The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello

There is a Mastercraft phonograph listed on the Yorktown CL. It's a
console, but I like the lines, and it's listed at 175.00. I've tried to
show the CL listing, and keep messing it up....one of those nights....
Would really appreciate any input.

Thanks so much, Pat

There was a time starting in the very early 1920's, when the Victor, Columbia and Edison patents expired that hundreds, if not thousands of independent brands started popping up. Almost every department store, hardware store or furniture store could have its very own brand of record player, made by many furniture and other manufacturers. Generally speaking these machines were built cheaply, to be sold at a profit for less than the main brand-name machines. They often used "generic" parts and cheap single-spring motors, even though they were in largish cabinets. Their worth today is very little unless they are in extremely good shape, or have unique features of some sort.

Here is an ad, currently for sale on eBay. Unfortunately the resolution of the pic is not high enough to let you clearly see the text. At least at wholesale, looks like they were pretty inexpensive machines. Nice cabinets, though.

Clay

It might be worth $175 if the finish is in decent shape and there are no major mechanical issues. Many of these 20's consoles are attractive- people were looking for a piece of furniture and often the function was secondary.

Thanks so much for the input, I really respect your opinions' on this board.
I think I'll go and see it, if it works as well as they say amd the cabinet
looks nice or at least fixable, it may have to follow me home!

Many thanks, Pat

I used to have a MasterCraft. Was not very fancy but in beautiful conditon and played great. I sold it about 6 months ago. Many of the off brands a really neat. I have once called the Louis and it is a sweetheart of a machine. Hope you were able to get the machine...

Thanks Duchman, the seller is an awesome lady and has been kind enough to hold it for me. She's even including record albums. I have only one day off a week right now. I'll post pictures when I get it. Thanks again.

Pat

Holding it for you, great. Many of the off-brands are really neat. I have 55+ machines mostly major brand stuff but some of my favorites are the less popular machines like Brooks repeating victrola, Apollo - if I recall the Apollo I had (sold it to make room) was covered with alligator naughide (sp), Silvertones, Standards, etc. Just make sure everything is present when you purchase these machines. Many of the parts on the off-brand machines are made of a metal called "unobtainium"

Phototone wrote:There was a time starting in the very early 1920's, when the Victor, Columbia and Edison patents expired that hundreds, if not thousands of independent brands started popping up. Almost every department store, hardware store or furniture store could have its very own brand of record player, made by many furniture and other manufacturers. Generally speaking these machines were built cheaply, to be sold at a profit for less than the main brand-name machines. They often used "generic" parts and cheap single-spring motors, even though they were in largish cabinets. Their worth today is very little unless they are in extremely good shape, or have unique features of some sort.

It was the Victor patents that prevented many companies from entering the lateral disc market. The most fundamental patents began to expire in 1916-1917.