The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have stumbled across an Aeolean Vocalion Gradoula at a local moving sale. I have not seen it in person yet, but the owner says it in working condition.

Specifically, it still has the "remote control volume adjust" attachment.

It is the 7th phonograph down on: (listed as sold for $450)
http://www.misterphonograph.com/sold4.htm

Right now I am leaning towards NOT buying this machine just due to lack of space and finances. Would anyone argue against that... or be interested in this machine yourself?

Thanks for your time!

I bought Graduola cabinet at local auction for $25, it is totally complete EXCEPT for the motor, motor board, and platter.

I kind of like the lines of the cabinet and am searching for the missing items.

$450 seems high to me, but, it comes downs to what you like and what you want to pay for it.

Anyone have the missing items I am looking for????

$450 was what matt brown's sold for, right? dean didn't say how much the guy was asking for the one that he is considering buying... to that end, if it's like matt's $450 one, which appears to be in mahogany, unless it's in really excellent shape and has been perfectly restored by someone who knows what he's doing (as such services have a value), then that price may be a little steep. I've had the same one in mahogany and oak, and they were clean and functional, and I think I sold them each for $300 or less... I also had a slightly larger, more extravagant oak one, again totally clean and functional, reproducer rebuilt, etc., that I sold for about $400, or a little more. all of those had the "remote" volume control. I actually have a really nice aeolian now that I can't seem to sell... it's oversized, a bit larger than a VV-XVI, in a walnut, fairly ornate jacobean style cabinet... also has volume control, but not by the "remote." I've been trying to get closer to a thousand for that one, in part given the condition and rarity, as well as the fact that the machine itself is in fabrizio's book discovering antique phonographs, but so far have only had a couple of people interested (both ended up buying something more "traditional").

I'd say $450 for that machine was pretty stiff. Aside from the Graduola (a nifty device) it's just a very plain mahogany upright.

estott wrote:I'd say $450 for that machine was pretty stiff. Aside from the Graduola (a nifty device) it's just a very plain mahogany upright.

Yah, I agree w/you.

If it's working properly (check the tone arm for pot metal problems) and looks nice it's probably good at a couple hundred.

The first machine I ever had contact with was an Aeolean Vocalion which my grandmother played in the basement. It had been her fathers machine. I was always fascinated by the pull out volume control. It was in retrospect a table top model on a matching lower cabinet. Its been gone since a neighbor broke the spring way back in the 50's. A friend of mine found a very neat looking compact oak table Aeolean and it sounds super for its size. If I had the chance to get another I might consider it. They don't turn up much around here. Although I did see a listing for one at a sale in a few weeks, but no photo so have no idea what it is? I may check it out, even though I am in the reducing the machines mood again.

Larry

Vocalion made some very nice upmarket machines, and some very plain ones too. The sound is maybe a little above average for this type of phono on the ones I've owned & heard, but the biggest problem on all of them are the tonearms. The arm itself has two very small loops of potmetal that a pin goes through to hold it to the base flange. Also, the join between the arm and flange are by no means a good seal.
These are VERY easily broken because they're so small and have very little body around them for support. If you do buy it, you MUST remove the tonearm from the motorboard before transporting it, or there's 99% chance you'll get home to find a loop has broken off.
I think they're a good machine to add to a collection due to the graduola volume control & the push-button set semi-auto brake, but unless it's a high end model, I wouldn't go spending a fortune on one.

I have a typical upright Aeolean-Vocalion in a very nice mahoganey finish cabinet complete with a working Graduola pull out volume control. I bought it about 15 years ago at an auction for about $125.00, and I have had so much fun with it over the years during tours of my phonograph collection. I introduce it as the World's first Remote Volume control, and folks scratch their heads in disbelief and wonder if I have lost my mind, since of course their is no electricity or visible remote device, and the machine is all mechanical. Then I put on a nice early jazz number by the California Ramblers, let it play for awhile and then grab the little knob for the graduola device and proceed to pull out the cord out to its entire length and when I have reached the end, slowly begin to pull out the knob, thus gradually reducing the volume lower and lower and lower. The folks are spell bound and absolutely amazed and yet amused at the same time by the simplicity of the technical aspect of the volume control !! if the graduola is working and in nice shape, I would say try to pick up for a couple hundred or so, over the years you will have so much fun with it, and you can't put a price on that.

I was just going to comment about one of these machines that I’d found moments ago while searching Craigslist (of which Brian had posted photos)—I’d thought fleetingly that it was ironic that I found the same machine (while not looking for it), before I realized that it was his listing.

(Brian, if you’d like, I’ll quote the listing inline or link it, if it hasn’t sold already.)

From the pictures (which can be seen in his post above), it’s a handsome machine in walnut.

— MordEth