Featured Phonograph № 117 - Zon-o-phone Grand Opera

[alang]

As a recent first time owner of a Zonophone (see the June cover and article in The Antique Phonograph), I am very surprised at how well designed and built they are.
If I was Berliner or Johnson.....I would have been most concerned when this brand hit the market in the late Winter,early Spring of 1900.
Thank you for sharing your machine... .

1900 Zonophone Type C.JPG

I agree, they are very well built and some of the most interesting designs of that period. I am sure Berliner and Johnson were concerned, enough so to lawyer them out of business. But even the later machines post the merger with Victor are still interesting and high quality.

Thanks
Andreas

[alang]

Beautiful machine, I like the wood grain horn.

That model was the first Zonophone I ever bought, way back in 1972, at a not so local auction and it was just about 10pm when it sold. I got caught up in the bidding and paid $300, which was more than I had with me so I had to drive home to get checkbook and drive back to pay for it.

It had the large nickel horn:




Chuck

Chuck, thanks for sharing that picture. That nickel plated horn looks beautiful as well. Do you still have it?

Thanks
Andreas

[Jerry B.]

That's a fabulous looking machine with either horn. Jerry Blais

[ChuckA]

Chuck, thanks for sharing that picture. That nickel plated horn looks beautiful as well. Do you still have it?
Thanks
Andreas

Andreas,

No, sorry to say it left during a couple of my "clean-out" periods. I sold it once to a friend then bought it back a couple years later, kept it for another few years and sold it off again in a lot of about 20 machines, no idea where it ended up.


Chuck

[vic-b]

In a reproduction catalog that I have that was reprinted in 1973 from the Robert Adams collection, (courtesy of Charles Mandrake) the various available horns are cataloged by number, description and price. This would be post-Victor acquisition, 1903 (1904).

No.1 - Morning Glory Horn, bell 17 inches - - - - - - - - - $3.00
No.2 - Morning Glory Horn, bell 22 and ½ inches - - - - 5.00
No.3 - Morning Glory Horn, mahogany or oak finish - - 10.00
No.4 - Morning Glory Horn, all brass - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12.00
No.5 - Morning Glory Horn, brass, nickel-plated - - - - - 13.00

The No.2 horns came painted in red, blue or green. The No. 3 horns were the faux grained horns. These are rarely seen, but were cheaper than the all brass petaled No. 4 horns, which are far more common. The No. 4 horn, would have been an 11 panel all brass petaled horn. The top of the line was the No.5 horn, which was nickel plated and had 11 panels. These horns were sold separately, without a tapered arm attachment or sound box. The No.5 nickeled 11 panel horns are the hardest to come by. I have mine on a pre-Victor metal bed plate back mount Zonophone Grand Opera.

Incidentally, the pre-Victor back mount metal bed plate Grand Operas are harder to come by than the glass sided front mount version!

Hey Jerry, if you would like to add one of these post-Victor Grand Opera back mounts to your collection, maybe we can talk!!!

Cheers!
Jeff
Wiscosnin

[alang]

That's a fabulous looking machine with either horn. Jerry Blais

No little thanks to you Jerry. I love how it looks with the wood grain horn, but the all brass morning glory horn I got from you just looks stunning. Very happy

Andreas

[alang]

That's a fabulous looking machine with either horn. Jerry Blais

No little thanks to you Jerry. I love how it looks with the wood grain horn, but the all brass morning glory horn I got from you just looks stunning. Very happy

Andreas