The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Turn up when least expected.

This example of the vanishingly rare Ideal self-supporting aluminum horn turned up on the East Side of Cleveland, which makes sense,as they were made in that city.

The damage appears to be recent. I suppose that the talents of a Duffy or a Micamonster would be needed to put it right.

I feel rather like the dog that caught the school bus...

Incredible find!

Jerry

I've never seen one of those before, for a regular cylinder phonograph?

kirtley2012 wrote:I've never seen one of those before, for a regular cylinder phonograph?

Yes. It is very light and extremely well balanced. It rides on the reproducer without any other support. This design puts less strain on the mechanism than an ordinary 14" witches hat, and sounds quite as good as a large cygnet.

Very cool, though I would be very worried about it tipping to either side, I'd be bound to knock it

kirtley2012 wrote:Very cool, though I would be very worried about it tipping to either side, I'd be bound to knock it

The unit is well designed, and fasted firmly to the reproduced neck with a pointed grub screw.

An amazing find! Congratulations!

Best,
Fran

Incredible find!

Another forum member suggested that a bit more information would be meet, go here goes something for nothing:

The Ideal horn was designed by Louis Devineau, the same fellow who came up with the even more vanishingly rare "Biophone" attachment, which would ostensibly allow one to play disc records on a cylinder phonograph.

The Biophone was problematic. The owner of the only known complete example (one of the most experienced and knowledgeable members of this forum, by the way) has reported that the device could be at best be described as marginally successful from a mechanical standpoint.

Not so with the Ideal horn. Feather light, perfectly balanced, carefully formed, and large enough to offer truly satisfactory reproduction, on its merits it should have taken the industry by storm.

Another of the most esteemed and expert members of this group once posted a photo of his example installed on a Columbia machine. It would be a good mate to the Lyric reproduced. I suspect that the combination sounds quite as good as it looks.