What in the world is this?

[Curt A]

It looks like a catalin "tonearm", but it is absolutely NOT made to be used as one...
NOTE: I stand corrected, but it defies logic and design basics...

It has a "stand" and a working door on the end with a metal reproducer on the other end. Is it a needle holder or some type of advertising piece?

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[Inigo]

[Pathe Logical]

Curt,

[/It looks like a catalin "tonearm", but it is absolutely NOT made to be used as one..quote]

Sorry to blow your claim out of the water, but I've had a few portables with these combination (all-in-one) tonearm and horn assemblies. Functional, but pretty lame sound reproduction!!! I found the small door at the end of the tonearm to be pretty worthless, although they do mute the little bit of weak sound traveling through the tonearm a bit.

The day was not wasted --- you learned something new !

[zipcord]

I wonder if it's bakelite

[Curt A]

Pathé Logical, please explain how the pictured "tonearm" could be connected to a Phonograph? Are you saying that the pivot on the bottom would be connected to the motor board and the "tonearm" is actually a combo horn with a door for a volume control? If so, what phonograph would use this and do you have any pictures? If true, it's the most bizarre idea I've ever heard of...

[JerryVan]

Pathé Logical, please explain how the pictured "tonearm" could be connected to a Phonograph? Are you saying that the pivot on the bottom would be connected to the motor board and the "tonearm" is actually a combo horn with a door for a volume control? If so, what phonograph would use this and do you have any pictures? If true, it's the most bizarre idea I've ever heard of...

How is that any more bizarre than almost any front mount disc phonograph? Reproducer, coupled directly to the horn, supported by a pivot... This one is simply plastic, with an odd lid, presumably used as a volume control.

[Curt A]

BIZARRE meaning: very strange and unusual

A plastic combo horn is not necessarily more strange and unusual than a hot air phonograph, a flameophone, a Devineau Biophone or gourd horns, but still strange... Front mount machines are not strange, just primitive.
At least, you acknowledge that the lid is odd...

[gramophone-georg]

Pathé Logical, please explain how the pictured "tonearm" could be connected to a Phonograph? Are you saying that the pivot on the bottom would be connected to the motor board and the "tonearm" is actually a combo horn with a door for a volume control? If so, what phonograph would use this and do you have any pictures? If true, it's the most bizarre idea I've ever heard of...

I've also seen these before on some kiddie phonos and what you describe is exactly correct.

[Roaring20s]

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James.

[OrthoFan]

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James.

Many thanks for posting that. I was scouring the internet for the past couple of days and found this -- https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/ ... 73b4f3997f -- and was going to post it, but you beat me to it.

It's kind of an updated version of the Swanson Portable which used a small conical tonearm made of wood. It also had a volume control device, though it was hardly needed, based on the performance of the one I used to own. Still, with fresh sound box gaskets, it actually had quite a mellow tone.

There's a couple of YouTube videos featuring the Swanson portable --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=9WE9xmGqYIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecpb_tl-6pk