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What was the original horn for the graphophone AT? All Columbias had an aluminum horn right?
-Nick

Victrolaboy wrote:What was the original horn for the graphophone AT? All Columbias had an aluminum horn right?
-Nick

Not all Columbias had an aluminum horn, but to the best of my knowledge the AT did.

George P.

Thank you George! And it was a 10 or 14 inch horn? I've heard that the 14 inch horn like on an Edison is too heavy and the machine won't play.
-Nick

14 inch Aluminum horn for the AT. They are much lighter than any non-aluminum horn, and work great on an AT. You can easily use an aluminum horn on even a Columbia Q, because of the light weight. I just purchased a late Q, which has the original horn, and sticker on inside of lid which reads "QA with 14" Alum horn." It was $10.75 originally, and I am happy to have a wonderful all original machine with the original horn that has been with it for well over 100 years! Good luck with your AT. I really like that machine, especially the ones with the fancy cabinet and lid (has columns on the sides of the cabinet). Hope you have a brass trunion instead of a pot metal one too!!

Mike

gsphonos wrote:14 inch Aluminum horn for the AT. They are much lighter than any non-aluminum horn, and work great on an AT. You can easily use an aluminum horn on even a Columbia Q, because of the light weight. I just purchased a late Q, which has the original horn, and sticker on inside of lid which reads "QA with 14" Alum horn." It was $10.75 originally, and I am happy to have a wonderful all original machine with the original horn that has been with it for well over 100 years! Good luck with your AT. I really like that machine, especially the ones with the fancy cabinet and lid (has columns on the sides of the cabinet). Hope you have a brass trunion instead of a pot metal one too!!

Mike

Mike,
My AT had a pot metal trunnion and my friend Jean-Paul Agnard in Quebec Canada just finished rebuilding it for me because I couldn't get it off the lead screw tube myself. He said he had to break the original trunnion tube off because it just wouldn't move it was so bad. He did a fantastic job with the entire new trunnion. Only thing, I've already spent a couple hundred dollars on this machine and I still don't have a horn or a reproducer.
-Nick

Nick,

I'm glad Jean-Paul could help--he does some great work! For the reproducer, the one offered by JAS Antiques on eBay for $100 bucks would work great on the machine. It is a good reproduction reproducer which would work great if you can't find an original. Glad you have the pot metal problem out of the way. You can use a smaller horn, or, if you have an all brass or black and brass Edison horn it will work. As long as the motor is running well, and the reproducer carriage, or trunion, is working correctly, you should have no problem using one of those heavier horns. I actually didn't mention this before, but on my AT I have a 14 inch all brass horn, which looks great and works fine (even with my original pot metal trunion). I have another AT that gave me some problems with playback while using the heavier horn. So, you may or may not be fine with a horn you might already have. Also, I don't know if you have a craft store called Michael's in your state....I am in California. At Michael's, they sell a 14 inch paper mache cone, at Halloween for making the top part of a witches hat, and at Christmas time for a Christmas tree. They are around 3 bucks total. I have 2 right now I am getting ready to make into horns. I had a friend that did this already. Just put on a brass fitting from the hardware store, glued it on the end, painted the horn black, and then added the gold stripe--like an original GEM horn might have had, and you have a cheap reproduction horn that will look great (depending on your painting ability!) and work very well with the lighter weight. A repro aluminum horn can be 75 to 100 bucks, whereas a black and brass 14 inch horn may be found for half that price. Good luck! Post some pictures when you get it up and running! You will be happy with it, I am sure!

Mike

I'm not quite sure when Columbia introduced the aluminum horns: the early As and ATs may have had a 14" flared tin horn as standard equipment...

Bill

Here is a picture from an original 1898 instruction catalog for a Columbia AT. By the way, I believe the "T" stood for "Twin" or "Tandem" (can't find the original ad at the moment to remember which) signifying it had two springs, distinguishing it from the regular A with only one spring.

It appears to me that the AT is pictured with an aluminum horn.

Shawn

gsphonos wrote:Nick,

I'm glad Jean-Paul could help--he does some great work! For the reproducer, the one offered by JAS Antiques on eBay for $100 bucks would work great on the machine. It is a good reproduction reproducer which would work great if you can't find an original. Glad you have the pot metal problem out of the way. You can use a smaller horn, or, if you have an all brass or black and brass Edison horn it will work. As long as the motor is running well, and the reproducer carriage, or trunion, is working correctly, you should have no problem using one of those heavier horns. I actually didn't mention this before, but on my AT I have a 14 inch all brass horn, which looks great and works fine (even with my original pot metal trunion). I have another AT that gave me some problems with playback while using the heavier horn. So, you may or may not be fine with a horn you might already have. Also, I don't know if you have a craft store called Michael's in your state....I am in California. At Michael's, they sell a 14 inch paper mache cone, at Halloween for making the top part of a witches hat, and at Christmas time for a Christmas tree. They are around 3 bucks total. I have 2 right now I am getting ready to make into horns. I had a friend that did this already. Just put on a brass fitting from the hardware store, glued it on the end, painted the horn black, and then added the gold stripe--like an original GEM horn might have had, and you have a cheap reproduction horn that will look great (depending on your painting ability!) and work very well with the lighter weight. A repro aluminum horn can be 75 to 100 bucks, whereas a black and brass 14 inch horn may be found for half that price. Good luck! Post some pictures when you get it up and running! You will be happy with it, I am sure!

Mike

Mike,
That's a great idea to use a paper funnel from Michael's. I've made horns using a copper fitting out of a transmission funnel from Wal-Mart. They work really well and I'm using one for my Edison triumph phonograph while I'm repainting the morning glory horn. Yes I've seen those paper funnels at Michael's but I've never tried to make a horn out of it. When I saw one I thought the exact same thing you said about painting it black with a gold stripe and it would look just like the Gem horn.
-Nick