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Imagine you walked in a room and saw three horns all in excellent mint like condition. You are told you can have all three horns if you do the following. Identify which one is the original horn, identify which one was made by Gfell and which one was made by Eduardo. How would you do this.

krkey1 wrote:Imagine you walked in a room and saw three horns all in excellent mint like condition. You are told you can have all three horns if you do the following. Identify which one is the original horn, identify which one was made by Gfell and which one was made by Eduardo. How would you do this.

Postem up and let me win is how I would do this.

Any idea on how to do this

krkey1 wrote:Any idea on how to do this

I'd likely SWAG it... but I might be able to tell by the finish and the grain. If they were all Victor horns the original should have patent dates stamped into the metal neck AFAIK.

gramophone-georg wrote:

krkey1 wrote:Any idea on how to do this

I'd likely SWAG it... but I might be able to tell by the finish and the grain. If they were all Victor horns the original should have patent dates stamped into the metal neck AFAIK.

Not always true

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 52#p182052

I could do it on the Edison cygnet bells. Not sure on the off-brands...

Valecnik wrote:I could do it on the Edison cygnet bells. Not sure on the off-brands...

How?

Hard to fake the smell of 100 year old wood.

I've seen the counterexample of your challenge: a fellow collector bought in Germany some three brand-new peacock horns (used in German machines and named so because of the patterns on the horn petals that resemble a peacock feather), still wrapped in wax paper. Their painting was so nice, immaculate and bright that it looked fake, especially if installed on a gramophone. A repainted horn - if the repainting were done some years ago - would look a much better match to an old gramophone. Same as the new horns you mention: some years from their manufacturing they will look as fitting or better than any original horn, and therefore their differences, if noticeable, would be irrelevant to the collector.

CarlosV wrote:I've seen the counterexample of your challenge: a fellow collector bought in Germany some three brand-new peacock horns (used in German machines and named so because of the patterns on the horn petals that resemble a peacock feather), still wrapped in wax paper. Their painting was so nice, immaculate and bright that it looked fake, especially if installed on a gramophone. A repainted horn - if the repainting were done some years ago - would look a much better match to an old gramophone. Same as the new horns you mention: some years from their manufacturing they will look as fitting or better than any original horn, and therefore their differences, if noticeable, would be irrelevant to the collector.

That is the ultra rare exception. I have handled mint condition original civil war guns before, but that doesn't mean it is the norm.

You are not speaking for all collectors you are really just speaking for yourself. I know other collectors who will absolutely want to know if a wood horn is original, an Eduardo or a Gfell. So what not gather up the knowledge to tell these collectors. It doesn't hurt none purist such as yourself and it helps purist such as me. There is no down side to this unless you want to misrepresent horn and or machines.