The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

anticipation
yeah, you know that feeling one of your future treasures is on the way but it isn't there just yet!
my treasure will come on coming Sunday and, I just can't wait!!.
as for the machine...
it is quite possibly a 1914,15 polyphon German trench portable (before they made the Decca knock-off)....or is it?....
the suspense of it!

but this isn't about me but about you guys so,...

do you also have this anticipation of a phonograph that has not arrived yet but is on its way or did you have in this type of anticipation in the past? tino (the caveman) van der zwan

When I bought my first Edison machine (Standard model A) at the age of about twelve, I was so overwrought the night before receiving it that I had the worst nightmare I have ever experienced. (The content had nothing to do with the phonograph; it was based on visions of putrefying flesh, as I remember.) That was more than fifty years ago; my passions are all spent now.

I shall be interested to learn how and where the sound emerges from the Polyphon, if that is what it is. Perhaps there is a grille on one side or even at the back.

Oliver Mundy.

The goose-neck tonearm suggests that the machine is no earlier than about 1918, otherwise it would have contravened the Victor/HMV patent on the design, which expired at about that time.

tinovanderzwan wrote:yeah, you know that feeling one of your future treasures is on the way but it isn't there just yet!

I do have the same feeling and will have to wait a few weeks before I get the "treasure" my brother in law found in a flea market...
I just have a pic of this peculiar and rare Odeon portable so it's a bit frustating!
Jeff

wow a odeon bauhaus that thing has been on my bucketlist since forever!
great find jeff!

tino

epigramophone wrote:The goose-neck tonearm suggests that the machine is no earlier than about 1918, otherwise it would have contravened the Victor/HMV patent on the design, which expired at about that time.

you are probably forgetting that Germany didn't give a "#$%! for those petty rules in 1914-18 it was war
also, the American sue crazy attitude dit not really exist in Europe and 3rd I think polyphon was part of the Deutsche Grammophon actien Gesellschaft many of the record releases share matrixes with dgag so in that light polyphon was basically HMV note the Musica GD on both labels

and last
didn't the tapering tonearm patents expire in 1910?

tino

tinovanderzwan wrote:wow a odeon bauhaus that thing has been on my bucketlist since forever!
great find jeff!

tino

Me too! I believe it's the same machine from this scene of Shanghai Express (1932) with Dietrich and Anna Mae Wong.

CharliePhono wrote:

tinovanderzwan wrote:wow a odeon bauhaus that thing has been on my bucketlist since forever!
great find jeff!

tino

Me too! I believe it's the same machine seen in this scene of Shanghai Express with Dietrich and Anna Mae Wong.

and that machine was Marlene Dietrich's own pink odeon Bauhaus!
I think it's in a museum now at least that is what I heard a long time ago
pretty neat and I've pictures of it and it was really darn pink!

tino

tinovanderzwan wrote:

epigramophone wrote:The goose-neck tonearm suggests that the machine is no earlier than about 1918, otherwise it would have contravened the Victor/HMV patent on the design, which expired at about that time.

you are probably forgetting that Germany didn't give a "#$%! for those petty rules in 1914-18 it was war
also, the American sue crazy attitude dit not really exist in Europe and 3rd I think polyphon was part of the Deutsche Grammophon actien Gesellschaft many of the record releases share matrixes with dgag so in that light polyphon was basically HMV

Polyphon_16554_DGA175_23387 (1).jpg

Image1237.gif

note the Musica GD on both labels

and last
didn't the tapering tonearm patents expire in 1910?

tino

You are wrong on almost every point.

Firstly, it has yet to be established that your machine is German, let alone by Polyphon.

Secondly, it was not until 21st April 1917 that the Deutsche Grammophon Actien Gessellschaft was sold by public tender to Polyphon.

Thirdly, the tapered tonearm goose-neck patent did not expire in 1910. Victor were still successfully defending this patent as late as 1920.

epigramophone wrote:

tinovanderzwan wrote:

epigramophone wrote:The goose-neck tonearm suggests that the machine is no earlier than about 1918, otherwise it would have contravened the Victor/HMV patent on the design, which expired at about that time.

you are probably forgetting that Germany didn't give a "#$%! for those petty rules in 1914-18 it was war
also, the American sue crazy attitude dit not really exist in Europe and 3rd I think polyphon was part of the Deutsche Grammophon actien Gesellschaft many of the record releases share matrixes with dgag so in that light polyphon was basically HMV

Polyphon_16554_DGA175_23387 (1).jpg

Image1237.gif

note the Musica GD on both labels

and last
didn't the tapering tonearm patents expire in 1910?

tino

You are wrong on almost every point.

Firstly, it has yet to be established that your machine is German, let alone by Polyphon.

Secondly, it was not until 21st April 1917 that the Deutsche Grammophon Actien Gessellschaft was sold by public tender to Polyphon.

Thirdly, the tapered tonearm goose-neck patent did not expire in 1910. Victor were still successfully defending this patent as late as 1920.

it is in!!
and yes it's a polyphon it is German and it's early probably around 1919 - 1922
it's also huge!! about the size(and weight!) of a regular tabletop gramophone!
I made a video for my youtube channel sadly after that my cam died so no photographs yet

I will be posting photo's as soon as my cam is full of juice



tino