The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I'm trying to find a motor for my Columbia AH. The problem is I keep seeing motors listed on Ebay and the such, and no one seems to know what type of machine the motor has come out of. I do not know what an AH motor looks like or any marks/makers to look for. Any help on what to look for or even some pictures would be helpful. What would be more helpful is if you have one to sell.
Thanks!
Charles

It depends what era AH you're talking about. I can think of at least 3 possibilities of motors you could have. Can you post a photo of your AH?

Here are three pictures of it. Obviously it is currently not correct in many ways. I hope to restore it so it is. Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.

It does seem a bit odd: the case is from the second model (1903), with the centered crank, and a hole for the side mounted speed control.

However, on the motor board, there appears to be a top mounted control knob, as in the earliest model. Could the case and motor board be from different machines?

Bill

That top mount speed control is wrong. Harvey will chime in later but it is wrong. Its not like my early AH is anyway. The crank is in the wrong place. It should be closer to one end and not in the center.

Larry

Larry and Bill, you are both right. This is a "reproduced" motor board with a motor from an early internal horn machine with one spring. This is why I'm looking for the correct motor so I can restore it properly. Although it is historically incorrect it does play nice and the single spring motor makes it through one entire record!! Anyhow, I really appreciate the feedback.
P.S. the decal has always looked crooked to me.

You have a beautiful cabinet. First generation phono collectors turned their noses up at both Columbia cylinder and disc machines. The Columbia cylinder machines frequently suffered from pot metal issues. The Columbia disc motors were not thought as robust as Victor motors. What many collectors failed to appreciate were the beautiful cabinets. I would like to suggest that the color of your cabinet is too blond. It needs more color. The decal stands out as a less than desirable reproduction. I would like to gently suggest that you refinish the case and purchase a Gregg Cline replacement decal. Your restoration goal should be to give your machine an authentic look. Currently it looks refinished. I say this with the best intentions. Jerry Blais

Here is a picture of the very first Columbia AH, demonstrating what Larry was taking about. The lid latch is in the center, with the crank hole more towards the rear. The case at the center of discussion on this thread would appear to the the second style of Columbia AH.

Shawn

Thanks Jerry B. the more info I can get the better job I hope i'll do. Also, thanks for the info about where to get a good decal! do you know if he has the decal that goes on the cabinet next to the arm support?

Yes, I see the in-accuracies of this machine. It looks like the case was modified to fit the later motor. The decal is wrong. It should say Disc Graphophone like the picture Shawn provided. The arm and support is for the later AH from about 1905. This can be restored. Fortunately, this isn't the off center crank one. Parts for those are extremely tough to find. It took me many years to get the right parts for my early off center crank AH. Some of these used leather elbows and some used the brass elbow. The horn is 21" long with an 11" bell. The motor on this one is a 2 spring motor with a push-pull speed control. The turn table is the thin cast iron 10" one. On the earlier machines, the turn table is Aluminum, or pot metal. The reproducers on these had the 1886 markings. They either had a thumbscrew or the spring loaded needle bar clamp. You can eventually find these parts on ebay, or maybe a forum member might have them. I might be able to help you with the correct arms and reproducer. If you are interested, PM me. Best of luck,
Harvey Kravitz