What is This???

[syncopeter]

That first Primaphone cannot be anything else than an original machine. A lot of small portables were made particularly in Switzerland. It has the correct quirkiness, shows a lot of aging, has a nice old Thorens motor. It may have had some work, may not be as it was when it was sold around 1928 or thereabouts. But definitely an old'un and very very collectible.

[gramophoneshane]

The Primaphone that Blimpy pictured is actually a new Crapophone, but someones cut a hole in front where the HMV decal would normally be, and inserted the glass with decal.
I guess they think by making it look like a 1910s (or 1970's repro) Thorens machine, it will have more chance of passing as an original.
It doesn't look too bad I suppose. A lot nicer than my technicolor crapophone anyway, which has the same running gear, mouldings & turned columns. Only my tonearm is different, because I replaced mine with an orginal to give it better sound & tracking.

crapoprima.jpg (88.37 KiB) Viewed 743 times

crapo%20002.JPG (67.9 KiB) Viewed 743 times

[mrphonograph]

well the portable is a crapo there ar certain points on this machine that point it out
1 the brake is bent to fit in the case
2 the color of the finish is identical to that of the more comon external horn crapo's
3 the crank is way too big
4 the crapo's of the 80s and 90s nearly always had thorens motors
5 the excelsior comany never had anything to do with the bombay primaphone co it was a company that sold edison bell and columbia type machines

the machine in the middle is a actual original primaphone from bombay

the old hmv factory in dumdum calcutta and the old primaphone factory in bombay are now beeing used in the productions of crapophones
for years im trying to track down pictures of these 2 factories in action today but non are to be found this is highly suspicious and probably due to the use of child labour in these factories
the only thing i could find is a ware house in new delhi where they ship cabinets and horns
you can order a minimum 100 crapo's per deal and a max of 500 crapo's a month
when i asked the head crapo dealer sanjeev kumar jain about the factories and my interest in them he complied yes in dum dum & bombay no we can;t sent any foto's its against company regulations
so thats it im at a dead end concerning the india factories
i hope you'll like the pics dough

greetings
tino

[Steve]

The name "Thorens" really shouldn't need to be Googled - they are still going today making Hi-Fi turntables - this Swiss name has been synonymous with record playing machines since the early 1900's.

That portable appears to be made from teak, and is therefore intended for the tropical climate. It is probably quite rare in that cabinet and as with all continental machines (and indeed, so-called "off-brand" makes) undervalued today.

[Steve]

I disagree with Mrphonograph that the portable is a crapo. I agree that the brake has been replaced with a larger than needed earlier type.

[mrphonograph]

i can't believe the doubt about this item the case is clearly from some type of electrical aparatus mayby a volt meter or a compass they came in simular wood cases
the tone arm is resting on a crapy piece of wood

and there's another thing the only 100% real authentic bombay primaphone's i've seen where all eighter external horn machines or hornles tabletops as far as i can deduce from the primaphone machines out there the company stoped making machines with the primaphone brandname about 1920-25 or so i simply don't see any later machines like 1930s cabinets or late 1920s portables the only real machines out there are external horn or tabletop hornless

the only cabinet made by the primaphone co was by the london firm and not by the bombay firm it wasa real strange machine with a fold-up horn

primaphone cabinet grand

i hope this gave more light
and.... stear clear of crapo's
greetings
tino