Tuba Gramophone

[Sherazhyder]

A couple of days back, I spotted a very solid and heavy gramophone motor fitted over skeleton of a modified tuba- an instrument in the brass band family. Its soundbox stemming out of a sturdy brass tube was connected to the horn unsupported by any bracket. The governor was dry and there were no traces of grease anywhere on the gears, yet the motor very ably played a full record without any variation in the speed. Neither the motor nor the soundbox bore any brand name or sign. The uniqueness of the gramophone design was quite appealing and I took pictures for sharing it on the Forum.

Best regards
Sheraz

[An Balores]

A most unusual 'invention' and I'd be surprised if this sort of idea hasn't been effected more than once - imagine one with a sousaphone horn!

[Steve]

A most unusual 'invention' and I'd be surprised if this sort of idea hasn't been effected more than once - imagine one with a sousaphone horn!

It certainly has: ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Trombophone with 1 metre diameter horn!

Apologies for the photo quality but the machine is currently in a state of partial restoration and quite dusty. One day, one day.......

[Sherazhyder]

Steve ! Wonderful to see your machine in making. It’s amazing to know that the love of external horn gramophones continues to make people exploring the possibilities. Cheers
Sheraz

[Sherazhyder]

A most unusual 'invention' and I'd be surprised if this sort of idea hasn't been effected more than once - imagine one with a sousaphone horn!

I would love to see it coming to reality.
Cheers

[Sherazhyder]

A most unusual 'invention' and I'd be surprised if this sort of idea hasn't been effected more than once - imagine one with a sousaphone horn!

Today there are not many people to appreciate that the horn component of Edison’s phonograph was borrowed from the design of speaking trumpet, which was used by the Greece to amplify their voices in theatre. The earliest evidence of its use comes from literature circa 5th Century B.C.

According to Wikipedia, Samuel Morland and Athanasius Kircher have been credited with inventing megaphones around the same time in the 17th century. Morland, in a work published in 1655, wrote about his experimentation with different horns. His largest megaphone consisted of over 20 feet of copper tube and could reportedly project a person's voice a mile and a half. I am attaching a drawing by Athanasius Kircher, 1684, which shows man using megaphone to communicate over distance.

In this historical context, Edison’s horn was not his own invention. Believably, animal horns first used as wind instruments inspired the idea of a horn phone and a mega phone. Thus, experimenting with a natural horn of brass for throwing out sound waves does not constitute a bad idea.

Regards
Sheraz

[An Balores]

Ah, that is interesting. An acoustic PA system!
And, in the meantime, let's not forget the old listening trumpets used by the hard-of-hearing in days gone by

[Steve]

Steve ! Wonderful to see your machine in making. It’s amazing to know that the love of external horn gramophones continues to make people exploring the possibilities. Cheers
Sheraz

Of course, I'm sure you realise my Trombophone is an original 1907 German machine made by Mammut and not a home-made creation?

Also, I find it interesting that if you look at the slow taper of the horn from tonearm to bell you will see its almost getting towards an exponential rate of expansion, a design and "discovery" that is often credited to people like Percy Wilson. It's not dissimilar to the "life-belt" idea when Pathé were doing it 20 years before.

As your research has shown, no idea is truly original; someone somewhere has already thought of it before!

[Sherazhyder]

Hi Steve! Thank you very much for enlightening me about several things. Honestly, I never knew about the trombophone, and the concept of life belt by Pathé. Will you please educate me a bit more about the two. Thank you.
Best regards
Sheraz