The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Please forgive my ignorance in advance.

When Edison cylinder phonographs were originally sold, was the customer able to decide what type of horn they wanted? Morning glory, cygnet, etc.?

I have an Edison Home without a horn and would really like to find a cygnet horn if possible.

Again, ignorance is bliss

Any advice would be much appreciated!!

The cygnet would have been offered, but at additional cost. Be aware these are expensive. I have seen two of them at auction in the last year and each brought about $250. You will also need a back bracket and crane which will add at least $100 to that cost. If your machine has 4 holes drilled into the back of the cabinet it may have had a cygnet horn at one time.

Anyone have an opinion if Cygnet horns have better sound than a morning glory horn?

A Cygnet should sound the same as a straight morning glory horn. Which model Home do you have? Is it 2&4 minute? To be historically correct I believe you would find a Cygnet on only a 2&4 minute or 4 minute only machine and not on a two minute only machine. There is multitude of colorful after market horns that were available to Edison owners. Perhaps one of those would fit your needs so don't limit yourself to only Edison products. Jerry Blais

Cygnet horns came about as a way to reduce the space that a phonograph required. By putting the horn above the phonograph instead of in front of it, it became much less cumbersome. But the sound quality is really no different from a crane-supported morning glory horn.

My machine is a 2/4 minute Home. I know it's not always desirable, but are there reproduction cygnet horns and cranes that would be less expensive?

sq4wonder wrote:My machine is a 2/4 minute Home. I know it's not always desirable, but are there reproduction cygnet horns and cranes that would be less expensive?

Sq4wonder, an important factor to me would be whether your phonograph already has the holes drilled in the back to mount a cygnet. If not, I would not do it. I'd opt for one of the many straight horn options as suggested by Jerry. If you really want a phono with a cygnet, there are many out there already set up for it.

Reproduction cygnet horns are typically more than the $250 I quoted. This is just the price I saw at auction. Keep in mind I have only seen two at auction in a few years, but you might get lucky. The plus side of the repro is you won't have to hunt or wait, but you will pay for that convienence.

The morning glory horns are much easier to find and typically go for less than $100 if you don't want a specific type. You might pay slightly more for an Edison product or one with a snazzy paint job. The morning glory crane does not require the kind of modifications to the cabinet necessary for the cygnet horn. There are reproduction cranes for both types, and unlike the horn, they tend to be cheaper than buying an original part at auction.

If your machine is not currently drilled for a cygnet mount I would recommend the morning glory unless you have your heart set on one.

When it comes to horns, like anything else in this hobby, condition is everything. I've examined hundreds of horns over the years, and there are very few that I would consider worth owning. Many are plagued by dents, scratches, rust or amateurish repaints. Many of the nicest horns have already been mated to machines. It took me several years to find a really nice original MG horn for my Edison Gem, and it wasn't cheap. I don't know about the condition of the $250 Cygnet horns, but if they were in good to excellent condition, I would consider that a bargain price.

AZ* wrote: I don't know about the condition of the $250 Cygnet horns, but if they were in good to excellent condition, I would consider that a bargain price.

As would I! I paid $425 for a nice one (a black No.10) a couple of years ago and was happy to get it.

George P.