The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

You will be VERY hard pressed to find a machine such as this that has LITERALLY been restored down to its very last nut and bolt. The details of this machine will absolute astound you, so sit back, and prepare to be amazed. For reasons beyond my comprehension, the previous owner of this machine had it completely restored as you would a Rolls Royce. This machine is generally worth $375-$475 in Good to VeryGood condition. The value of the restoration job is between $500-$600 alone! This included the complete stripping and refinishing of the oak cabinetry, and complete stripping and nickel plating of ALL metal parts. Read that again......ALL METAL PARTS. This includes the crank, turntable, tone arm, needle cups, brake, speed control, crank escutcheon, lid hinges, and ALL SCREWS AND WASHERS. (read that all again, I am not kidding you, this was LITERALLY brought back to factory-new condition). All metal parts shine as new with a new nickel finish. One would think that this little machine was NOT worth all the trouble, but obviously SOMEONE DID! I have expertly adjusted the reproducer to play beautifully (a task for which I am well known). The Sonora has a very handy volume control device on the left side of the cabinet. Simply pull the knob OUT until the right playing volume is achieved. Excellent for small apartments, or for when you don't want to yell across the room to company when the machine is playing. The motor has been completely gone through and lubricated. It runs whisper silent, and AS NEW. I took additional pictures of the area under the motor board to emphasize the level of perfection that has been achieved here. Everything, literally, EVERYTHING has been cleaned and perfected. It plays like a champ, too! The double-spring motor that Sonora installed in this machine is of European origin, and displays mechanical characteristics of both French and Swiss phonograph motors. The motor runs beautifully, beyond my already high expectations. $350, located in Rochester, NY

Hi Micamonster-
Is this in Bisbee or N.Y.
Abe

Wyatt,

Just so you know, the Marque Deposee motor/trademark is Paillard.
Marque Deposee means Trademark submitted.

Having seen this machine "in the flesh" (or oak, as it were) before MicaMonster purchased it, I can definitely vouch for the quality of its restoration.

When this machine was being built Sonora was purchasing motors, tone arms, and reproducers from Palliard. Then mechanical parts used on these Sonora machines are similar to those used on the most expensive of the Maestrophone models.

for some reason, none of the photos are showing up. can that be corrected? or would you be able to email them to me?

thanks,

brian
brianu73 at hotmail.com

brianu wrote:for some reason, none of the photos are showing up. can that be corrected? or would you be able to email them to me?

Brian,

Those images display without any issues in this thread for me, but I went ahead and e-mailed them to you, in case Wyatt hasn’t already done so.

Is anyone else having the images fail to load or not display properly?

— MordEth

Photos didn't show up for me until after the third posting. They just now loaded for the first time.

my server was down today. happens every 6 months!

the pics are back. Abe was the first to stand up, so he gets it

W