The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Absolutely beautiful machine! The graining of the oak is exquisite! I have developed a preference for Oak over Mahogany because of that. There's more to look at overall, it adds detail, a certain sense of style, IMHO. A Mahogany machine is a Mahogany machine,they all look the same from a finish standpoint (once again, my opinion. You can't find oak like that today. Oak with graining like that is nonexistant. I have the fumed oak version of your XIV -serial #9664 (they're almost brothers!) and my horn is indeed oak, finished like the rest of the cabinet.

andyjon100 wrote:Absolutely beautiful machine! The graining of the oak is exquisite! I have developed a preference for Oak over Mahogany because of that. There's more to look at overall, it adds detail, a certain sense of style, IMHO. A Mahogany machine is a Mahogany machine,they all look the same from a finish standpoint (once again, my opinion. You can't find oak like that today. Oak with graining like that is nonexistant. I have the fumed oak version of your XIV -serial #9664 (they're almost brothers!) and my horn is indeed oak, finished like the rest of the cabinet.

Thanks for the pictures, another great looking early oak XIV.
But in this case your pictures confirm your horn is brown stained mahogany and not oak as the rest of the machine.
So now that's 3 of these early oak XIV's that have brown stained mahogany horns.
Kind of looking like that's the way they were built.

Larry Crandell

Yep, stunning. Magnificent looking. I have a XIV in fumed oak and thought it great but your machine is just above in beauty. Mine does not have the dividers so I place all 12 inch albums below with most of my 12 inch purple and blue Victor records. Again spectacular machine you show us! Neil

Here is mine. How do you tell the horn is not oak but mahogany? Neil

Here is mine. How do you tell the horn is not oak but mahogany? Neil

The first thing I noticed was the color of the horn. Even when the same stain is used the final color will be different because of the difference in the inherent color of the raw wood. Next I checked the graining and mahogany is much more fine than oak. It would be fun to see a good photo of your horn.

Jerry B.

I thought the horn on mine was oak, with the rather deeply incised lines...Not quarter sawn like the outer cabinet, but a lesser cut usually used for secondary wood....

AZ* wrote:It is wonderful, Jerry. That oak grain really pops!

Grain like that really gives Circassian walnut a run for its money...

Bill

andyjon100 wrote:I thought the horn on mine was oak, with the rather deeply incised lines...Not quarter sawn like the outer cabinet, but a lesser cut usually used for secondary wood....

Your excellent pictures of your machine makes it easy to point out the difference between plain oak and the mahogany horn.
Of course quarter sawn oak is very unique and would be hard to mix up with mahogany. But plain oak is quite different also.
Look a the wood piece just above your record shelf. It's a piece of plain oak, large open pores and course grain.
Now look at the bottom horn slat right next to the piece of plain oak. The bottom slat and the others have very small pores and a tight close grain.
If you look at the top slat of the horn it even show a slight ribbon pattern of the mahogany.
Of course it's not always easy to tell woods apart. There are several types of Mahogany, Oak, Walnut etc. Ash looks like Oak, Mahogany can look like Walnut, and when the woods are stained it can be even harder.
It's best to look at the grain and pores of the wood and not the color if it was stained.

Larry Crandell

Phonolair wrote:

andyjon100 wrote:I thought the horn on mine was oak, with the rather deeply incised lines...Not quarter sawn like the outer cabinet, but a lesser cut usually used for secondary wood....

Your excellent pictures of your machine makes it easy to point out the difference between plain oak and the mahogany horn.
Of course quarter sawn oak is very unique and would be hard to mix up with mahogany. But plain oak is quite different also.
Look a the wood piece just above your record shelf. It's a piece of plain oak, large open pores and course grain.
Now look at the bottom horn slat right next to the piece of plain oak. The bottom slat and the others have very small pores and a tight close grain.
If you look at the top slat of the horn it even show a slight ribbon pattern of the mahogany.
Of course it's not always easy to tell woods apart. There are several types of Mahogany, Oak, Walnut etc. Ash looks like Oak, Mahogany can look like Walnut, and when the woods are stained it can be even harder.
It's best to look at the grain and pores of the wood and not the color if it was stained.

Larry Crandell

I was looking more at the open pores of the wood than color or grain pattern. I thought Mahogany was more closed pored, so I assumed it to be oak. I can see the economy of having one type of horn to slap a matching finish onto and put into whatever cabinet is necessary...it seems mahogany could be fairly well stain matched to closely fit nearly any cabinet.
Thanks Larry!

That's a beauty. Now I have to spelunk into my back room and check my early oak XIV, mine has an 8xxx serial I think, but it's been awhile! It's one I'll never part with and it gets rotated into the main machine room periodically. Yes, I actually have a phonograph room that's nothing but machines stored and carefully protected (and heated / cooled as needed). I like to rotate them around, it's fun and an otherwise useless room in my house has a good use! Incidentally, mine also came from the original house when I got it back in the early 90s, the house is literally just down the road from where I live now.

Sean