correct.

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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by Curt A »

The horn/reflector dish with the tonearm in the middle definitely looks like Decca. Another clue may be the tonearm rest... I can't remember which thread it was on, but someone was looking for a tonearm rest exactly like that with a hinged bottom - it is unusual enough that it might provide an answer. Was it Pathé...? or.... I just can't remember.
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"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
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"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by Curt A »

Sonata phonographs were definitely made in Switzerland and have an anchor trademark. It should also say "Made in Switzerland" under the needle bar on the reproducer...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by alang »

I was looking for a similar tonearm rest for my Pathéphone. Not sure if Pathé also made portables with reflector dish?

Andreas

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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by epigramophone »

Curt A wrote:Sonata phonographs were definitely made in Switzerland and have an anchor trademark. It should also say "Made in Switzerland" under the needle bar on the reproducer...
The anchor is the trademark of Thorens, who made machines under their own name as well as supplying components to the gramophone trade in general. Sonata was the model name of one of their soundboxes.

Decca machines of this period were usually assembled from Paillard components.

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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by tinovanderzwan »

epigramophone wrote:
Curt A wrote:Sonata phonographs were definitely made in Switzerland and have an anchor trademark. It should also say "Made in Switzerland" under the needle bar on the reproducer...
The anchor is the trademark of Thorens, who made machines under their own name as well as supplying components to the gramophone trade in general. Sonata was the model name of one of their soundboxes.

Decca machines of this period were usually assembled from Paillard components.
indeed corect its a thorens
after the populairity of the decca dulcephone trenchphone many companies started copying the idea of a portable phonograph the early portables 1916-1920 are allmost all square and quite a number of brands also had a reflector in their portables

most of the small thorens phono's had the sonata as their reproducer

the portable featured here reminds me alot of the thorens wu foh portables made for the asian market in shanghai
the difference is the round reflector
however thorens did make a machine like this on but rather plain this was probably the first version because it resembles the decca trench very closely

i don't know if this early thorens was meant for the asian market or if it was a european market machine
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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

alang wrote:I was looking for a similar tonearm rest for my Pathéphone. Not sure if Pathé also made portables with reflector dish?

Andreas
Yes, they did.

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Re: Can anyone identify this gramophone?

Post by 78monarch »

Thanks for all the replies. :)

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