The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Cheney's were also sold by Marshall Field in Chicago. These must have been upscale machines.

Ah, The Cheney...!

Among all machines with a totally ill-designed tonearm/horn assembly based on completely plucked out of thin air principles, The Cheney deserves a gold medal and definitely stands out as one of my all-times favourites!

But aside from that, the tonearm is a marvel to look at, and overall the machine was definitely a complex, luxury product. The (absolutely irrational and pretentious) "orchestral chambers" must have been a manufacturing nightmare, and period ads affirm that the (completely nonsense) "violin resonator" was not bended, but carved in solid wood. High quality indeed.

Victrolacollector wrote:Cheney's were also sold by Marshall Field in Chicago. These must have been upscale machines.

Thank you- it was Field and not Wannamaker who financed the company & I have edited my post.

A bit of trivia- in the 1900's Forrest Cheney was musical director at the Roycroft colony in east Aurora NY.

It's Wanamaker, not "Wannamaker."

Henry wrote:It's Wanamaker, not "Wannamaker."

Oh, Wannamake something of it, do you?

Somebody has to stick up for old Papa John. He was a sad old guy. Few people know that he started out making toilets. He was known as the wan johnny-maker.

Henry wrote:Somebody has to stick up for old Papa John. He was a sad old guy. Few people know that he started out making toilets. He was known as the wan johnny-maker.

Roddy was quite a guy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodman_Wanamaker

I have never seen a Cheney in person. It appears that the machines had nice cabinets and the motors were made by Cheney specifically for his machines. I always wondered why he did not just do as the other independent makers and put in the Heineman and Saal motors. I own a Magnola Talking Machine, a independent brand made in Chicago by Magnola which was also the M. Schulz Piano Company. Even the Magnola with its internal wooden horn does not stack up to a Victor. The reproducer, tone arm and motor is all of Heineman manufacture. For many years, I thought the Magnola sounded as good or better than Victor or Edison. After listening to a rebuilt reproducer on a Edison (by Mr. Medved), there is no comparison, the Magnola lacks in quality due to the air leaks at the back of the arm and the pot metal reproducer with the balance springs does not pump out as expected from a Victor or Edison.

In my opinion, even the small VV-IV and VV-VI fairs better in sound than the Magnola, or any independent brand for that matter. I would think Starr and Kimball are all the same. That is why I only have one independent brand in my collection (except for Polly Portable). one Heineman set up is enough.