What's this Columbia Upright?

[Cody K]

This is listed on the Rhode Island Craigslist (not by me) at the moment, but I'm posting it here not to point that out, but because I'd be interested in knowing what it is, exactly. At first glance it looks like any other ho-hum Columbia upright circa the 'teens, but waitaminnit -- it has doors over the horn?

I had thought that the tidy little "Favorite" tabletop of 1912 was the single instance of Columbia using doors as volume control, before getting taken to court by Victor, who'd patented the practice, and that was that. So what's the deal with this Columbia upright with doors?

(I haven't included a link because this isn't the right section for that, but if anyone's interested in the machine, well, here's a screenshot and a search on the RI CL should turn it up easily.)

[estott]

I believe those are four upright louvers which line up tightly

[Cody K]

[facepalm] Gah! You're completely right, Eric, of course! Sometimes I think that my aging brain might be...aging. Thanks.

[marcapra]

I had thought that the tidy little "Favorite" tabletop of 1912 was the single instance of Columbia using doors as volume control, before getting taken to court by Victor, who'd patented the practice, and that was that. So what's the deal with this Columbia upright with doors?

I have a circa 1909 Columbia Regent (desk model) that has doors over the horn. I also have a circa 1911 Columbia Baby Regent with louvers over the horn. After looking in Baumbach's Columbia Phonograph Companion vol. II c. 1996, it appears that Columbia had doors over their horns until the middle of 1911, and then switched over to louvers, probably due to a Victor lawsuit.