New Member Looking for Info on HMV Gramophone

[standunmj]

hi guys, im a new member here and getting used to the page , which i find a tad difficult to manage, but im getting there, i have one hmv gramophone which i was given by a member of the irish vintage radio and sound society i dont know the model but the description is the usual domed lift up lid , theres fretwork too the front with a 'speaker cloth'the fret work is of the art deco style of the thirties,the sound box was missing and with a bit of luck and a lot of kindness i was gifted a replacement by pat , the curator of the hurdy gurdy museum in the martello tower at howth in dublin, its a table model, cant manage as of yet to post a picture as i cant work out how to proceed, but will keep trying, best regards maitiu.

[fran604g]

hi guys, im a new member here and getting used to the page , which i find a tad difficult to manage, but im getting there, i have one hmv gramophone which i was given by a member of the irish vintage radio and sound society i dont know the model but the description is the usual domed lift up lid , theres fretwork too the front with a 'speaker cloth'the fret work is of the art deco style of the thirties,the sound box was missing and with a bit of luck and a lot of kindness i was gifted a replacement by pat , the curator of the hurdy gurdy museum in the martello tower at howth in dublin, its a table model, cant manage as of yet to post a picture as i cant work out how to proceed, but will keep trying, best regards maitiu.

Hello and Welcome to the forum, standunmj.

Familiarize yourself with the "main page" here: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/, and you might be able to find information on your HMV.

Best,
Fran

[estott]

Sounds as if you have an HMV model 104

[Steve]

Sounds as if you have an HMV model 104

Yes, that would be my guess too! These are late '20's machines but were sold well into the 1930's. If I recall correctly these were only fitted with the same single-spring motor used in the later portables? Presumably in a bid to cut costs and provide a range of instruments to fit all budgets, HMV thought it necessary to produce a "new style" instrument with older style cabinet and a cheap portable motor!

[standunmj]

thanks very much guys for the feedback, so its a 104 ive got,the motor is encased in a container so im not sure about the spring if its a single or double, it looks quite new looking, the cabinet was in rag order when it arrived here, the four corners of the lid top were stripped of their veneer , so i snitched some veneer from inside and affected a repair, [patched], someone had broken open the boards in order to get inside so the veneer was missing , ive not managed to replace the finish but will do, otherwise its working now and im listening to' three little words'with stephane kapelly and a guitarist of note, sounds nice , ive placed a pillow over the 'speaker' and it softens the sound, needles are a rare commodity here in the republic , even rarer then hens teeth,so i may have to revert to the famous blackthorn bush, ,best regards maitiu,

[Steve]

thanks very much guys for the feedback, so its a 104 ive got,the motor is encased in a container so im not sure about the spring if its a single or double, it looks quite new looking, the cabinet was in rag order when it arrived here, the four corners of the lid top were stripped of their veneer , so i snitched some veneer from inside and affected a repair, [patched], someone had broken open the boards in order to get inside so the veneer was missing , ive not managed to replace the finish but will do, otherwise its working now and im listening to' three little words'with stephane kapelly and a guitarist of note, sounds nice , ive placed a pillow over the 'speaker' and it softens the sound, needles are a rare commodity here in the republic , even rarer then hens teeth,so i may have to revert to the famous blackthorn bush, ,best regards maitiu,

Yes, that's the portable motor if it's encased as you say, identical to the motor found in the later HMV 101 portable machines. From memory I think it's a '400' motor or something of that order. Those with a copy of Proudfoot and Oakley's HMV book to hand will no doubt chime in.

[epigramophone]

I have taken the hint and consulted the book, which says that the HMV104 had the single spring No.69 motor, a larger version of the No.59 used in many versions of the 101 portable. Both motors featured the distinctive metal cover.

Interesting to hear that needles are hard to find in Ireland. Most types are readily available on UK eBay, and I can recommend those supplied by forum member Soundgen.

[standunmj]

many thanks guys, and any more info that comes to mind is more than welcome plus a contact address for the needle man in a pm, regards maitiu.

[Burtemg]

The hmv104 is not only one of my most favorite gramophones,it was also the very first gramophone I had in the 70's.
I was 15 years of age in that time and it cost over 300€!
I've had many 104's over the years but only just a week ago I found a mahogany version in good condition....
It's a keeper...
Grillcloth.com used to have the perfect speaker grill cloth replacement but they stopped selling it.
Is there a place where I can find it?
Thanks...

[standunmj]

hi burtemg, ben dijkman and co have a website, they make retro radio parts and speaker cloths, im sure ben could supply a suitable cloth for your 104, i was lucky to have a spare piece when i was restoring my hmv maitiu,