Run for the Hills......just in time for Halloween

[US PHONO]

Did 3 machines have to be sacrificed?


http://www.ebay.de/itm/EXTREM-RAR-GRAMM ... Swo6lWLlaL

[Curt A]

I am no Pathé expert, but from what I can see, this machine looks like it was made that way. Pathé made a number of unusual machines and this does not look like it was pieced together... but what do I know? This looks similar to a Pathé Jeunesse, but with a conventional internal horn configuration with doors. Maybe someone can shed some light on this...

First pic is the listing from eBay, the second is a Pathé Jeunesse...

[Phonoboy]

I am no Pathé expert, but from what I can see, this machine looks like it was made that way. Pathé made a number of unusual machines and this does not look like it was pieced together... but what do I know? This looks similar to a Pathé Jeunesse, but with a conventional internal horn configuration with doors. Maybe someone can shed some light on this...

First pic is the listing from eBay, the second is a Pathé Jeunesse...

If it was cobbled together they did one hell of a job, because it is beautiful.

[Phonofreak]

It looks original to me. I wish I can afford it.
Harvey Kravitz

[Steve]

I say ABSOLUTE FAKE!

It is obviously made up from TWO Pathé matching 'D' bases stitched together to give space for an internal horn in the lower case that doesn't have the original motor (there is insufficient room left below the motor) in it, which is provided by the top case. A strip to join the two together? Ugh! The door handles and other metalwork? Ugh! Does anything LOOK like it's made by Pathé? No.

The remains of the original fixing plate for the horn back-bracket is still present on the back of the top cabinet. Ugh!

Pathé DID very rarely use up returned bases for horn models which weren't sold and then convert them into internal horn versions BUT they were never assigned model numbers and they certainly never retained the earlier model name / number.

It's just more over-priced eBay junk masquerading as something it's not.

[CarlosV]

Steve is correct, a detail that gives it away is the photo showing the three-screw adapter where the arm for the external horn was originally installed in the upper machine, linked below. Pathé was not sloppy.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/EXTREM-RAR-GRAMM ... R/$_57.JPG

Another detail is that the doors in Pathé internal horn machines have spring bearings to hold them shut, which this one does not.

[Curt A]

You guys may be 100% correct about it being fake, but I have a backmount Zonophone Opera Grand that still has the front mount portion of the bedplate. This may have been a transition between front mount and back mount. No matter what, someone did an excellent woodworking job to make the trim in the middle which joins it together, since the trim had to follow the contours of the case corners... I wouldn't mind having it.

[CarlosV]

You guys may be 100% correct about it being fake, but I have a backmount Zonophone Opera Grand that still has the front mount portion of the bedplate. This may have been a transition between front mount and back mount. No matter what, someone did an excellent woodworking job to make the trim in the middle which joins it together, since the trim had to follow the contours of the case corners... I wouldn't mind having it.

Some of the early Victors as well had their cases adapted and plates installed to cover the hole of the front mount. And I certainly agree with you, Curt, that from the photos the work looks well done, but the final product does not compare to the real Pathé D, with its external horn and its lid - I have one, and it is really good looking - very well proportioned, and sounds good as well (am I talking about a gramophone or a female singer?). And for that price, you can buy a bona fide Pathé D, and not this (admitely well done) forgery. The seller could at least be honest and sell it as reproduction or a made-up machine, but I guess I would be asking too much...

[chunnybh]

Did I not see this monster last Halloween?

[Curt A]

Carlos,
I agree that the Modele D is a very attractive outside horn machine and it would be a shame if someone had modified one or two of them for no apparent reason... The only observation that I made in trying to determine its origins was that the bottom case should show some signs of having attachments made to it - crank hole, holes for speed control, holes for horn mount, etc. The top case looks like it has the correct parts for an original Modele D, but the lower case does not appear to have them.