The Paramount demonstration Phonograph = First thing built

[Steve]

".....man, I really gotta get some sleep after this......"

How appropriate would that comment be?

I refuse to see what the fascination with this LATE '20's bog standard cabinet phonograph is? The best thing about it is the Garrard motor which is not a particularly earlier one but very nice quality, nevertheless.

If this machine was mine, I would probably keep the motor and scrap the rest. It's a bonfire machine in todays market and the owner probably knows this all too well. Like everyone else, I can't see why he keeps up this false pretence about what he pretends to believe it is.

And hey dude, what's with the inappropriate use of modern trance music? I have a difficult job hearing what you're saying anyway without that being splashed over the soundtrack.

[bart1927]

Hi Steve,

I agree with you for the most part, however I object to the advise to chop the gramophone to pieces and just keep the motor. Even if this gramophone is probably nothing special and valuable, it is still a piece of history. My collection of 78's and gramophones is nothing really special either, I doubt if there is anything of high monetary value among it. But I don't collect to show people I have all kind of rare stuff that they don't. I collect 78's because I like the music and I like gramophones because they fascinate me. I don't care if they are rare or not, as a matter of fact I prefer it if they're not that rare because (a) I don't have to pay lots of money and (b) it's much easier to obtain spare parts. Unless a machine is damaged beyond repair I think you should keep it intact.

Kind regards,

Bart

[gramophoneshane]

And hey dude, what's with the inappropriate use of modern trance music?

That seems to be a common trend in phono video's lately.

[MordEth]

That seems to be a common trend in phono video's lately.

Shane,

Does that mean we can expect your next video of a Paramount record to feature additional Australian electronic dance music?

— MordEth

[Freddyboy]

Naw guys I just like these Phonograph as well
It would be interesting if it was the Garrard 1 motor
Like I said before the money doesnt mean anything to me
You guys are much more helpfull thanks for picks and video

Here are the video links
http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=slmn1y&s=4

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2u4k30l&s=4

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2zh1rtg&s=4

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=j9v5e1&s=4

Here is the link to the photos

http://s452.photobucket.com/albums/qq249/freddyboy420/

[Valecnik]

Dear Bart and others, you are using some verbs I'm not very familiar with here including;
- to "chop up"
- to "scrap"

Would they be at all similar in meaning with to "throw away"? Since to "throw away" is a verb I don't ever using in relation to any collectible, some further clarification would be appreciated:)

More seriously, I'm with Bart on this one. I do own some of the higher end stuff which my father still refers to as "your junk downstairs"!

I remember some years back when I bought an Opera, (which the seller was kind enough to let me make payments on over a 1 year period). First time my dad saw it one of his first questions was, "How much did that cost?

When I told him, his reply was, "Expletive deleted! You could have bought a h#ll of a nice fishing boat for that price!" So one collector's junk could be another's treasure!

Cheers,
Bruce

[OrthoFan]

I remember, about eight or nine years ago, there was a young person who would post occasionally on the OTVMMB (when it was operated by Mark Best), who owned a single crap-o-phone, and would jabber about it on and on and on and on (five hours later) and on and on and on in various posts...

He also put up a website about his beloved machine, as well as one devoted to the Lord of the Rings, (or similar books), and would go on and on and on and on.

For almost every post on the board, he would discuss something particularly off the wall related to the virtues of his crap-o-phone. Peoples' responses would not get through to him. I finally lost patience and called him an "idiot," "moron," etc.

He actually answered back in a polite response, apologizing, and explained that he suffered from Asperger's Syndrome -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_s ... cteristics -- which causes him to obsess about whatever catches his interest. (Of course, I felt like scum of the earth, when I found that out....)

This whole business of the Paramount "Prototype" reminds me of that.

----------------------------------------

Freddy, since you seem to have a keen interest in Paramount talking machines, you can get a copy of an actual owner's manual from this site -- http://www.prints-n-ephemera.com/other_ephemera.htm



Since these were only produced for only a couple of years, the cabinet style, tonearm, etc. should be identical to the one you have.

Here's a photo of a Paramount phonograph of this vintage -- circa 1917-1920:


From: http://www.mainspringpress.com/bert.html

[estott]

When I told him, his reply was, "Expletive deleted! You could have bought a h#ll of a nice fishing boat for that price!" So one collector's junk could be another's treasure!

Reminds me of a story that circulates through the film society groups:

A dedicated collector was standing outside a theater in Syracuse NY when a hooker walked up and told him she could show him a good time for $150.00 . He looked at her and said "I could buy a two reeler for that!"

[Freddyboy]

Thanks for those photos.I remember seing those while doing my reaserch
Well I will check the motor. It seems like a perfect match to the later Garrard model. Minus the flaw =The start stop switch
Is this a flaw in the motor cuz it takes chunks outa the records lol?

Not trying to glorify the piece at all. It looks not as nice as all the others I have seen so far. Its just strange is all. A big D on the bottom?
Anyways. In the end I love the piece and I love the Ethel Waters records from 1922. The sound out of this piece is beautifull.Crank Phonographs have there own original sound

[bostonmike1]

Dear Bart and others, you are using some verbs I'm not very familiar with here including;
- to "chop up"
- to "scrap"

Would they be at all similar in meaning with to "throw away"? Since to "throw away" is a verb I don't ever using in relation to any collectible, some further clarification would be appreciated:)

More seriously, I'm with Bart on this one. I do own some of the higher end stuff which my father still refers to as "your junk downstairs"!

I remember some years back when I bought an Opera, (which the seller was kind enough to let me make payments on over a 1 year period). First time my dad saw it one of his first questions was, "How much did that cost?

When I told him, his reply was, "Expletive deleted! You could have bought a h#ll of a nice fishing boat for that price!" So one collector's junk could be another's treasure!

Cheers,
Bruce

hello my friends--------Bart you are,in my opinion, correct! as one such as myself, who appreciates the history of our phonos and this hobby in general, nothing is scrap. the greatest pleasure i derive is bringing a unit or just a simple part back to life which had two feet in the grave. Valecnik, you and your father are both correct also. "one mans pleasure is another mans fish!" give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day----teach him to fish and he can eat for the rest of his life. give a man a two minute Edison cylinder, and he can listen for two minutes. teach a man about an Edison or Victrolas and he can spend an inordinate amount of time restoring it and keeping it working properly, then he has no time to fish and starves to death. as much as i enjoy my machines, in my next life i just might take up fishing. your father may be on to something! your friend Michael