The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Yesterday, while travelling for a completely different business, for the first time in my life I've met a floor-standing gramophone kept in a hotel hall, and it was where I least expected to see one, that is in a small town over the Alps: Exilles.

Behind the grille it appears to have a very large re-entrant horn, the central "fin" is somewhat visible also in picture. It was specifically made for the Italian market, as the writings on the speed dial say "lento" and "presto", in Italian. The grille closely remember that of the HMV 202 model, but the general shape of the cabinet looks different, and the soundbox doesn't look like an HMV either, perhaps more Columbia-style. There is no decal or brand anywhere, which I believe would be extremely unusual for an HMV machine, and Columbia alike. Does anyone recognize the brand/model? Or is it made with a mix & match of different makes? It is quite common for the few existing Italian gramophones to be made with generic parts; but in the case of a machine with such outstanding orthophonic interal horn I would be very surprised!

The soundbox is Swiss, I think Palliard or Thorens.

You're right: Thorens... Image taken from the internet:

The cabinet was probably made by or for a furniture retailer and fitted with bought in mechanical components, what we in the UK call an "assembled" gramophone. As has already been pointed out, the soundbox is a Thorens Primaphonic, widely sold to the gramophone trade.

Many machines were made with cabinets which look like those of HMV Re-Entrants, but most have very ordinary single piece horns. It would be interesting to see what lies behind the grille, but I doubt that the hotel would agree to anyone removing it for inspection.

epigramophone wrote: Many machines were made with cabinets which look like those of HMV Re-Entrants, but most have very ordinary single piece horns. It would be interesting to see what lies behind the grille, but I doubt that the hotel would agree to anyone removing it for inspection.

I very much suspect that the sound tube splits and there are two horns behind the grille- at a quick glance it would look like a folded horn