Expert Senior gramophone

[Expert]

I'm pleased to put you out of your misery, alang! Here's a photo showing the Quincke tube, from which the U-tube that holds the soundbox is attached. The internal flat-ended tube screws in and out of the Quincke tube, supposedly to provide an adjustable air column. It was never explained why this was important, but it is supposed to alter the sound. As posted previously, the effect is debatable.

The Quincke tube is named after the German physicist George Hermann Quincke (1834-1924) who experimented with sound and light waves through various-shaped glass tubes.

[Henry]

Here is a link to mine in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr2Jb4lcGSE

Truly amazing! I would never have thought it possible to get such stunning results from an acoustic machine. Puts a Credenza quite in the shade. One does have to mind one's head for that enormous horn when loading the thing. The neighbors must be quite surprised when it's in action.

I'm impressed by (a) the volume, (b) the clarity, and (c) the presence; I'd love to hear it playing a heavy orchestral piece like the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, or the Elgar Enigma Variations. Not to mention Brahms, Wagner, Rimsky, et al., as well as Mozart, and even the Berg Violin Concerto.

[alang]

Thanks for the explanation and the picture. Seems to be more of an interesting gimmick than something that would hold up to scientific scrutiny.

Thanks again
Andreas

[ALVES]

The measurements of my Junior cabinet are in inches ,
23 wide
18and half deep
14and quarter tall including feet


So they are all different sizes .

[Expert]

Thank you for those measurements, ALVES. This completes the picture with the three Expert models. It was suspected that the cabinet sizes should vary with the length of each acoustic conduit. Very interesting.

[Expert]

The Expert 4-spring soundbox, tuned for steel needles, fitted to my Senior. It weighs half a pound (226.796 grams!) so definitely needs the weight adjuster (counterweight) that was designed by E M Ginn's son Joe for when using steel needles.

[emgcr]

Perhaps you would share your methods of tuning for steel or fibre needles ?

[Expert]

I don't profess to know anything about tuning these soundboxes for either steel or fibre needles and wouldn't offer any advice or points on doing so. Presumably different gaskets and the tension of each spring must be contributory factors -- with a lot of patience and good hearing. All I know is that the original owner specified a soundbox tuned for steel needles; and someone has written STEEL in faint but large letters across the top left-hand corner of the carton label.

During the mid-1930s, when at 10a Soho Square, E M Ginn advertised two Expert Hand-made Soundboxes: the DYNAMIC (as illustrated) "for fibre needles only. Suitable for all large machines", and the STANDARD "for steel or fibre needles. Suitable for all small machines". Apparently there was a call for the larger box to be tuned for steel, so Expert obliged. I have been notified by email that there were even variations in the size of each of these soundboxes but no further details have been found. As we know, apart from the design and position of the acoustic systems, supplying an Expert gramophone was very much to customers' specifications, so there are bound to be many variables.

[ALVES]

I am sure there are myths surrounding thee things But have you tried using thorn needles ?
I almost never use steel . Thorns sound as good or better than steel, but are temperamental due to human element in sharpening ,and the records need to be accustomed to them . Once they are they play very well.

[ALVES]

https://youtu.be/EZZYmfA9e2U
This shows the Expert playing record with bamboo .