The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just when you think you have seen everything :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152569505256? ... EBIDX%3AIT

It's a Dulcephone... of course...

Those photos are from the UK eBay listing. I'm suspicious that that the soundbox does not go with the horn attachment. The soundbox, although in good shape, looks to have been around the block more than once, whereas the horn looks shiny and new. Of course that may simply reflect the seller's cleaning of the object.

By the way, I have a Plaza Kompact portable camera box phonograph. The tone arm easily accepts Victor Exhibition and No. 2 soundboxes. In another post on this Forum, someone found that the Exhibition rubber flange easily fit on the back of the Dulcephone. My point here being the fact that the Dulcephone soundbox fits neatly on the horn attachment shown in the listing does not confirm that the two are original to each other.

Anyway, the Dulcephone soundboxes that I am familiar with are found on Decca portables, so-called "Trench portables" because Decca marketed them to the British soldiers on the front lines during WWI. These machines are interesting because a metallic disk-shaped horn that reflects the sound is mounted in the lid, from the center of which comes the tonearm.

Well, there is plenty that I do not know, which makes the study of these early machines so fascinating. But if the soundbox and that horn are NOT original to each other, then on what machine was that horn attachment originally used? That would be very interesting to know.

Here is a typical advertisement from the period :

it's from the incredibly rare Kazoo-o-phone ........

..... also available in many colours !!

Gramtastic wrote:it's from the incredibly rare Kazoo-o-phone ........

That is so funny

So that's what all the buzz is about, marching kazoos.

Who knew these things were made near here in South Carolina...