Pathé Duplex console gramophone, sharing photos

[nostalgia]

I came across this unique gramophone for sale. I wanted to share the photos since it looks like a really interesting and different machine, and well.. if it was not for the winding key, one could mistakenly have taken it for an early 1970's stereo system:)
I will not buy it though, much too far away in distance..and well, I can't buy "them all".
If I understand it right from the photos it is a actually a kind of "stereo" after all, since it can play both vertical and lateral cut records, right?

[gramophoneshane]

Nice cabinet, but I think both tone arms have been altered. I'm guessing this originally had two vertical playing soundboxes, due to the two padded stylus rests at the front of the motor board.
The lateral arm looks way too long and the vertical one too short. Perhaps the lateral arm has part of the other one attached some how?

Either way, I think both tone arms have been tampered with and could possibly both need replacing.

[epigramophone]

The machine is probably a Pathé Duplex which has been modified. Originally both reproducers would have played the record simultaneously, as below, producing a distinctive sound effect :

[nostalgia]

I had no idea it existed gramophones where two reproducers at the same time were playing a record. I still can't even understand how that possibly could work, how it would sound since they can't play the same notes of the melody at the same time. I guess my joke about the "stereo effect" was maybe closer to the truth than I had imagined
Thanks for your inputs:) This may be a stupid question, but are the tonearms retractable on this system, and could this explain the short tonearm? I just ask, since I think the tonearms look...well... different.

[alang]

Pathé duplex machines are cool and very rare, at least here in the USA. These Pathé tonearms are made of two pieces just stuck together where that little thumbscrew sits. The end pieces with the reproducers have been altered, but replacements could be found I guess. If such a rare and beautiful machine would show up close to me I would jump on it.

Andreas

[nostalgia]

Thank you for all good responses:) The asking price for the gramophone is €80 only, BUT...travel costs plus overnight stay would cost a €250 minimum, and also involve a 1200 km car drive in total. If it was in my area, I would never have hesitated.
If someone would say some words about potential monetary value, it would of course be very interesting since I myself have absolutely no idea.

[epigramophone]

Search "Pathé Duplex" on YouTube and you will be able to hear the sound for yourself.

[nostalgia]

Thank you, Roger:) That was actually a very interesting sound, and I had to laugh when someone in the Yotube comments called it a stereo gramophone..
"To be or not to be, that is the question", or rather, to have or not to have

Update: I have decided to skip this one, the total costs is outside my budgets now. I also need focus on the gramophones I already have, my service work on gramophones purchased during the last months, is piling up. I have now given the address and phone details of the seller to a forum member who sent me a pm, I hope he gets it, if he wants it after talking to the seller. So, maybe we will see more from this beautiful machine in the near future, who knows.

[gramophoneshane]

I think finding the correct soundbox for the left handle tonearm, with a needle bar and backward facing needle chuck would be near impossible to find.

I'm sure many collector's who don't know of these Duplex machines and came across one of these soundboxes would probably think they'd found one with a bent needle chuck.

[nostalgia]

Update given in the above post.