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Paolo_MK68 wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:17 pm Thank you for the link and the nice words!
Definitey the assembly of the elbow and tone arm looks similar to that of the machine you pointed out to. Pardon my ignorance: does "Columbia Plano Reflex arm" means the typical arrangment with the short swiweling joint and the blunt tube elbows also found on later Columbia portables?

Here's the "2a" with it's plano-reflex tonearm and No. 9 soundbox, for reference ... I've been doing a "soft-search" for this machine for a few years now. I'm fascinated by the single spring and what I presume is a fairly light and unique-sounding horn machine. From what Roger has written, I know he laments the sale of his. There is so scarcely little info about these. I *think* someone posted photos from a 1928 or 1929 Paris gramophone show, and at the Columbia booth, this machine can be seen. I can't seem to find it, though.

[YouTube]https://youtu.be/xPb-K_-h-Go[/YouTube]

In there 1925-1926 catalogues I posted, both models 1a and 2 have a standard straight (no plano Reflex) tonearm, even model 2 with the Viva tonal no8 soundbox. So the incorporation of plano Reflex tonearm to these models must have happened after August, 1926, at least. Maybe the 'a' in your 2a model means this later change.

Inigo wrote: Tue Apr 26, 2022 1:24 pm In there 1925-1926 catalogues I posted, both models 1a and 2 have a standard straight (no plano Reflex) tonearm, even model 2 with the Viva tonal no8 soundbox. So the incorporation of plano Reflex tonearm to these models must have happened after August, 1926, at least. Maybe the 'a' in your 2a model means this later change.

The Plano-Reflex tonearm was introduced across the UK Columbia range for the 1928/29 season and yes, the "a" suffix indicates the change. The 2a was the last horn model Columbia ever made, but in the 1929 catalogue an image of the earlier Model 2 is shown.

It may seem at first sight, but look into the detail... It seems to carry an authentic plano Reflex tonearm. The back elbow has the unmistakeable plane corner: While looking at the same spot in the August 1926 catalogue, number 2 has a standard tonearm elbow: Nevertheless, they seem to have used the same image, with the elbow and soundbox retouched!!

My old eyes failed to spot this. The 1929 image still showed the old transfer on the case, which fooled me into assuming that they had simply reused the older picture. My Model 2a had the Viva-Tonal transfer.

Yes, I also think they have reused the old drawing... I should check your pictures to see (if possible) which decal is in front of the 2a machine...

Inigo wrote: Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:08 am Yes, I also think they have reused the old drawing... I should check your pictures to see (if possible) which decal is in front of the 2a machine...

They actually re-used all that they could... This was clearly an outdated machine aimed at the few nostalgics of the external horn type gramophones. The plano-reflex tonearm has absolutely nothing to do with the horn, and the abrupt gauge change at the elbow join is... well... "embarassing".

All the above, of course, said in perspective, as the machine is today a highly collectable item and an interesting example of technological transition.

Good evening,

here's some more photos of the motor, which is marked 5A and seems clearly a single spring model:
This is the additional soundbox the gramophone came with. I thought at first it was a Columbia n°9, but looking at the n*9 soundbox depicted in the catalogue uploaded by Inigo as well as in the Youtube video the front cover and arrangement of holes are different, so I conclude it is indeed a Columbia N°8. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks to everyone for the uploads and the constructive discussion.

In the catalog, the Columbia no8 Viva tonal soundbox appears with no front bezel, the diaphragm exposed. I don't know if it was supplied this way, or if they removed the bezel for the images... Si yours could be a no8 with bezel. The no9 as you said looks different, the bezel is different and the diaphragm too. No8 send to have a black metal diaphragm with a prominent conical dome in the center, while the diaphragm of the no9 is the well known aluminium plated diaphragm with concentric corrugations anda smaller round dome in the center, and all around the plane edge it has the transversal corrugations in form of a C letter: CCCCCCCC... , as used in the following Viva tonal soundboxes.
Percy Wilson's book from 1929 has a page devoted to photos of the different Columbia soundboxes, if I remember well.... Yes, here it is. He gives but one number to the no6 soundbox, the rest are identified for the year of launching. Here I believe is the no7 And here I suspect are the no8 (as yours) and no9

Thank you Inigo for these most interesting and useful information, as well for taking the time to compensate my blameworthy lack of specific documentation about gramophones!
Have a nice evening.
Paolo