Moving-Turntable Aretino

[phonogfp]

“On This Day in the History of Recorded Sound…”

January 18, 1908: Edward F. Leeds and George Rumpf filed a U.S. Patent application (later granted as #897,836) for a disc talking machine whose sound box remained stationary while the turntable traversed beneath it. Designed to avoid infringement of Berliner’s U.S. Patent that controlled any talking machine whose needle/stylus was propelled by a record’s groove, the machine was briefly marketed as an Aretino in 1908/09, and bears the distinction of being the first true mechanical feed disc talking machine known to have reached the marketplace. For much more: https://forum.antiquephono.org/topic/66 ... mment-3090

#antiquephonographsociety #phonograph #gramophone #antique

[Phono-Phan]

Very interesting mechanism. Thanks for posting.

[edisonplayer]

An attempt to get around the Victor patents? edisonplayer.

[Jerry B.]

Thanks for your post. I didn't realize those machines were that late probably because rear mount machines were well established by 1908.

Thanks, Jerry B.

[phonospud]

Amazingly, there are TWO different styles of motors for these rare machines. I've rebuilt both variations in the distant past.

[phonogfp]

Very interesting mechanism. Thanks for posting.

You're welcome, Ken.

An attempt to get around the Victor patents? edisonplayer.

Absolutely.

Thanks for your post. I didn't realize those machines were that late probably because rear mount machines were well established by 1908.

Thanks, Jerry B.

You're welcome Jerry. The moving-turntable Aretino was Hawthorne & Sheble's last gasp for survival in the face of Victor's legal onslaught. It's a flimsy, cheaply-made machine; possibly only a trial balloon to see if it could circumvent Victor's US Patent #534543. I've often wondered, had it been successful, if H&S might have incorporated the design in its Star machines. A guy can dream...

Amazingly, there are TWO different styles of motors for these rare machines. I've rebuilt both variations in the distant past.

I wonder if the earlier variation was really worse than the later one!

George P.