The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

https://peoria.craigslist.org/atq/d/ant ... 85303.html

Good, bad or ugly?

Thanks,

Jerry

Post at least one photo please.

A Viva-Tonal table Grafonola in a case styled like the earlier ones. With a properly rebuilt soundbox it could be excellent, like a small Orthophonic. I'd say a good buy at that price.

Non original arm, it should have the Columbia reflex arm, I have heard a couple in real life and with the proper arm and soundbox I think they sound better than a HMV 130.

$100 Is cheap though so weigh up the pros and cons.

Hope this helped

12jslater wrote:Non original arm, it should have the Columbia reflex arm, I have heard a couple in real life and with the proper arm and soundbox I think they sound better than a HMV 130.

$100 Is cheap though so weigh up the pros and cons.

Hope this helped

It might be the original arm- this is an American made machine & they didn't use the Plano-Reflex arms. If it is a replacement (which is possible) it is the correct soundbox.

There is frustratingly little material available in print or online about Columbia's internal horn machines.

The UK version would be the "Small Table Grand", either the No.117 (c.1926) with the one piece pot metal tonearm or the later No.117a (c.1929) with the Plano-Reflex already mentioned. If the tonearm is a non standard replacement, I suspect that this machine is the earlier model whose pot metal tonearm got broken.

The reason why there is so little information on UK Columbia machines is that after the 1931 merger to form EMI, the HMV archives were preserved but Columbia's were not.

estott wrote:It might be the original arm- this is an American made machine & they didn't use the Plano-Reflex arms. If it is a replacement (which is possible) it is the correct soundbox.

There is frustratingly little material available in print or online about Columbia's internal horn machines.

If you click on the image, then right click it, and then click "View Image" you'll see a larger version. It's barely visible, but you can see "Made in England" across the top of the banner decal:
OF

epigramophone wrote:The UK version would be the "Small Table Grand", either the No.117 (c.1926) with the one piece pot metal tonearm or the later No.117a (c.1929) with the Plano-Reflex already mentioned. If the tonearm is a non standard replacement, I suspect that this machine is the earlier model whose pot metal tonearm got broken.

The reason why there is so little information on UK Columbia machines is that after the 1931 merger to form EMI, the HMV archives were preserved but Columbia's were not.

it states it is a 117a , and it looks like a Garrard motor base so is a UK not USA machine , so tone arm is a replacement , still worth $100 though

I have a 117a, proper Plano-reflex tonearm and no. 9 soundbox, and with the bifurcated metal horn, though small, it sounds very good indeed.