The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I went looking for records today and I went to the coop that I haven't been to in a while they had a box no sleeves 78's poor condition but I found about 8 that I might be able to play. After a couple of phone calls to get a price I was told it was a lot including a machine I said wheres the machine it turned out to be a Pathé but it was antiqued (yikes!) including the horn! and there was a single sided Victor on the platter ( Yikes again )the stylus ruined the motor wouldn't crank so I said sorry but later so sad I would have bought it if it was cheap enough but not with that finish too much work and the motor needed to be fixed didn't not even ask the price because I got the feeling it going to be a lot
so sad
Dwight

That's a shame. I've seen too many antique stores who think all phonographs are rare and valuable. I know of one that has had a VV-XI that someone had painted white sitting in the same spot for over a decade. The price? Only $700! It seems like the worse condition a phono is in, the higher the price at those places.

I have a Pathéphone VII upright.

It's not a very impressive machine, and the motor is a puny Heinemann.

Also, the cabinets were decorated with glued-on carvings ( depending on the model ), which tend to fall-off if the machine has been kept in the damp.

DON'T spend a lot of money on one.

As far as my experience goes, an external horn Pathé` or an Actuelle (big paper cone reproducer) are the only ones worth spending much money on...

For the same $, you'd be better-off investing in a Columbia, Victor, or Brunswick...


Just my 2-cents-worth.

De Soto Frank wrote:I have a Pathéphone VII upright.

It's not a very impressive machine, and the motor is a puny Heinemann.

Also, the cabinets were decorated with glued-on carvings ( depending on the model ), which tend to fall-off if the machine has been kept in the damp.

DON'T spend a lot of money on one.

As far as my experience goes, an external horn Pathé` or an Actuelle (big paper cone reproducer) are the only ones worth spending much money on...

For the same $, you'd be better-off investing in a Columbia, Victor, or Brunswick...




Just my 2-cents-worth.

I actually wasn't going to invest in this one unless it was dirt cheap or free I already have an Edison a150 Amberola 30 and Victor vV xIa machines which pretty much covers my needs as far playing my records and Pathé really doesn't interest me. I brought them up to snuff and they play very nicely. I just happened across this machine My main interest is collecting records now to listen to and good copies that sound good. I have all the equipment I need to play them. I just think it's sad what people have done to phonographs like ie antiquing or painting which kind of ruins it. You would think that people who deal in antiques would know this even if they know nothing about phonographs. So it all started today with looking for records not another machine of which I only found 1 good one at a thrift for a buck Mario Lanza "Ole sole mio" First Mario Lanza I have come across
Dwight

I feel a little guilty being so hard on the Pathéphone, but I've invested a fair amount of time and effort in trying to get mine to play decently, but without much success... and to be honest, the model VII that I have pales in comparison to machines by Columbia, Edison, Brunswick, or Victor.

You'll see all sorts of injustices visited upon old phonographs...

Eventually you'll see "high-boy" cabinets ( Jacobean ) that have had their legs amputated, and other "improvements"...

De Soto Frank wrote:I feel a little guilty being so hard on the Pathéphone, but I've invested a fair amount of time and effort in trying to get mine to play decently, but without much success... and to be honest, the model VII that I have pales in comparison to machines by Columbia, Edison, Brunswick, or Victor.

You'll see all sorts of injustices visited upon old phonographs...

Eventually you'll see "high-boy" cabinets ( Jacobean ) that have had their legs amputated, and other "improvements"...

well it's like anything else old they become junk before they become valuable again. I understand my a150 people would cut the legs to make it a table top machine The dump near my parents house use to separate stuff and I use to go there with my father when I was 10-12 (MID 1960'S) and there would 10-20 radio phonographs from the 30's up to 1950's no one wanted them and threw them out I use to bring 1 or 2 home play with them or strip the tubes and bring them home, I found an Atwater Kent radio with horn speaker there once. They were all just junk then so people would butcher them. My father turned an antique radio cabinet into a fish tank once. Very pretty but the radio was junked and so it goes oh yes I forgot they use to burn and bury on Saturday aft. and night every week
Dwight

De Soto Frank wrote:I have a Pathéphone VII upright.

It's not a very impressive machine, and the motor is a puny Heinemann.

Also, the cabinets were decorated with glued-on carvings ( depending on the model ), which tend to fall-off if the machine has been kept in the damp.

DON'T spend a lot of money on one.

As far as my experience goes, an external horn Pathé` or an Actuelle (big paper cone reproducer) are the only ones worth spending much money on...

For the same $, you'd be better-off investing in a Columbia, Victor, or Brunswick...


Just my 2-cents-worth.

I agree, the Pathé' machines seem to be cheaply made. I am not sure if the Heinemann was really a "puny" motor? But I would like to hear some opinions on Heinemann motors, as it seems they show up in the majority of "off-brand" machines.

Victrolacollector wrote:

De Soto Frank wrote:I have a Pathéphone VII upright.

It's not a very impressive machine, and the motor is a puny Heinemann.

Also, the cabinets were decorated with glued-on carvings ( depending on the model ), which tend to fall-off if the machine has been kept in the damp.

DON'T spend a lot of money on one.

As far as my experience goes, an external horn Pathé` or an Actuelle (big paper cone reproducer) are the only ones worth spending much money on...

For the same $, you'd be better-off investing in a Columbia, Victor, or Brunswick...


Just my 2-cents-worth.

I agree, the Pathé' machines seem to be cheaply made. I am not sure if the Heinemann was really a "puny" motor? But I would like to hear some opinions on Heinemann motors, as it seems they show up in the majority of "off-brand" machines.

Many of the "off brand", or as I call them "independent" machines used Heinemann motors. They had ads in TMW for years and apparently a lot of the smaller manufacturers bought their hardware. As for quality, I would call them average. The most noticeable observation I've made is it seems like they run a little noisier than Victors or Columbias of similar vintage even after restoration. I wouldn't necessarily call them puny, though. At least not much different than any other two-spring motor.

zenith82 wrote:

Victrolacollector wrote:

De Soto Frank wrote:I have a Pathéphone VII upright.

It's not a very impressive machine, and the motor is a puny Heinemann.

Also, the cabinets were decorated with glued-on carvings ( depending on the model ), which tend to fall-off if the machine has been kept in the damp.

DON'T spend a lot of money on one.

As far as my experience goes, an external horn Pathé` or an Actuelle (big paper cone reproducer) are the only ones worth spending much money on...

For the same $, you'd be better-off investing in a Columbia, Victor, or Brunswick...


Just my 2-cents-worth.

I agree, the Pathé' machines seem to be cheaply made. I am not sure if the Heinemann was really a "puny" motor? But I would like to hear some opinions on Heinemann motors, as it seems they show up in the majority of "off-brand" machines.

Many of the "off brand", or as I call them "independent" machines used Heinemann motors. They had ads in TMW for years and apparently a lot of the smaller manufacturers bought their hardware. As for quality, I would call them average. The most noticeable observation I've made is it seems like they run a little noisier than Victors or Columbias of similar vintage even after restoration. I wouldn't necessarily call them puny, though. At least not much different than any other two-spring motor.

Then perhaps the Victrola two-spring motor is the equivalent of a steroid-pumped weight-lifter ?

When I go my first Columbia upright this fall, I was surprised by how small the spring barrels are on the 2-spring motor. I still think it is a better-built motor than the 2-spring Heinemann in my Pathéphone VII.

De Soto Frank wrote: Then perhaps the Victrola two-spring motor is the equivalent of a steroid-pumped weight-lifter ?

When I go my first Columbia upright this fall, I was surprised by how small the spring barrels are on the 2-spring motor. I still think it is a better-built motor than the 2-spring Heinemann in my Pathéphone VII.

The Victor is one of the best two-spring motors out there in my opinion. I haven't been able to tell much difference in my two-spring Columbia versus two-spring Heinemann motors, both of which I would call average quality in terms of performance, though I would agree that most of Columbia's parts appear to be engineered and cast better than Heinemann's. The one good thing about the Heinemann motors is they are very plentiful since they were sold separate from any phonograph and many independents used them. You can often pick up extras cheap for parts.

My Silvertone (Saal) two-spring seems to be more powerful than the Columbia and the Heinemanns. I can't speak for Edison, as I've never owned any of his machines.