Unusual Wooden Horn - and Gramophone

[CarlosV]

In the German ebay
http://www.ebay.de/itm/GRAMMOPHON-MIT-H ... 5b16c31a47

The wooden horn, with its dented pattern, is quite unusual, at least for me.

The gramophone itself is also unusual. It could be a German Deutsch Grammophon, at least the back bracket looks familiar and the soundbox looks like a HMV nr4. Too bad the photos do not show the motor. The bottom certainly looks new, and the case seems too well-made for a crapophone, although bolts and turntable are suspiciously shiny.

Tried to post the photos, but they exceed the maximum size allowed.

[Steve]

It's certainly not Deutsche Grammophon. If anything some of the parts appear to be from the Lindstrom stable: tone-arm, back-bracket etc.

The horn is certainly unusual but the cabinet is similar to several Lindstrom models from the 1906-1910 period. With that said, I think it could be a Frankenphone as the cabinet is not especially well made and as you say the base looks suspicious to say the least. The use of screws to secure the top motor-board to the "stair baluster" pillars is very odd indeed.

[Orchorsol]

The use of screws to secure the top motor-board to the "stair baluster" pillars is very odd indeed.

And cup washers!

[neilmack]

Isn't the platter sitting unusually high above the top board?

[Steve]

Isn't the platter sitting unusually high above the top board?

Indeed it is. At that height the brake would be totally ineffective!

[snallast]

I think this type of machine deserves another name... I think it´s made in India, but with a lot more care than the earlier crapophones, it´s new and a more expensive generation of imitation. In Seville I saw one where the box was a lot like this one but not the horn (can´t find the pic - still looking though) they were also asking a high price there. The screws on top of the box and the columns were identical. In India there are a lot of good woodworkers and very low wages...

[neilmack]

Some of the pics.

I vote Frankenphone. Some quality components, but that base is all wrong, and is oddly lacking in any sort of age patination.

[snallast]

ok... how about Frankenphone de Luxe? Or Crapophone de Alto Standing?

[chunnybh]

Apart from the #4 soundbox this looks like it's all newly made. Most of it looks awful, the back bracket and tonearm are a huge improvement over the usual India crapophone but still look like reproductions. The horn is a different matter. I love it and would pay top dollar for it. It looks like slatted outside panels and veneered on the inside. They would do better business selling just the horns made to order. Mind you 10 years from now that horn could be a buckled mess.

[CarlosV]

Apart from the #4 soundbox this looks like it's all newly made. Most of it looks awful, the back bracket and tonearm are a huge improvement over the usual India crapophone but still look like reproductions. The horn is a different matter. I love it and would pay top dollar for it. It looks like slatted outside panels and veneered on the inside. They would do better business selling just the horns made to order. Mind you 10 years from now that horn could be a buckled mess.

It seems we are facing a new generation of machines here. I would not call it a crapophone, it does not look crappy or cheap at all, actually it probably cost a significant amount of money to make, and it does not look like a cobbled-up frankenphone, most parts looking bespoke and newly made (if you notice, the needle aligns with the spindle).

What I find hard to understand, Chunny, is how new metal parts and horn could be profitably made. There is a manufacturer of wood horns in Peru, actually high quality ones (I bought one for the Opera phonograph to replace mine that is cracked), but also high-priced. Machining tonearms would be more costly, and all that for a very small production, after all, collectors would hardly be attracted by brand new gramophones (apart from the horn as you mentioned, which is what attracted my attention in the ad), and the eventual passerby looking for a nostalgic-looking curio would not pay $2000 for that when for decorative purposes a crapo goes for ten times less. Even with the low cost of production in India, it would be hard to make any profit. Puzzling ...