The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I spent an evening last Sunday with a friend & his wife shortly after they moved into a townhouse, after selling their large home. They are in their mid 60s, still working, & enjoying their now smaller "empty nest". My friend wanted my opinion on his Sonora, as he knows I'm a "78 era junkie" who owns twelve wind-ups & a few thousand records. Experienced I am, but an expert I'm not:) He bought this Sonora Baby Grand about 15 years ago when they lived near Philadelphia. The price was $75 then, due to the broken grille. The machines plays decently for one that's not had a lick of work done to it since my friend has owned it. The reproducer is a little harsh & needs a rebuild, the motor is quiet & steady but should be regreased. At first my friend wanted to know what the value of it was, thinking to sell it off. I have a good grasp of most common Victrola values, but about Sonora I know nothing. Since he has about 70+ records & it does function, I convinced him to keep it & gave him tips on the cleaning & using Howard's Restor-a-Finish, Feed & Wax, etc. He will do that himself. He also has the nice Sonora catalog, an original era record brush, a few needle tins, & the inspection card issued when the unit left the factory-all pointing to holding on to this neat machine. It seems to be in the middle of the line, not the cheapest model nor the best. But there's the grille problem. Any ideas as to get this one either repaired or fabricated? It's easy to remove, there's a release knob(spring loaded) that facilitates removal. My Edison C-250 is easy too, just lift up & remove the grille out of the groove.

I'll be interested in the replies concerning your SONORA. I too have a baby grand, guess its a baby grand, it sure is not small. I also have no clue when it was produced. My serial number is 198482. Hope somebody can provide a date. Cheers

My best guess to date the machine is from the mid to late teens. Is the catalog dated? The curved Sonoras are beautiful machines but a damaged grill is a big detraction. I once talked to a woodworker that suggested buying mahogany plywood, removing the inside layer of veneer which would make it easier to warp to the desired shape. Jerry Blais

Well, since the decal says that Sonora won an award in 1915 it can't any older than that. I also wouldn't date it much after 1920, just by gut feeling mostly.

Check with George Vollema for a grill. I wouldn't be surprised if he had one.

The serial on mine is 360969. The plaque is on the underside of the lid, but mine does not have a decal. However, mine looks like it was refinished years ago, so the decal may have been lost then. The newest patent date on it is 1917, so I would assume it probably dates to about 1918-1919 or so. As JerryVan said, I would probably date it to 1920 at the latest.