Dulcephone Horn Gramophone

[Gramtastic]

Hi, can anyone give me some information on this brass horned Dulcephone ? I would be interested to know if there is a model number or name and the approximate age. I would assume it is c1920 as it doesn't look very early. Am I right in thinking Dulcephone made Deccas ? If so, did they market the two brands at the same time as obviously there were Deccas on sale at this time ? The motor has Dulcephone cast into it - would they have made their own or were they made by one of the bigger players ? It is a beautifully made machine with a 22" spun brass horn - all original down to the felt...

[epigramophone]

Dulcephone gramophones are believed to have been imported, or assembled from imported components, by Barnett Samuel & Sons who had been in the musical instrument business since the 1830's. Their main supplier was Paillard.

The Decca name appeared on their first portable in 1914. It was originally called the Decca Dulcephone, and the bowl-in-lid sound reflector was called the Dulciflex.

Their first cabinet models were branded as "Deccalian" and later models as "Dulceola". The Barnett Samuel name disappeared in 1928 on the formation of the Decca Gramophone Company, after which all models bore the Decca name.

[Gramtastic]

Many thanks for the information !

[Marco Gilardetti]

I'll just add that the Crescendo trademark is also a link of continuity between Dulcephone and Decca. The Crescendo soundbox "for all gramophones" is commonly found on many Decca "trench" portables. One in pityful conditions here (quite amazingly, for such a common item, this is the best picture I could find over the internet):



By the way, congrats for your gramophone. It looks awesome and the tuba flared brass bell is not common (except on crap-o-phones, but that's another story!)

[Gramtastic]

Thanks for the extra information - you can always learn new things with this hobby. I got the machine from Gumtree. It was ridiculously cheap as the owner was moving house and didn't want to take it with him ! It had been in his family for some time and so hadn't suffered any "restoration" by the trade. I love the smooth spun brass horn and its patina. This is only the second item I have had from Gumtree - the other was a FREE Edison B80 Diamond disc machine - but that's another story ....

[Steve]

Well done for buying a Dulcephone! They are very under-rated, as are most things non-Edison or HMV in the UK! I particularly like the horn. I can only guess how cheap it must have been on Gumtree if it was sold buy a genuine owner who wanted rid of it due to a house move! Crikey the last time I even bothered to look at that site it was all computer items and personal ads.

The next thing you'll be telling us is that UK Craigslist isn't just a hotbed of fraud anymore but is now used by respectable people. Whatever next? Perish the thought!

[Steve]

You might also be interested in this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141835591089

AFAIK, this catalogue has never been reprinted by anyone or any organisation so it's a genuine scarcity these days.

[Gramtastic]

Thanks Steve, I have tended to acquire quite a lot of Non HMV/Edison machines over the years for two reasons, 1) they are often more interesting (to me anyway) and 2) they tend to be cheaper. I particularly liked the spun brass seamless horn and untouched condition of this one and it was the princely sum of £120. My one regret is not picking up coloured HMV 101s an 102s when I began collecting - when I was buying black ones for £15-£20 the coloured ones were fetching the dizzy heights of £30-£40 so I didn't bother... oh well. As for the Lumiere model I turned down at £50 let's not even go there...
Thanks for the link to the Dulcephone catalogue - I will keep an eye on it !

[Steve]

Thanks Steve, I have tended to acquire quite a lot of Non HMV/Edison machines over the years for two reasons, 1) they are often more interesting (to me anyway) and 2) they tend to be cheaper. I particularly liked the spun brass seamless horn and untouched condition of this one and it was the princely sum of £120. My one regret is not picking up coloured HMV 101s an 102s when I began collecting - when I was buying black ones for £15-£20 the coloured ones were fetching the dizzy heights of £30-£40 so I didn't bother... oh well. As for the Lumiere model I turned down at £50 let's not even go there...
Thanks for the link to the Dulcephone catalogue - I will keep an eye on it !

£120? That's borderline theft!

I can only begin to imagine how some people can still be so completely naive in 2015 about selling antique items. That has to be the bargain of the year. Dave Smith sold a Dulcephone with spun horn recently for £800. Admittedly it was a more decorative model in terms of the back-bracket design, the cabinet and the horn (art nouveaux styled flower decoration to the rim) but I didn't think the price was outrageous at all.

Well done for buying your machine and at least it has gone to a good home. I wouldn't lose sleep over HMV portables. They are common enough to pick up today even in the coloured cases.