Help - Brunswick El Paris

[CarlosV]

I bought a table top in Germany some time ago, it is a Brunswick Panatrope El Paris. The machine is not pristine but in pretty fair condition, see the photos, but it is missing the grille.

I suspect this machine is not very common, since I could not find any reference to it anywhere on the net, and never saw any other like it for sale. My particular machine has a dealer tag showing it was sold in Egypt (!).

As you will notice, the case of this machine is similar to the 105 model, which utilises the ultona tonearm. It is however larger than the 105 (I have one 105 as well), and the last photo shows the 105 grille (a spare one I have) in front of the machine, showing that it is clearly too small.

In case any of the forum members has one of these machines or has a catalogue image showing how its grille looks like, I would appreciate if he/she would post it. This machine is very nice, Brunswick motors are great and the soundbox is well built (it came with two of them, the other one is shown in one photo) and it will be worthwhile to complete it with a proper grille, even though its spruce horn looks very nice. If i find how the grille looks like I may be able to order a new one, I don't hold high hopes to find a spare one given the rarity of this machine.

Thanks in advance!

[Uncle Vanya]

This machine appears to be a common 105 factory fitted with an "Exponential Panatrope" tone arm. How interesting!

[Curt A]

I like it better without the grill...

[CarlosV]

This machine appears to be a common 105 factory fitted with an "Exponential Panatrope" tone arm. How interesting!

Its box has the same shape of the 105, but unfortunately it is larger. As I mentioned, I have a 105 and a spare grille, that is too small for this one. The 105 has also a volume control on is side, that this one does not have. For curiosity's sake, I'll measure the horns of each to compare. I could not place the mside by side yet, as they are in different houses (I'm in the process of moving).

Another oddity is its name, "El Paris". I suppose to keep in line with the Cortez and other Spanish names with which Brunswick baptized their panatropes. But "El Paris"? Why not "El Madrid"?

A further mistery (to me at least) is its serial number, it is not credible that 300,000 of these were manufactured, so it must be a code starting with 300,000 or something like that.

[CarlosV]

This machine appears to be a common 105 factory fitted with an "Exponential Panatrope" tone arm. How interesting!

Its box has the same shape of the 105, but unfortunately it is larger, about 1 inch wider and deeper. As I mentioned, I have a 105 and a spare grille, that is too small for this one. The 105 has also a volume control on is side, that this one does not have. For curiosity's sake, I'll measure the horns of each to compare. I could not place the mside by side yet, as they are in different houses (I'm in the process of moving).

Another oddity is its name, "El Paris". I suppose to keep in line with the Cortez and other Spanish names with which Brunswick baptized their panatropes. But "El Paris"? Why not "El Madrid"?

[dcastillo]

Hello. I am a collector from Chile, South America, and I've found some Brunswick "El Paris" around here. In fact I own one right now. For what I can see, I believe it was a "for export" model only to the Latin American market, not sold in the States (for that reason, I wonder how it made to Egypt!) As for the name, "El Paris", I deduce it makes reference to the importance France had for Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries as a reference culture to aspire to.

Regarding the grille, I've never seen one with the horn protection here, so I guess very likely it came without a grille.

[CarlosV]

Hello. I am a collector from Chile, South America, and I've found some Brunswick "El Paris" around here. In fact I own one right now. For what I can see, I believe it was a "for export" model only to the Latin American market, not sold in the States (for that reason, I wonder how it made to Egypt!) As for the name, "El Paris", I deduce it makes reference to the importance France had for Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries as a reference culture to aspire to.

Regarding the grille, I've never seen one with the horn protection here, so I guess very likely it came without a grille.

Thanks for reviving what I thought was a hopeless search! Certainly the El Paris model was not sold in the US, as no US Brunswick catalogue shows it. I am not aware of the reach of Brunswick outside the US: certainly the Brunswick records were all over, but machines outside the US are very scarce. Certainly it was sold in Egypt, given the dealer tag evidence. What makes me think that this machine has a grille is the fact that all Brunswick machines have one, and this particular one has the slots for the grill on top and bottom of the horn panel. It is interesting to find another owner of such machine, I am not alone! it is a nice machine, well made as Brunswicks are.

[dcastillo]

These Brunswick gramophones were very well-made and popular!

Here in Latin America, Victor, Brunswick and (arguably) Columbia were "the" brands by the late 1920's. Usually they exported the standard line of gramophones and records, but sometimes they also delivered "for export" only models, like this "El Paris", or a mahogany Victrola IX reffited with an Orthophonic soundbox, turntable and lid decal that I've found quite a few times.

Obviously, it has the slots for a grille, but I swear I have NEVER seen one of these around here, and I've seen more than a few "El Paris" Brunswick gramophones during my collecting years. I have not found a catalog, though, but in the case one will appear I'll post it to this thread.

[CarlosV]

Interesting photos and information, thanks! I know that in Brazil Brunswick gramophones are scarce, the market there was dominated by Lindstrom and later on Paillard, with Victor, Columbia and Edison presences among the US manufacturers.