The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Yesterday I visited my local thrift shop on the edge of my town(Owego,NY)and I saw a cute little upright Aeolian Vocalion machine.Unfortunately.someone,I believe back in the '50's had "improved" it!It was modernized with a shoddy electric motor,tonearm,turntable,and speaker.Was I disgusted!! I know when then did this butchering it knocked the value of it way down!I told the clerk about this.I hope they realized this.Does anyone have an Aeolian-Vocalion like the one I saw?edisonplayer

Of course without pictures......how can anyone answer the question.??. They made many models... . given your description.....not worth the trouble.

I just grabbed a Vocalion yesterday. Someone "attached" a VV lid crudely onto it. I saw this on the back of my machine so I took their address down and thinking I'll turn them in! I wonder if there's an award? My quest to find the correct lid has just begun. Notice the strip of wood under/over my upside down pictures!!! DammittGary!

Now I remember about that Aeolian Vocalion.It seems it was a FULL upright where some dingdong had cut off the upper half,threw it away,saved the lid,tossed the original works,THEN put that cheap-o modern(for,I think the 1950's)electric equipment.There was no crank escutcheon on the side of the cabinet,so it was a cut-down job.Where the speaker is was where the record compartment was originally.I don't have a picture,unfortunately,but that what it looked like.As Jed Clampett would say,"Pitee-full!" edisonplayer PS;I have what used to be a beautiful oak Victrola XI where someone cut the top off and put a crappy piece of plywood on top.I still can use it as a record cabinet.

Yesterday I went up to the thrift store.The ruined Aeolian Vocalion was still there with a price of $50!!!That's TOO much!If it was complete it'd be a bargain.With the butchered state it's in I wouldn't give $5 for it! edisonplayer

Such butchery does happen all too often. I have the bottom half of what was once a nice oak Columbia F2. Someone cut out the upper section that contained the mechanism and attached the lid to the remaining lower half where records are stored. It does make a handsome side table and still has the pushbutton record storage system in the bottom, so I picked it up as the price was right.

Clay

I think,Clay,that the butchery job on the Aeolian-Vocalion was done back in the 1950's.People at the time,as you know,did'nt want the inside horn cabinet Victrolas,Aeolian-Vocalion,ect.In the 1970's and "80's people started getting interested.Then the prices started going up.I started collecting in 1975.edisonplayer

I went to the thrift store and I noticed someone had bought the butchered Aeolian Vocalion.If you don't know,you don't know.SAD! edisonplayer