The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Orchorsol wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 2:58 pm It's a little like some of the banger racing crowd who race and destroy a great classic car which could be restored, seemingly just for oneupmanship and grim spectacle.

I used to love watching the banger races when I was a kid in the UK. Never seen anybody use a classic car though


I guess one of the worse parts about the internet is that any and every one can find a "group" that agrees with them on a subject and they can start their own internet club. Before, if you were into say killing frogs for pleasure you would have a hard time of finding like-minded people. Now I'm sure there is a killing frog's group on Facebook or twitter.

This is what the really snobby audiophile people think what we do to our records when we play them on an original machine, even when we only do them once for YouTube videos and use a fresh stylus, and have our soundboxes rebuilt!

It also makes me wonder what people here think about the destruction of fake gramophones/phonographs?

There is at least one YouTube video of one being burnt. These machines often do have 100% new parts nowadays, but they may have vintage parts which could be recovered.

Personally I try to fix the machines and make them work better ...

mrrgstuff wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 7:56 am It also makes me wonder what people here think about the destruction of fake gramophones/phonographs?

There is at least one YouTube video of one being burnt. These machines often do have 100% new parts nowadays, but they may have vintage parts which could be recovered.

Personally I try to fix the machines and make them work better ...

That's a different matter, surely. I have a couple of the typical Indian crapophones which I bought for next to nothing for precisely that purpose. Nothing significant will be lost. Must get round to it at some point!

mrrgstuff wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 7:56 am These machines often do have 100% new parts nowadays, but they may have vintage parts which could be recovered.

Personally I try to fix the machines and make them work better ...

"Waste not, want not" is a better direction. Even the crap-o-phone has decorative value, just make it non-functioning and you may make a few dollars.

James.

mrrgstuff wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 7:56 am It also makes me wonder what people here think about the destruction of fake gramophones/phonographs?

Interestingly enough, the latest episode of "Father Brown" which was broadcast last Monday on my local PBS station featured a Crap-O-Phone playing in a garden setting. The tonearm was positioned on the wrong side of the record in line with current BBC historic accuracy standards:
Suddenly, an irate neighbor rushed in and gave the Crap-O-Phone a good push with his foot. He was obviously irritated by the fact that they had ruined a perfectly good record...
...thus putting the poor thing out of its misery, so I can't say I was all that disgusted.

OF

it's rare... in other episodes (older ones are being broadcast in Spain too, in the Paramount channel) in father brown's kitchen office there is clearly an hmv 103/109 or similar... no images at hand now, but believe me there is one. The Eye of The Collector never fails to spot a gramophone...

I remember a movie from 1973 that had a scene of the main woman and a junk store owner and the woman comes across a machine and a stack of 78s, she asks the shop owner to play a record for her. And while the record was playing the shop owner tries to assault the woman and she pushes the guy into the table with the machine and 78s knocking them all onto the floor.

What a sad pathetic individual. May he and I never have the pleasure of meeting. Now, if this was a Crapophone I'd be able to understand it but an almost perfectly preserved Decca from 1926 in stitched case? What is wrong with people? Just give it to a charity shop if you don't want it. They can sell it for a pretty penny to an aspiring collector or simply someone who wants a gramophone for a bit of summer fun and who will, like the previous owner(s), preserve it and take good care of it. Everyone's a winner, douchebag.

This guy is horrible, he should not get access to any antiques!