The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

You ever feel compelled to rescue a machine? I had a bit of that with this one.
It's strange to find 2 rare machines both locally to me, one right after another, I'd found the red Gem locally, then I'd seen this only a couple of miles away from me, I got it because the previous owner was moving house and couldn't bring it with them, I got worried when they said 'I've bought a pack of needles, but I've only used one so far', those poor records!, luckily I don't think it was used very often.

These cliftophones are identifiable by their unusual tonearm/soundbox arrangement, and it also has a very unusual diaphragm, quite an ornate cabinet, reminds me of a diamond disc cabinet, I still hold hope of finding one of them someday.

I haven't played with it much yet, I may end up selling it on, but it'll be fun to play with it, might even do a comparison with the Expert Junior, it does sound quite good! for what it is

That decal and the decorative reproducer & tone arm, coupled with the vintage-style cabinet, just made the most British-looking thing I have seen all day.

Now I want tea, and it's almost ten o'clock at night. Way to go, Kirtley...

(No, seriously, what a beautiful phonograph! I'd keep it. If I had room. Or you could give it to your girlfriend before you get married...tell her that in your family the man brings a reverse dowry of rare gramophones.)

Is that crank the original? It does stick out a long way.

Another good find! The Cliftophone was a quality machine, whose sole sales agents were the prestigious Chappell Piano Company of Bond Street, London.

Chappell's also held the UK agency for Brunswick records, which were labelled Brunswick-Cliftophone.

Well done Alex! I have a real soft spot for Cliftophones which links right back to my first falling in love with old gramophones as a small boy. My grandparents' collection of 78s included some great 1920s jazz on the Brunswick Cliftophone label, things like the Cotton Pickers and hot Gene Rodemich records, and they were some of my favourites even then! So the name has held a certain magic ever since.

I too have a large ornate cabinet Cliftophone - will upload photos when I can. As well as the fascinating tonearm & soundbox (incidentally there are several different variations of diaphragm) that transfer/decal under the lid is just gorgeous, isn't it? My cabinet machine doesn't have it but I used to have a tabletop that did.

Well I cannot click like so have to say I like this machine. So nice to see most original parts. Very nice indeed. Neil

Sorry, false trial to post...

Slightly OT, but I cannot say but this...
You Britishers have a very good luck indeed. Your country is full of astonishing machines that are for sale for less than a hundred pounds. I wish I could say the same for Spain... Here people always think that any off-brand tatty portable is worth 200 €, nothing to say of the many horn frankenphones that are priced over 500 € or more, having a mixture of parts, both original and 'oxidized' new brass horns. This fact, together with the real thing, which is that here we had many gramophone makers that made Gramophones out of assembled European motors and hardware inside Spanish made wooden cases, make it very difficult to distinguish an all original machine from a modernly assembled frankenphone. Only the mystery can be solved of any the parts is Columbia, HMV or similar top brand; the presence of such elements is a tell-tale of frankenphone. But neither this is full percent true, for the Spanish hmv models were somewhat different from the international ones, and only strict detailed comparison with original Spanish HMV catalogues can unveil the truth. Majority of Spanish Gramophones have ended on the hands of antique dealers, and many of them feel tempted to make Demi-restoration works, mix or interchange parts toa full working machine out of others, etc. Once I knew one dealer that stated a certain HMV 130 was all original. You'd to see it...! Neither the motor nor the soundbox were hmv. The simple suggestion by my side of an incorrect soundbox made the man so angry with me that I had to leave the place in a hurry, under risk of being kicked out by the man and his grumpy sons...! What a people...!

No point in asking my son and daughter-in-law's Spanish au pair to look out for gramophones on her visits home then .

When she last came to visit with the family, she was so fascinated by my Expert Minor that she filmed it on her phone and sent it to her mother back in Spain. The record played for her benefit was "Carceleras", sung by the incomparable Conchita Supervia. It is a pity that many of her Spanish songs were never released in the UK, but at least we have them on Ward Marston's excellent CD transfers.

I also want to praise this find and gramophone. It looks very British to me, and I love to see the photos of it.
My mind actually takes me on a mind travel to Genesis..and their song.."The Musical Box"
Maybe I should play the song "Musical Box" on one of my gramophones, it really belongs on an old style gramophone, if I can adjust
it to play 33 rpm;) It would probably ruin a record, but the heck...it would be worth it.

nostalgia wrote:I also want to praise this find and gramophone. It looks very British to me, and I love to see the photos of it.
My mind actually takes me on a mind travel to Genesis..and their song.."The Musical Box"
Maybe I should play the song "Musical Box" on one of my gramophones, it really belongs on an old style gramophone, if I can adjust
it to play 33 rpm;) It would probably ruin a record, but the heck...it would be worth it.

Maybe we should commission Don Wilson to make us a 78 of it, ha ha! Now, where would we put the end of side 1? You and I are not the only members here who love early Genesis, nostalgia