Another EMG Mk IV

[poodling around]

It seems quite possible to build an EMG gramophone copy these days.

Martin can provide the sound-box, a horn can be made from newpaper and wall paper, scaffolding replicates pipe connectors, add any motor, a small Geisha floor standing 'carcass' and I seem to remember someone on here made tone-arm copies.

Just as good a sound as the originals at a fraction of the present exclusivity cost - maybe.

[herrickpickups]

Thanks for the kind words, for me it's luck setting the stylus bar / springs up to find the sweet spot. Iv'e got the patience to build them but when it comes to the fiddling with the diaphragm pressure & spring tensions. They drive me crazy to be honest. with an 0.1mm thickness annealed aluminium diaphragm, 1 guy got a ridiculously good reproduction from 1 of my hand made's, it's here =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CqA2lLjIeE

[Steve]

It seems quite possible to build an EMG gramophone copy these days.

Martin can provide the sound-box, a horn can be made from newpaper and wall paper, scaffolding replicates pipe connectors, add any motor, a small Geisha floor standing 'carcass' and I seem to remember someone on here made tone-arm copies.

Just as good a sound as the originals at a fraction of the present exclusivity cost - maybe.

I think not, really. Have you got an EMG? It's Graham who has had tonearms re-manufactured to a standard as good as an original, if not better. But that's missing the point really, Graham has reproduced the entire 10B Oversize including new glass fibre horns of exceptional quality . The complete machine is amazing to see and use with breathtaking sound quality. As all good things do, it comes at a price as it required a huge outlay and investment to get everything made to the right specification and standard.

It is highly unlikely that you will get anything anywhere close to this quality by doing as you've suggested. There's no harm in having a play at it though!

[poodling around]

It seems quite possible to build an EMG gramophone copy these days.

Martin can provide the sound-box, a horn can be made from newpaper and wall paper, scaffolding replicates pipe connectors, add any motor, a small Geisha floor standing 'carcass' and I seem to remember someone on here made tone-arm copies.

Just as good a sound as the originals at a fraction of the present exclusivity cost - maybe.

I think not, really. Have you got an EMG? It's Graham who has had tonearms re-manufactured to a standard as good as an original, if not better. But that's missing the point really, Graham has reproduced the entire 10B Oversize including new glass fibre horns of exceptional quality . The complete machine is amazing to see and use with breathtaking sound quality. As all good things do, it comes at a price as it required a huge outlay and investment to get everything made to the right specification and standard.

It is highly unlikely that you will get anything anywhere close to this quality by doing as you've suggested. There's no harm in having a play at it though!

Well, I of course am far too unqualified and humble to respond to your comments.

However, I asked an AI to respond and this is what it said:

"I disagree, having an EMG or not is beside the point. The fact that Graham has successfully re-manufactured tonearms to a high standard doesn't necessarily mean that others can't achieve similar results. While it's true that Graham's reproduction of the 10B Oversize is impressive, it's also a highly specialized and expensive endeavor.

I think it's unfair to dismiss the idea of attempting to create something similar without giving it a serious try. With dedication and the right resources, it's possible to achieve high-quality results without breaking the bank. It's not about replicating Graham's exact process, but rather about exploring alternative methods and materials that could yield similar sound quality.

Having a "play" at it, as you put it, can be a valuable learning experience, and who knows, it might just lead to some innovative solutions. It's not about competing with Graham's work, but rather about pushing the boundaries of what's possible and exploring new ways to achieve great sound quality.".

I think the AI , at that point, rested it's case.

[CarlosV]

Having a "play" at it, as you put it, can be a valuable learning experience, and who knows, it might just lead to some innovative solutions. It's not about competing with Graham's work, but rather about pushing the boundaries of what's possible and exploring new ways to achieve great sound quality.".

The problem I see with the argumentation is the endeavor to create a copy of the EMG. Cobbling together random parts of diverse makes and making a horn that looks like an EMG is far from creating a copy. There is solid engineering behind the EMG concept: the different components - motor, tone arm, soundbox, pipelines and horn were designed/selected to work as a harmonious set, that utilized state of the art knowledge basis in acoustics and science of materials available in 20s/30s. For sure, with currently available technology, a much better instrument can be created, but it would not be a copy, just something inspired by a 90-year old design. It is a fine and worthwhile undertaking to create a bespoke design based on older models, like the Balmain machine that Alastair and Liz created and manufactured - demonstrated in the CLPGS meeting two years ago - but to create a copy there is a lot more involved. Graham's dozens of posts showing how he developed the various parts he made to replicate and replace the vintage EMG gear demonstrate the effort required to reproduce such parts - very hard even with the modern tools available.

[Hoodoo]

Another easily accessible and local machine for collection! Perth!

… the seller makes faux EMG soundboxes from Exhibition spares.

Have a look at the information on EMG soundboxes on the Gramophone Museum website.
EMG soundboxes were based on the Exhibition and the mounting system was based on the Meltrope design.
It seems to me that there is no reason why a well-built EMG soundbox clone shouldn’t sound as good as an original EMG item, just as G.R.s horns and tonearms are as good as (or better than) the originals.

[Steve]

Another easily accessible and local machine for collection! Perth!

… the seller makes faux EMG soundboxes from Exhibition spares.

Have a look at the information on EMG soundboxes on the Gramophone Museum website.
EMG soundboxes were based on the Exhibition and the mounting system was based on the Meltrope design.
It seems to me that there is no reason why a well-built EMG soundbox clone shouldn’t sound as good as an original EMG item, just as G.R.s horns and tonearms are as good as (or better than) the originals.

Yes, I'm fully aware of the similarities between early EMG soundboxes and the Exhibition they were so obviously based upon. I have owned and rebuilt many examples of both over the years but I'll leave it to others to expand upon the various constituent components and material choices, thicknesses, calibration, weights and tempering etc required to make a perfect literal clone of an EMG ie. the scientific and technical stuff. Without following and duplicating everything exactly to the original specification, the new soundbox will unlikely sound the same as the originals. I think I'll leave it to Graham to explain the different timbre of sound achieved with fibreglass versus papier mache as they are both different again.