Can you positively identify this HMV gramophone?

[Ivor-Duncombe]

Good day, all,

I have just lost a lot of my blurb whilst trying to attach a picture to my first post! You are getting of lightly today!

Anyway, to put all of the blurb into a nutshell, can one of our forum members please identify this HMV horn gramophone which I recently finished over-restoring.

It's the best-sounding HMV I've ever heard (second only to a friend's EMG playing the same records). It has a teak cabinet (Indian HMV?), a 4-spring motor, 12" turntable, 10.5" tone arm fitted with No.4 sound-box, speed indicating adjuster, autobrake (type No. 3 with manual lever ) and it makes use of parts used in British HMV Models 29, 33, 34 and (apparently) Indian Zonophone Cardigan (i.e. auto brake, No. 34 motor, 10.5 " tone arm, 23" horn similar-looking teak cabinet). According to "His Master's Gramophone" the Model No. 30 was reserved for a horn machine of Indian design using British Gramophone Co. parts.

If you'd like a higher resolution version of the picture, then please let me know.

Regards, Owen

[Phonofreak]

Owen,
Welcome to the forum. I have that exact same machine, myself and have been wondering the same thing. I bought my machine several years ago in an antique store in Seattle, WA. I too have the His Master's Gramophone book, and information on it is sketchy. I'd like to know about it myself. It reminds me of an HMV version of the very late Victor V. It's a fantastic, robust machine.
Harvey Kravitz

[Ivor-Duncombe]

Thank you for the reply, Harvey, and the welcome! I will keep you posted on what I find. I'm pretty sure that my machine came into the country with an Indian immigrant. By the way, how many 12" records does your machine play on 4 fully wound springs? No rush for an answer - next time we communicate will do. Keep well, regards, Owen.

[Phonofreak]

Owen,
I forgot to mention that my back bracket is black, not nickel like yours. I never thought of counting how many records I can play on a full wind. To be honest, I never wind my machines to a full wind for fear of breaking a spring. I always wind until I feel tension, and stop. I have to wind more frequently, but that's OK. It's cheaper than to replace a spring. I'm sure with that monster 4 spring motorlike yours and mine, you can get many records on a winding. BTW, where did you get the HMV decal on the front of the case? Mine is worn and scuffed.
Harvey Kravitz

[Ivor-Duncombe]

Harvey, yes fogive my careless use of language. To me "fully wound" is the point where I actually feel a change in winding torque within a single revolution of the winding handle - about 5 to 15 turns, depending on the machine, from the point where thing start feeling a bit too tight. It's not only the springs that worries me, there's a huge amount of unnecessary wear and tear on other parts that can be avoided if one winds carefully.

Yes, that horn support - another reason why I thought of India. The cabinet attaching flange on my plated horn bracket looked as though it was hand-filed to convert a Model 25 bracket (designed for sloping rear panel)for use on my cabinet. What is more, even with the hand-filing, the geometry was perfect and that bracket seems to have been used ever since the machine was new. This is judged by the impression made in the timber by the flange, the inside plate and the third slant trimming screw. The Calcutta factory was certainly given an unusual amount of freedom with the design of an Indian model if this is the Model 30. Did you ever notice anything unusual about the mounting of your machine's bracket?

[Phonofreak]

On my back bracket, it is filed just like yours. I guess this was a modification from the Model 25 machines. Also on yours, there is a screw that attaches the horn to the elbow. This was never done originally. Victor and HMV affiliates had a little nub on the elbow that was brazed or welded on. That provided the fitting to hold the elbow onto the horn. These fittings tend to break off with age. People will use a nut and bolt to hold the horn and elbow together. Here is how I correct the problem: I use a 16 penny nail and cut off the end leaving a ¼" length along with the head. I either have the nail welded or braised on horn. If that's not feasible, I use JB weld to hold it together. I did that repair a long time ago, and it is still holding.
Harvey Kravitz

[Ivor-Duncombe]

Good day, Harvey, I described my horn fastener repair in case you or anyone else might be interested. It was a bit verbose and I thought that I should move it to Tips, Tricks and Tutorials which I did - I'd hate to be banished! I still need confirmation about the model number, but I think that we should stick to our Model 30 until someone takes it away or gives it to us. Nobody, not even anyone in India, seems to want the model number and there seem to be very few of these machines. Now you see one, now you don't - they're like ghosts from an age gone by!

My bracket is also painted with 18 carat gold - quite an expensive paint. I think it looks better and I'd like to do the tone arm too. If I find buyer one day who makes it worth my while, then I'll do some proper re-plating. You've probably not that my machine has pedestal feet. These I made and fitted. Quite useful. With the additional height my grandson can't reach the winding handle, whilst I'm perfectly comfortable winding the machine. I can also slip the cover of the record I'm playing (10" or 12") under the machine - which turns out to be quite handy. It's really great to have met someone who actually believes that our Model Whatever Number actually exists and who even owns one! Does yours also have the auto-brake? Someone had a great idea - winding four springs unnecessarily could wear the machine (and the owner's arm) out in no time at all.