The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have an off-brand myself that used a cabinet made by the same supplyer, check out the picture below. The only difference is that this one has the doors over the horn, where as yours would of had a fretwork grill. This one also does not have the decorative castings on the feet.

They have different components also, the tone arm on yours looks almost like it's from a Sonora.

There should be a number on the bottom that may indicate a date of production. Look on the bottom edge of the cabinet door for a two digit number carved into the wood. My Player-Tone was made in 1924 and it has a 24 carved into the bottom, I am not sure if that is just a part number coincidence or if it indicates the year it was made.

I looked last night, the only thing i found was The letter T stamped on the door. ill have to go over it with a fine tooth comb and find what ever i can. Thanks

As for identifyin the components, which will help if you ever need a replacement part down the road:

I am not sure about the tone arm, but based on the turn table and crank it might have a Heineman No. 77 motor (picture below). These are good motors found in many off-brand phonographs. If you don't want to take it apart you can shine a flashlight in one of the needle cup holes and peek through the crank slot .

yeah man that's almost identical. I already got it opened up and am going to clean and re-lube and grease every thing. Do you know off hand what for lube and grease to use? and this is my tone arm and reproducer. the reproducer needs rebuilt and i am going to that myself, but don't know what parts to order and everybody i emailed about says i have to send it to them so they can match it and make repairs there. i am capable of doing these things myself so I'd rather not send it out.

The closest type of reproducer I rebuilt was the 'Heineman No.2' pictured below. It looks somewhat like yours and had a simple rubber tube as a gasket, verses a special shape like the Victrola No.2 gaskets. If you remove the gasket and measure its size perhaps you can just give the dimensions to a phonograph supplyer without needing to send it in. My Heineman No.2 has a 3mm thick rubber tube gasket for example. -As for the diaphragm, it looks to be in good shape from the pictures, hopefully you can keep the original.

I used Ultra Lube white lithium grease and Singer Machine Oil on a rebuilt single spring VV-50 motor that I finished on May 16th. I already played it ~120 times since then and it is still running smooth. I used the grease on the main gears, the oil on the goviner bearings, and a mix of grease and oil in the spring cylinder. -Not sure if this is the best stuff to use, but it worked great for me.

Who do you use as a supplier ?

Last parts I orderd were from Ron Sitko, (518) 371-8549

I think the cabinet may have been made in Pittsburgh, PA by the Goldsmith furniture company, considering the same ones were also used by the Player-Tone Talking Machine Co. which Goldsmith started in 1919. -just a guess.

thanks for all the great information. the cabinets definitely look similar. I want to refinish it, but the wood castings are beyond repair. so i will finish the wood under it. only problem i see is with the leg castings when there removed it will leave a large cavity. i will give Ron Sitko a call. I'd rather talk on the phone with someone rather than e-mail anyways.