FOX PHONOGRAPH COMPANY

[jnorman111]

(J.M.J.)

Well Thank You Ortho_Fan. The Fox Phonograph is a Mandrel and the real sure tip off, besides the motor board, tone arm, cabinet tiger oak and identical dimensions and looks, grill, etc., the real tip off for me was the way the lid sets a little tilted up on the left side where it comes down it does not rest properly, just as my Fox has the same problem. Oh, Thank You so much, once again, now I know.
Also "roaring 20s", on the Mandrel attached log, has a post of my Fox and he seen the similarities. He thought maybe, that Fox had bought the Mandrel parts after Mandrel went out of business. Maybe, but because of the music style of the records enclosed in the cabinet when I purchased the entire lot, along with the machine, the 1916 to 1919 time period of Mandrel manufacturing fits perfectly, so I am inclined to feel that "Fox" just had this machine made for them by Mandrel, or that "Fox" was a sub-jobber for Mandrel, maybe a furniture store or a music store, etc.?
The only real difference between the Mandrel and Fox is the record storage compartment layout. That is basically the only difference I noticed between the Fox and Mandrel similar models, No. 3, perhaps, as the Mandrel plate , has the same looking serial plate as the Fox.
KUDOS.

[OrthoFan]

I was suspicious that it was a re-branded model from the start, since this practice was so common among the phonograph manufacturers/sellers. Also, I recognized the tonearm, but couldn't remember which model/brand it came from. In addition, the logo only says "The Fox Phonograph," leaving the word "company" off.

So, the next part of the mystery is to find out who or what "Fox" was. As noted in my earlier post, oftentimes, these non-major-brand models were supplied to companies that wanted to sell phonographs to draw in extra business, but didn't want to start up their own production facilities. Many of these companies were general retailers such as department or hardware stores, music companies, dime-stores, etc., and many had nothing to do with music.

Along this line, most catalog or mail-order companies also sold re-branded phonographs under their own names. (JC Penny, as one example, did this into the 1970s/1980s, when they sold re-branded Panasonic products such as record players, tape recorders and radios, under their own name--normally Panasonic's previous year's models.)

I've done a little googling and found dozens of companies bearing the name "Fox" that were active in the teens and 1920s. Unfortunately, I've not been able to spot a logo for any of these.

[gramophoneshane]

Both the Mandrel & Puritone machines dont appear to have a volume adjusting knob on the right side that the Fox has.

[jnorman111]

(J.M.J.)

Thanks Shane, great eyes, I hadn't notice the volume knob was not on the Mandel and Puritone. You are about the best phonograph guy out here on the website, and that proves it to me that you noticed this, something right out in the open but easily overlooked by me as i was trying to look for deeper things foolishly, and did notice the record storage comparment difference and maybe the cabinets were 'custom made" for Fox? The top lid not fitting the front left properly when closed was shared on both the Fox and Mandel. The sound box looks the same except for the Mandel name on theirs, no name on the Fox. The sleding tone arm and the swivel for verticals is the same.
I am starting to feel that the Fox was possibaly made for the Sam Fox Music Publishing Company, and being in the "Biz", they were given better access to "cutomizing" that a furniture company, music store, hradware store, drug store, etc. could have gotten or even would have asked for???