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I've been told these are much more impressive than they appear: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orchorsol-Gramo ... 3a80b5ab98

I hope the turntable's not revolving!. The needle won't be doing the record any good like that

clevelander wrote:I hope the turntable's not revolving!. The needle won't be doing the record any good like that

Well, at least the record is just a red-label Columbia!

Great machines, some unusual design features, great sound. I have a similar cabinet model and a portable. Oddly shaped wooden tonearm with (on the large model) spring counterbalancing. Excellent little soundbox with a complex-looking (but actually simple) adjustable 'lifebelt' mounting system - but the slender clamp ring which compresses the rubber lengthways is pot metal, beware!

At one time in the 1920s (I forget the year) Orchorsol beat EMG in competition, but before EMG's larger designs came into being. Great fullness/richness/detail/presence to the tone, but not that much bass extension (the horn, although large, is not folded).

I wonder just how much the seller expects to get for it? Aside from the interesting details of the arm and horn it has an undistinguished cabinet which appears to have some issues. As with most UK cabinet machines encountered here in the states it probably arrived in a container lot of mixed old rubbish to be sold as Antiques. I've seen stalls selling undersized Royal Marine tunics, old RAB regalia, used cricket balls, warped shooting sticks, stoneware jam pots Etc. An occasional gem turns up - I found a very nice silver plate toast rack which had been used on a "Ducal Line" steamship.

estott wrote:I wonder just how much the seller expects to get for it? Aside from the interesting details of the arm and horn it has an undistinguished cabinet which appears to have some issues.

Yes, a plain cabinet (especially by US standards I guess) and ungainly proportions to accommodate that large, long horn - and the interior is slightly bizarre with the turntable so far back and off-centre.

The legs of mine are a bolder design without the barley-twist sections, but otherwise it's pretty much identical.

From the looks of it I'm guessing it is late 20's - possibly early 30's - and looks a bit like a radio.

I think I have the exact same machine, though as the seller hasn't quoted any dimensions, it's hard to be sure.

When adjusted, the springs on the tonearm seem to work quite well. I like the "different" layout inside with the turntable set far back. The motorboard (and possibly cabinet) on the eBay example seem to have suffered damp or something. I'd want to see what it looks like under the motor board.

The sound on mine is disappointing, and I'm fairly sure it's due to the tone arm on mine not being 100% airtight. It's on my long "things to do" list, mostly because I want to get some age-appropriate wood glue, rather than the "stronger than wood itself" stuff I use for general DIY + repairs.

I also have an Orchorsol portable (exact same sound box) and that has a very nice sound on some records. It's no HMV 102 (or even 101), but it has its own character and to my ears it's a nice character! It's better designed than most non-HMV portables, and plays late 20s / early 30s electrically recorded discs very nicely.

AFAICT Orchorsol gramophones are not especially wanted or respected over here. I think mine cost £60 from eBay in London (i.e. in the largest/best market for these things), and the gent selling it had lost money on it. Off-brand cabinet gramophones just don't sell well on eBay as a rule.

You could say the cabinet is boring - I think it's even austere - but in a "clean" kind of way. It's not as tall as you might expect. I've also seen a mahogony model which looked (and sounded) beautiful - but if it wasn't for the woodworm holding hands it would have fallen apart, so I didn't buy that one. Maybe one day.

Cheers,
David.

AFAICT Orchorsol gramophones are not especially wanted or respected over here

This is certainly true! But can you tell me what is 'wanted' or respected over here beyond Edison and (misunderstood) EMG's? Most collectors I've encountered, nay ALL collectors I've encountered, are primarily interested in cylinder machines, small ones at that, and Edison's especially. Few collectors here bother with much else. You get those collectors who buy portables and HMV is popular amongst the main brands BUT there are very few serious 'HMV collectors' in the UK - and by that I mean collectors who seriously collect just HMV stuff including all the horn models. I can only think of one person I know.

Stuff like Orchorsol tends to be evaluated more by the (cough, cough) EMG cognescenti who study and worship at the altar of "The Gramophone" and like to make comparisons between different English makers that existed in that post-WW1 boom period and whose virtues were extolled by that illustrious magazine. The problem is they also tend to believe a lot of what was written 90 years ago like it was literally The Bible. Quite a few general collectors aspire to own an EMG but never will unless they find one cheap. IOW, they never will! So Orchorsol's drop off the radar like a lot of English "off-branded" machines. Sometimes that is a great shame and sometimes it hardly matters at all.

estott wrote:I wonder just how much the seller expects to get for it? Aside from the interesting details of the arm and horn it has an undistinguished cabinet which appears to have some issues. As with most UK cabinet machines encountered here in the states it probably arrived in a container lot of mixed old rubbish to be sold as Antiques. I've seen stalls selling undersized Royal Marine tunics, old RAB regalia, used cricket balls, warped shooting sticks, stoneware jam pots Etc. An occasional gem turns up - I found a very nice silver plate toast rack which had been used on a "Ducal Line" steamship.

I like the looks of this machine, and would consider bidding, but the seller hasn't written me back as to weather it works or not. Also, they indicate that shipping to my address would be only 55.00, hard to believe. The cabinet is attractive to me, and the design intriguing, hope I hear from them