Thanks to everyone for all the input. I will go for it with the understanding the horn I have may fit and the understanding that the likelihood of every finding an original horn for this model is very small. It should have an aluminum reproducer. I will look that over carefully.
OK, I drove the drive and found the dive. The auction didn't start until 6 pm, which was fine by me as I didn't have to get up real early to get over there. Anyway, there were two machines there: (1) an Edison with a case in miserable shape but had a nice horn and a Model C reproducer (too much for me), and (2) the Imperial No. 2, which I did get for $50, no buyers premium, no sales tax. The horn did not come with the phonograph. T(hat horn is a spare that I got from a Standard Model A; it screwed right in.) I need to study what I got. It' had a hard life. I'm suspicious of a few things. But heh, I'll have some fun taking it apart and learning what's what.
Great find. Glad you got it cheap. It won't take much to restore it. Keep us posted. It is an all original, unmolested machine. That's the way to find them.
Harvey Kravitz
So at this auction was an Edison that I passed on. I was the underbidder. From the photo, can anyone tell what sort of horn it is? It was lightweight but fit snugly on the reproducer. Seems longer than the sort of horns I've been running into. Paper mache?
here are some pics of my Imperial 2. If your into Columbia or there client off brands then its a nice machine to have. Keep in mind that even though the tone arm and elbow are black, this machine was available with many different horn options so don't feel you need to put only a black horn on it... My decal is pristine, decals always affect price.
Thanks for the photos of the two machines, the one with the red, the other with the black horn. Now all you need to do is unscrew them, pack them securely, and ship them to me! I'm feeling generous so I will even pay the shipping charges. All kidding aside both machines are really nice and I appreciate the photos. I learned from the photos that the bolts on my machine that hold the bracket in place are original. The differ from how the bracket is mounted on the Standard Model A. It will be interest to compare these two machines. But I want to finish the Model A before I start anything new.