How were early talking machines and parts repurposed?

[Jerry B.]

Attached is a photo of a band in the 1920's. Please notice the cylinder horn that's in a vertical position at the front of the band. I suspect it was used to help collect coins used as tips or song requests. Any thoughts? How were other machines and parts repurposed? Jerry Blais

[estott]

A lot of disc machine motors were rebuilt into trolling motors to wind fishing line.

[phononut]

Well we all know that the cabinet models were gutted and made into storage cabinets. I have also seen a horn amplifier made long ago from a old Edison morning glory horn.

[estott]

I once saw an oak Chippendale diamond disc cabinet which had a series of fan shaped openings cut through the panels. They were fitted with glass, glass shelves were installed, the rest of the interior was trimmed with satin and velvet and it was used as a lighted display case for jewelry. The conversion was quite elaborate and not sloppy, but- Ouch!


Cabinets from the late 20's and the 30's are often converted into bars and liquor cabinets- this is pretty common for radio cabinets with doors. Although it's a shame, these conversions often don't look too bad. I've seen Credenza cabinets refitted with drop changers and a radio with speakers behind the grille.

[VintageTechnologies]

A friend of mine showed me a stack of at least 20 rusty morninglory horns that he was selling to a junk dealer. They looked pretty rough. I asked what that guy would do with them. He builds fancy birdhouses and uses the horns for roofs.

[JohnM]

I bought an empty mahogany cabinet for a lyre-grill Amberola I-A at a garage sale in the late 1990's. The man selling it told me that it was in his wife's family, and shortly after they were married in the early 1960's, he gutted it and installed one of the first motion-sensing alarms behind the grill and stood it in the living room where it served as as a burglar alarm. He double-checked anywhere he may have stored the works away, but concluded he must have tossed them.

[Phototone]

In that band picture in the first post....that horn could have been used as a trombone mute. Lots of bands of this period came up with various ways to modify the sound of conventional brass instruments to change their tonal color. The musician would just play down into the horn..for a darker sound.

[estott]

In that band picture in the first post....that horn could have been used as a trombone mute. Lots of bands of this period came up with various ways to modify the sound of conventional brass instruments to change their tonal color. The musician would just play down into the horn..for a darker sound.

Mebbe....but the trombone already has a mute in the bell.

[Phototone]

In that band picture in the first post....that horn could have been used as a trombone mute. Lots of bands of this period came up with various ways to modify the sound of conventional brass instruments to change their tonal color. The musician would just play down into the horn..for a darker sound.

Mebbe....but the trombone already has a mute in the bell.

Yes,....but...as a fellow who has had a 1920's band myself, a good jazzy player has a selection of mutes and hats and perhaps other tone modifiers, I know firsthand. There was one famous trombone player that used to play into a bucket.

[brianu]

I bought an empty mahogany cabinet for a lyre-grill Amberola I-A at a garage sale in the late 1990's. The man selling it told me that it was in his wife's family, and shortly after they were married in the early 1960's, he gutted it and installed one of the first motion-sensing alarms behind the grill and stood it in the living room where it served as as a burglar alarm. He double-checked anywhere he may have stored the works away, but concluded he must have tossed them.

what a fool. it's the stories like that that always bother me the most.