Horn Connector

[bangster]

Which of these gadgets will I need, to attach a horn to the Edison Home machine? One is rubber, one is metal. Which is better?

horn connector 2.jpg (106.45 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

horn connector.jpg (167.17 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

Thanks,

bangster

[De Soto Frank]

The rubber connector is for horns longer than the 14-inch "witch's Hat", which are supported from a crane or floor-stand.

14 inch and 10 inch "Gem" horns slip right onto the neck of the reproducer.

The angled bit of plumbing is actually that: a ½" male / female 45* elbow (street elbow?). This one has been nickel plated.

It is used to improve the geometry when the reproducer and horn necks are pointing in different directions: the female end of the elbow goes onto the reproducer, the male end goes into the rubber sleeve.


Personally, I use the metal elbow & rubber sleeve when connecting a 30-inch horn on my Home or Standard, both of which have the old-style angled carriage. The crane clamps to the bottom of the cabinet so the axis of the horn is quite different from that of the reproducer neck.

Good luck !

Frank

[bangster]

Thanks Frank.

I have in mind a 14" "witch's hat". So I don't really need either one of these? The horn fits directly on the reproducer?

Good news!

[De Soto Frank]

Yes, it does.

A lot of folks feel this puts a lot of drag on the upper works, and prefer to use larger horns w/ cranes ( also for acoustic reasons ), but the 14 inch "witch's hat" was the "standard" horn for the Home and Standard.

Is your Home 2-minute, or 2 & 4 ?

Frank

[bangster]

It's 2 and 4, and I'm going to need some instructions on that matter eventually.

Thanks,

bangster

[estott]

Use rubber. In an early Sears catalog they list the special metal connectors, but with unusual truth they admit a rubber tube gives better tone. The metal swivel connectors are really just for situations where you set up and take down a machine frequently.

[Chuck]

I know fully well that back when these machines were
new, that the "witch's hat" horns were standard for a time.

However, even though that is true and they were used
that way, putting all of that leverage on the
reproducer neck is in my opinion kind of a bad deal
all around.

Try this: Take your witch's hat horn and stick your
finger in the small end of the tube where it would
slip over the reproducer. Then with the horn on your finger, hold it in the position it would be in when
on the machine. The force you feel in your finger with the horn hanging there is the same force that's on
the reproducer neck when the horn is mounted there.

Ever wonder why so many of the old carriages have
so much free play? I bet they did not have that much
slack when new. But after years of use with all of that
leverage and especially on non-oiled slides and guides
as most machines were/are, the result is obvious.

It's a lot of wear and tear on a machine, plain and simple. The transition to the large 10-panel morning
glory horns which are perfectly balanced to hang
free exactly in the right spot, to be connected with
a piece of supple rubber hose is by far a much better
way to do it. (In my humble opinion)

They sound a heck of a lot better and it solves the
leverage/load problem.

[NEFaurora]

Yeah, The 14" horns did not use horn connectors, They just plugged right onto the Reproducers. Only horn bigger than 14" horns used the horn connectors.

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer