Please identify this sound-box

[poodling around]

I saw this and bought it because from the front it vaguely reminded me of an EMG Horseshoe 2-spring sound-box.

Really ?

Well if you squint a lot and drink a few glasses of rum then maybe. Vaguely.

Anyway, it seems well made but the only thing it has on it are the words 'the master' surrounded by quotation marks.

It only fits one of my gramophone tone-arms, (unknown make - table top type) it doesn't fit HMV 101 or 102 tone-arms for example.

I guess it is a European connection ?

Can any-one help to identify this please or provide any observations etc ?

Thank you very much as always.

[epigramophone]

This appears to be one of several soundboxes based upon the Nicole "Master" of 1905/6, an advanced design the distinguishing feature of which was the leaf spring suspension arrangement.
After Nicole Frères failed in 1906, the design was taken up by other makers including Orchorsol and Virtz as late as the 1920's.

[poodling around]

This appears to be one of several soundboxes based upon the Nicole "Master" of 1905/6, an advanced design the distinguishing feature of which was the leaf spring suspension arrangement.
After Nicole Frères failed in 1906, the design was taken up by other makers including Orchorsol and Virtz as late as the 1920's.

Very interesting indeed.

I have another sound-box which may have the same kind of connection maybe ? (Photographs 'below'). It kind of looks similar perhaps.

I have been keeping it in my garden pond for a few years ha ha !

Anyway, from what you have said I guess this one is much earlier than the one 'above' and belonged to an external horn gramophone ?

Thank you very much for your help as always.

[Inigo]

Curiously the 5-screw arrangement and the large diameter back reminds of the latter Paillard Maestrophonic soundboxes of the 1930s

images.jpeg (35.64 KiB) Viewed 120 times

[poodling around]

Curiously the 5-screw arrangement and the large diameter back reminds of the latter Paillard Maestrophonic soundboxes of the 1930s
images.jpeg

Thank you Inigo.

I don't know anything about the Paillard Maestrophonic sound-boxes (purely my ignorance).

I had not considered that the 5 screw arrangement may be significant.

Very interesting.