Pathéphone

[rodpickett]

This is a rarely seen Pathéphone, according to the s/n plate inside the lid. It was also listed in their catalog as the Outfitter. A rugged WW I era portable (luggable). The turntable and crank are secured within the lid and a knurl-knob bolt secures the tonearm and reproducer. Grab it by the substantial leather straps on each side, throw it in the wagon, and you are off to your next destination. I saw a partial one of these on eBay several years ago but have never seen another complete example.

[phonogfp]

Interesting. I don't recall ever seeing one of these. Kind of "Edison Army/Navy - like", isn't it?

Here's a much smaller, lighter model offered at about the same time by Sonora:

George P.

[alang]

That is awesome! I have only seen a catalogue picture of this at one time. It reminds me of the Edison DD Army and Navy model, but seems to be a bit smaller. They must have made that later in WW I, since it already has the tonearm that can be adjusted to play both vertical and lateral records. What kind of motor does it have? How heavy is it?
Thanks a lot for sharing!
Andreas

[soundgen]

Reminds me a bit of the Winston WW11 gramophone made from ⅛" steel plate , so heavy it wasn't portable !

[VintageTechnologies]

Thanks for that, I've never seen one. The Pathé "reflex" bowl reflector puts out a good sound, better than most people might expect.

[estott]

Interesting. I don't recall ever seeing one of these. Kind of "Edison Army/Navy - like", isn't it?

Here's a much smaller, lighter model offered at about the same time by Sonora:

George P.

That is pretty much the same machine that Barret, Samuel & Co. offered as The Decca - and both were assembled from Swiss components. Sonora also offered a less Decca-like model with a square wooden reflector in the lid.

[rodpickett]

I would guess this weighs 35 - 40 pounds, much more than a traditional portable. Yes, it is similar to the Edison Army Navy, although not nearly as large / heavy. One person can handle this one, although it is surprising when you first try to pick it up. I have not disassembled any of it to access the motor and it does not appear to be easy to get into. The sound quality and loudness is amazing. Surprising that a smaller internal horn such as this could produce so much volume. Perhaps it really was effective in entertaining a group of soldiers.

[alang]

Thanks for the additional info. Should you ever decide to take it apart and take more detail pictures, this would make a great featured phonograph for our archives.

Andreas

[FloridaClay]

A very interesting find. First one I've ever seen. I would think that they have to be fairly rare. Congrats!

Clay

[Steve]

Pathé made many table models with that front mounted "reflex" system, usually behind two doors. It's similar to Decca but only superficially. If you look at any of the 1912-1914 online Pathé catalogues you'll quickly identify that this model shares the same system as many of those models. They are better than the Decca system in as far as the sound is much louder having been amplified along a longer tone-arm and "elbow" before being bounced back out from a concave shape metal reflector. The Decca just uses a short tone-arm into a reflector "bowl". The HMV 100 portable also copied the idea.

Having said all that, I have never seen a WW1 period transportable version in metal case. It must be quite rare.