Columbia "Favorite" / "50" - variations ?

[De Soto Frank]

I have a nice, early Columbia "Favorite" in golden oak, with "victrola" horn doors. It has the early thin-tube tapering arm, and a Concert Grand reproducer.

I have been looking for another "Favorite" in oak, with the tone-louvres, twins of a sort.


When I search Google for images of the "Columbia Favorite phonograph", I get a fair variety of machines, with slightly differing hardware / playing-deck lay-outs, etc.

My Favorite has completely wooden motorboard / deck, with a little quadrant plate for the speed indicator / brake control. Tone-arm mounts in the back RH corner, as you face the machine, with "flats" on the outer edges of the mounting flange, to clear the edges of the lid.

I see other "Favorites" with the following variations:

Later tone-arms (cast-brass or pot-metal), mounted with in the back RH corner, or in the back center ( a la Victrola)

Motorboard deck hinged towards back, to allow access to motor, secured by two nuts of some sort at front corner

Early machines seem to have motorboard "flat", with no perimeter cabinet above deck level, others have a "recessed motor-board (a la Victrola).

Motor attached to round metal plate, with two "tabs" the protrude from under platter, one at "6 o'clock" bearing the "Columbia" / "Grafonola" name, perhaps a serial number, and the other tab at about "8 o'clock", with the speed indicator markings.

Lids: some have a very pronounced "Pagoda" lip, others seem to have a a gently rounded ogee curve (like the cheaper "Jewel" / "35").


Did Columbia ship phono hardware to their cabinet jobbers for installation, or did the cabinets come to Bridgeport, or ???


Once again, it seems that there is endless variety in Columbia-land...

[mattrx]

Frank,
These won't answer the question, but may help with the discussion. They are 2 of my current projects.
Matt

[Curt A]

I have one with louvers in quarter sawn oak, which is really spectacular for this type of machine. Mine has a pushbutton lid release on the front, but I have seen them without that feature and am not sure which is earlier. I am sure that Harvey Kravitz can answer that question...

[Phonofreak]

Sorry for being late chiming in with this thread. Here is a rough history of the Grafonola Favorite/Model 50. The dates are approximate, not Gospel. The Favorite came out in 1911 with double doors. They were made in Mahogany or Oak, in a square case with the arm cocked to the right hand corner. Victor sued Columbia around 1912 or so because of patent infringements. Columbia went to the familiar louvers. Columbia continued this design until around 1913 or 14. That's approximatley when the familiar rectangular case came out. The one picture that Mattrix showed with an early Favorite with the pot metal tone arm and bracket. In all my years of collecting, I never saw anything like that before. I only saw that assembly in the later Grafonolas. The first Grafonolas with the rectangular case had a push button on the left of the lid. Also the more familiar pot metal tone arm, and a female crank. After 1914, the push button latch on the lid was removed. By 1915 the crank was male and the long piano hinge that holds the lid , became two separate smaller hinges. In 1918, the Grafonola D-2 replaced the Model 50. I know I might have omitted some details, but this is a brief history of this machine.
Harvey Kravitz