Sonora Tabletop - Unusual Find

[DrGregC]

I recently came across this unusual tabletop Sonora machine. In addition to the attractive cabinet, the tone arm mechanism is tangential/linear tracking rather than the typical pivoting arm most commonly seen in disc machines. Does anyone have have any information about this machine? Any other antique disc phonos that use this type of tone arm mechanism?

[Shane]

What an unusual machine! I think I remember reading somewhere the linear tracking system was used to circumvent existing patents.

[Guest]

Wow. How cool is that!!
Im surprized Edison didn't come down on them for using this system. I wonder if it predates Edisons DD, and if this could be one of the machines Sonora was sued over by Paillard in 1909, for putting the Sonora name on Paillard machines?
VERY nice find indeed. If/when you open her up, I'd love to see px of the mechanism.

[gramophoneshane]

Wow. How cool is that!
It's a wonder Edison didn't come down on them for using this system. I wonder if this machine predates Edisons DD, and if this could be one of the machines Sonora was sued over by Paillard in 1909, for putting the Sonora name on Paillard machines? The cabinet design certainly resembles some of Thorens Swiss made machines from that period.
Very nice (& interesting) machine indeed!
If/when you open her up, I'd love to see pictures of the mechanism.
Congrats.

BTW: a similar message will eventually appear above. I wasn't signed in for some strange reason so my original response will appear as a guest I suppose

[brianu]

at one point I was trying to find one of these... it's among the earliest of sonora machines, from just before 1910 when they used a mechanical tracking system that apparently resulted in a legal challenge from - of course - victor and a subsequent design change to the more standard swinging tonearm design found on most later machines. there's a complete example on page 141 of the fabrizio/paul book discovering antique phonographs. another recently appeared on ebay, sometime over the summer I think - it too was complete. yours has a far more ornate case than either of those, but unfortunately it seems to be missing most of the tracking system. that's still a great find though.

[gramophoneshane]

it's among the earliest of sonora machines, from just before 1910 when they used a mechanical tracking system that apparently resulted in a legal challenge from - of course - victor and a subsequent design change to the more standard swinging tonearm design found on most later machines.

So what's the deal on these tonearms & the mechanism to drive it?
Did Sonora design and manufacture these themselves, or did Paillard manufacture them for Sonora like everything else?
I've always thought it a bit odd, that after Sonora's legal difficulties with Paillard, they continued to use Paillard parts, so I assume some sort of deal was struck between the 2 companies that locked Sonora into buying their parts from Paillard (perhaps as part of an out of court settlement).
I notice this machine has a Paillard speed control so I assume the motor was supplied by Paillard as well.
The cabinet looks very Swiss to me too, and even the simple text decal (as opposed to the later "Clear as a bell" trademark decal) echoes similar "brand name" decals that Paillard & Thorens put on their machines for customers.

Does the brass ID tag inside the machine mention the Sonora Chime Co or is the full company name omitted?

[Jerry B.]

Wow, in forty years of collecting I have not seen a Sonora like this. I think it is really interesting. In truth, when I read the subject line about an unusual Sonora table model, I questioned if there was ever an "unusual" table model Sonora. I was wrong! Thanks for posting the photos. Jerry Blais

[brianu]

I tried to find the completed auction from ebay that I was thinking of but it's gone, probably too old. that one definitely was complete and probably would have provided a better sense of how the tonearm mechanism works - it's surprising that no one here has one. I've never seen one in person and all I know about them is what I read in the fabrizio/paul book. the one illustrated there is credited to the dibernardo collection...

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