Columbia AR/BD (Majestic) Travelling arm

[GMEMG]

I have recently bought a Columbia Machine - it started life as an AR then was converted into a BD Majestic - the original owner then had the AR travelling arm fitting moved to the front of the machine so they could use the BD horn for Orchestral music and the AR for Operatic !

- this is now missing it's fretwork travelling arm and horn - does anyone know where i may find one and a suitable horn - repro or genuine I don't mind

[Steve]

Superb machine and with that monster of a motor surely superior to any model produced by its main rival, Victor T.M. Co.?

Many thanks for sharing it with us!

[OrthoFan]

Here's what the AR traveling arm & bracket would look like, if you need it for reference:


From -- http://www.intertique.com/ColumbiaGraph ... ounts.html

[GMEMG]

Thanks very much - are those "oiling Holes" on the motorboard or are they the mounting holes for the Dust ring ?

I have had a helpful E.Mail from a major collector in New Zealand (who has promised me his collection ! ) - apparently the Very activve Gramophone Society there produces repro "Columbia" arms and the fittings - whether they are for this or the smaller models I haven't yet found out

[USlakeside]

Could you put both horns on at once? Echo!

[USlakeside]

Could you put both horns on at once? Echo!

[GMEMG]

Indeed you could - and because of the way it would work there probably won't be any "Echo" as the soundboxes woudl face each other approx ¾ " apart (sorry to disappoint fans of Yodelling records !)

These machines must be very rare as i have been unable to find another for sale in recent years and the Excellent Fabrizio & Paul books (THE best books - the ONLY refernce books I will ever own on this subject) only have one example of the AR and

[Edisone]

This is the first I've read about a horn preference for vocal vs ochestral recordings. Very interesting !!

[Steve]

Has anyone got a picture of a proper BD for comparison? To my knowledge the AR and BD have different winder / speed control arrangements, that is to say they are located in different places to the earlier ones on an AR? At least the only picture I have of a BD shows this anyway!
I wonder if there ever were any genuine BD's with this earlier arrangement with winder at the front edge of the RHS of the case and the speed control immediately adjacent. The BD shown in Christopher Proudfoot's book has a winder to the rear of the RHS with the speed control at the front of the case similar to the BI and other machines in the range, which makes more sense. The one pictured in the book also has the motorboard hinged at the rear edge and therefore is lifted also from the front.

IOW, could the example posted above by GMEMG ever be seriously confused with a proper original BD?

[GMEMG]

I have had a look at that picture and IF it is a BD - it'a much later C 1910 version - the transfer on the front is thae later pattern. I say "If" as it has tha much later motor with the speed control at the front indicating a 2 spring motor C 1910 - 12 rather than the Giant three spring motor as shown above - also is that a coin slot beside the handle ?







Also the horn is wrong !



The AR








and the BD C 1905





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