The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here's a great looking late Sonora- wish it was closer to me:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Sonora-THE- ... 1|294%3A50

Obviously intended to compare to the Credenza- has anyone heard one of these to comment?

BTW- the seller is also offering a 2 door electric Credenza.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Victor-Credenza-X-P ... 1503427749

That credenza looks amazing and with that low seriel number on it as well! Out of curiosiy is that the original sound box on it.

BTW I couldn't get the link above to work for the Credenza..so try this one instead: Very nice credenza

I wonder at which seriel number they changed to the off set turntable. Also was that at the same time they changes to four doors?

You can certainly see the similarity between the two machines...both are very nice. It will be ineresting to see how high they go

RJ

The Sonora model was called the Philharmonic and it sold for $315. It probably dates from late 1927, about the time the public was losing interest in acoustical phonographs.

BTW, did anybody notice that the electric Cradenza the same seller has listed has a crank on the side?

BTW, did anybody notice that the electric Cradenza the same seller has listed has a crank on the side?



That crank must be for the magneto to generate the power for the electric turntable

Well, since we're pointing flaws out, it should also have a brass reproducer (the one on it is a later portable type) and the escutcheon is incorrect.

Sean

The changed reproducer shouldn't be a huge thing, but I completely missed the crank on the side! Something peculiar is going on here.

Leaving aside the superior sound of the Credenza I like the Sonora cabinet better.

I asked the dealer about the crank & here is his reply:
"Hello, I believe that Victor still left the hole on the side when they first started making early electric models. The crank is just stuck in the side and not connected to anything. It was that way when I bought it so I just left it there. Probably just because the previous owners liked the look of a crank in the side??"

What I think is that someone has taken the top works of an electric credenza and dropped them into a spring wound cabinet- maybe some collector who wanted the 2 door look but hated winding the motor?

(OK- I've been informed, the seller is fairly correct, Victor used cabinets with plugged holes for some early examples, seems someone decided to add a crank)

I owned an example of that Sonora years ago (with an electric motor drive!). It sounded...really lame, but the cabinet was pretty. I also owned a Columbia 800 (as well as several other ortho-faux-nics). The gist of which was that no other acoustic machine of that era in the US compared to the genuine Victor 8-30 (Credenza).

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