The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here is something that appeared in a UK auction. Anyone know what it is?. To me it looks like an add on.

Thats very interesting . I wonder how the arm moves without resistance ?

Well it's on ebay now with lots of extra pictures.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-ANTIQUE- ... Swj2dXkMjH

The horn is a common Peacock horn with the outer flare cut off.

The whole thing looks authentic enough- the product of some home tinkerer. Definitely a motor & parts switch but it might have been done in the past. I like the detail of the padding inside the motor compartment to muffle sound.

Yes the horn and chain attachment look crude. The tonearm slide mechanism looks very interesting and very well built but with no feed screw and the drag, I imagine this would ruin records. I can see it with a Wilson horn.

It's now for sale on Ebay (starting at £500)- item 381709649002. I have seen another "in the flesh" and it was very similar but not identical. I think it was something where you bought the additional parts and added them to an existing horn gramophone as an "upgrade" hence the surplus holes in the machine in question. I guess the quality of the finished job was down to the skill of the amateur who fitted the parts. It would be interesting to see an advert for whoever sold the conversion kit !

I am disappointed. Initially I had imagined it to be a gear driven feedscrew arrangement somehow connected to the motor, not some odd historical cobble-job. Oh well...

A museum pice that needs to be preserved non the less .
It depends how much resistance there is on the tube .If there were bearings some sort it may be better ?

If you "really" want one, it would not be difficult to make. Just take the backmount off of your Victor VI or Eldridge Johnson machine and replace it with a homemade wooden mount. Cut the U off the tonearm (or unscrew it) and fasten it to a piece of brass tube. Get the next size brass tube to insert the tonearm/reproducer and insert that into the wood mount... voila!!!

This information is for speculative purposes only.... please do not try this at home.