The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Steve wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 7:47 am So does anyone else think this is just a moderately more sophisticated Frankenphone?

Steve, the decal leads me to believe that it started its life as a legitimate machine, probably an imitation of a 113, but today it is so decharacterized that it indeed became a Frankenphone. Who knows how the original grille, tone arm and all the other parts that look transplanted from a 130 all looked like in the original machine? Maybe eventually another one is found and then we would be able to ascertain.

With 23 bids so far, the machine currently stands at £245 with four days to go.
This is more than the (reduced) Buy it Now price asked for the HMV113 discussed elsewhere.
It seems that some people would rather have the imitation than the original.

epigramophone wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 1:30 pm With 23 bids so far, the machine currently stands at £245 with four days to go.
This is more than the (reduced) Buy it Now price asked for the HMV113 discussed elsewhere.
It seems that some people would rather have the imitation than the original.

Yes, but in this instance the imitation is much rarer than the original and as we will probably never know what the original Johnsonphone was like, it seems it might be a machine beyond reproach to a collector in the distant future.

CarlosV wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 1:03 pm

Steve wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 7:47 am So does anyone else think this is just a moderately more sophisticated Frankenphone?

Steve, the decal leads me to believe that it started its life as a legitimate machine, probably an imitation of a 113, but today it is so decharacterized that it indeed became a Frankenphone. Who knows how the original grille, tone arm and all the other parts that look transplanted from a 130 all looked like in the original machine? Maybe eventually another one is found and then we would be able to ascertain.

I agree Carlos but something troubles me about this machine. For all those HMV parts to be transplanted onto a non HMV machine to remove any trace of the original parts, how did they manage to cover every single redundant screw hole? Usually machines with oddball parts openly display the telltale signs of wear and tear from missing parts, redundant holes etc. This gramophone appears to have none of this.

Also, have you ever heard or seen any reference to Johnsonphone before? I certainly haven't.

Steve wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 2:59 pm

Also, have you ever heard or seen any reference to Johnsonphone before? I certainly haven't.

Indeed, I never heard of such Johnsonphone before, and the lack of plugged holes and other telltale signs of the transplant of odd parts is a mystery. There are some imitations of colonial models, with banded lids and such, but in these machines it is clear that the parts were not HMV. I recall that some of these machines were discussed in this forum, but I don't think they were branded as Johnsonphones.