The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I am offering a very nice oak Columbia Grafonola phonograph c.1917. This is a table top model with a beautiful quarter sawn oak cabinet. I replaced the springs, rebuilt the governor, rebuilt the tone arm, cleaned the cabinet, greased and oiled everything, and tuned it up. Plays loud and clear. It is ready to provide many more years of service. I will include your choice of 50 different 78 rpm records to go with it. Come see my shop in Castle Rock, WA (I-5 Exit 49).

Thanks! Cliff

Nice machine... good price... oak that pretty is hard to come by on those machines...

Looks too large to ship.

briankeith wrote:Looks too large to ship.

I am reluctant to ship, but it could be done. Shipping cost would be significant, figure $100 or more via Priority Mail to the east coast, less the further west shipped.

It was black when I got it, I initially thought it was mahogany, but a little bit of cleaning revealed a lovely oak surface. Too pretty to leave it that way, so I cleaned it all up.

Cliff

I just had a machine (slightly bigger) shipped from Canada - FedEx. The seller double boxed it with 6" peanuts surrounding the inner box that was also very large to start with. My wife though I bought a recliner chair the box was that large!! It cost me $120.00 but was well worth it to me Zero damage to the phonograph or the box. I stay away from UPS. I always use FedEx insured.

Here is a video of this machine playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r9cFX2j7F8

CDBPDX wrote:

briankeith wrote:Looks too large to ship.

I am reluctant to ship, but it could be done. Shipping cost would be significant, figure $100 or more via Priority Mail to the east coast, less the further west shipped.

It was black when I got it, I initially thought it was mahogany, but a little bit of cleaning revealed a lovely oak surface. Too pretty to leave it that way, so I cleaned it all up.

Cliff

Don't forget Greyhound. I use them to ship things like transmissions and cylinder heads, and I would not hesitate to use them for a phono. Just box it well and keep in mind it needs to go terminal to terminal only, but the shipping savings is quite significant and they are FAST! They also do not seem to be gorillas like UPS.

Very nicely restored machine, Cliff. Glad you replaced that pesky, broken pot metal elbow with a good one. One thing that I am curious with this machine. When you look at the Grafonola decal, Does it say C-1 or C-2? The model C came after the model 35. C-1 is Mahogany, and C-2 is oak. Or visa-versa. I can never remember which is which. Also, is there a label on the bottom of the case? Machines of that era have a WWI tax stamp on the bottom that adds to the history.
Harvey Kravitz

I think that's a really nice example of a sort- of- common machine at a really great price.

I don't mean to "diss" the machine as "common" or "beneath us". What I am getting at is that a restoration like this really makes one reconsider picking up and detailing a machine like this that one would likely just pass by without the benefit of this inspiration.

I'm glad you saved it! Wanna do one for me? I'll ship it up!

If it helps Cliff, I will bring it to Union or APS for the cost of a chocolate malt and lunch.

Jerry Blais