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Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:30 am
by Meltrope3
Acoustic phono-nostalgia in the atomic age. About mid-1950s I'm guessing?
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/atq/4780602426.html
An electric pickup, record changer, knobs all over the case--and an ersatz morning glory horn!
I'm strangely drawn to this mass of contradictions...Whenever somebody sits down to the history of the crapophone, this beast will surely be in the first chapter.
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:21 am
by Phonofreak
No, this is not a crap-o-phone. This was made by a company called Guild.They made a series of novelty radios to mimic telephones, spice cabinets, treasure chests, and desks. This is an example to mimic a phonograph, which they called the Grafonola. It mimics a Columbia in an odd sort of way. It had a matching stand. It plays AM(I'm not sure about FM). It plays 3 speeds of records, LP, 45, and 78. In decent operating condition, they are quite collectible. The Guild company made these radios in the mid 50's.
Harvey Kravitz
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:16 am
by Meltrope3
What fun! An imaginative blend of cutting-edge technology with nostalgic retro styling. And too functional, and too well made, to be considered a crapophone, I agree.
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:18 am
by Meltrope3
Come to think of it, a collector friend here in Austin has a phonograph disguised as a treasure chest...I'd say very likely that it's another Guild product.
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 8:05 am
by De Soto Frank
Hmmmm.... sometimes the line between "whimsy" and "crapophone" gets a little blurry...
( Actually, maybe not... this Guild machine was never intended to deceive anyone... the crap-o-phones we see all over the inter-webs are not so innocent... )
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:30 am
by alang
Meltrope3 wrote:Come to think of it, a collector friend here in Austin has a phonograph disguised as a treasure chest...I'd say very likely that it's another Guild product.
Not sure exactly what your friend has, but there was a kid's phonograph in the 1930s that was inside a treasure chest. Long before Guild I think.
Andreas
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:38 am
by Meltrope3
Here's a photo of the Guild Grafonola with its matching stand. Somebody got a deal on this one, whether it works or not.
https://www.ebth.com/items/1209891-the- ... et-speaker
And here's a video of one in action. These definitely look like well made machines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwCZ-4Yovv4
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:44 pm
by De Soto Frank
I wonder if they had to pay a license fee to Columbia to use the "Grafonola" name ?
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:44 pm
by spin78's
Apparently Desilu studios had one. I remember seeing it on the later "I Love Lucy" shows, and also on several "Here's Lucy" shows.
Re: Could this be the earliest crapophone in history?
Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:55 am
by Torjazzer
Actually they aren't as bad as one might suppose. They are actually quite well made and an honest homage, although a decidedly kitschy one. I would have and display one as an inside joke to other collectors of the real thing.
One of these showed up in a bland waste of time called The Artist. Set in the late 1920s to early 1930s, it featured a scene wherein the main character listened to his 33rpm vinyl LPs on this model of turntable. It was one of many inaccuracies in the film. Naturally, it won an armful of awards. And then Jesus wept and killed a puppy.