The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Got a great deal on a off brander "Starr" for $65. The cabinet and grill is nearly mint condition, however it
has been refinished at one time. I was actually suspicious after I bought it due to the new looking finish
and thought it may be some kind of Chinese fake knock off. lol. After a little research online I found that
this is a real brand that actually had national distribution and competed with Victor. The tone arm is some kind
of chop job with a Victor no 2 reproducer. The Swiss made motor is quite strong with a good spring. I stuffed some
grease in the barrels since they are "bumping" quite a bit. I am ordering an original Starr tone arm, crank handle,
and reproducer shortly.

Not a whole lot to tell about the phonograph itself as they are fairly typical of the generic machines made after Victor's patents expired in 1917. I certainly would agree with estott's comments in his post in the other thread. 'Starr' phonographs -- as you probably already know -- were produced by the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana. Probably the most interesting thing about the Starr Piano Company is that it was owned and operated by the Gennett family, and the company also produced 'Gennett' records -- noted for recording a number of early black musicians who were otherwise not recorded by the larger companies, or not until later in their careers.

If you visit Richmond, many of the StarrPiCo buildings still stand in the old industrial area of town known as 'the gorge' which lies below the business district on the banks of the Wabash River. Up on the main drag, the Gennett mansion is occupied by the local historical society. There is a modest exhibit and a bookstore/giftshop operated by the Starr-Gennett Foundation housed within a large furniture store in one of the old industrial buildings in the gorge area. http://www.starrgennett.org A very pleasant and interesting place to spend half a day should you ever go.

I'm afraid I deleted my post in the other thread, but the gist is that the machines tend to have plain but very well finished cabinets, the only weak point being the pot metal tone arms which are usually damaged.

Gennett records are valued for their early jazz sides but most of the company's product was undistinguished- and unfortunately most of the records were badly recorded. Their lack of quality is a striking contrast to the machines.

Thanks for the great info gentlemen! There always seems to be an interesting history
behind each brand and how they came about.