The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

What in the world is this little machine? Removed from a suitcase style player, or perhaps an oddly shaped child’s machine?

It's a most economic form of gramophone. Several brands made this model.

Looks like a re-painted Madison phonograph --
SEE -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmTolwFPwDU

OrthoFan

OrthoFan wrote:Looks like a re-painted Madison phonograph --

Capture.JPG

SEE -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmTolwFPwDU

OrthoFan

Great, thanks! Now that I know what it is, I can google away. I’d like to buy this little guy, I just don’t want to overpay. Thanks so much.

Edit. Well there certainly isn’t much info out there on this machine. Any idea what the body/horn is made from? I’m wondering what is under the black paint.

Ugh, It's 40 bucks on raleigh NC facebook marketplace

Yeah I’m gonna go for it. Hopefully it plays ok.

Psychophonic wrote:.... Well there certainly isn’t much info out there on this machine. Any idea what the body/horn is made from? I’m wondering what is under the black paint.

No, not much, but I did find this ad in the 1922 edition of the Talking Machine World -- SEE: https://archive.org/details/talkingmach ... /page/n163
OrthoFan

OrthoFan wrote:

Psychophonic wrote:.... Well there certainly isn’t much info out there on this machine. Any idea what the body/horn is made from? I’m wondering what is under the black paint.

No, not much, but I did find this ad in the 1922 edition of the Talking Machine World -- SEE: https://archive.org/details/talkingmach ... /page/n163

Madison Phonograph.jpg

OrthoFan

Thanks. It’s very cool looking. I’m picking it up tomorrow.

Well, I brought it home. It’s an interesting little thing. The housing is made of tin or something similar. It seems to work properly, as far as winding the motor and seeing the platter spin. There are at least a couple of issues. I’m a noob with these machines, so advice is welcome.

1. The platter spins a bit lopsided, similar to watching a warped LP spin.

2. The bigger problem. The reproducer. The bottom of the reproducer makes contact with the record surface before the needle can make contact. I see no way to rotate the reproducer.

3. Not sure if parts of the reproducer are missing or not. Looks incomplete compared to the Madison in the YouTube clip.

Update. I’ve got this machine working fairly well. Had to order a small flat-tip screwdriver with a long shaft in order to get to the set screw that holds the platter to the rotating shaft. It still has a minor warp/wobble when it spins, but it’s much better. I will continue to try and fine tune it.

As for the reproducer touching down on the record before the needle makes contact, I was able to back out both set screws and rotate reproducer slightly. I was then able to tighten one of the set screws to hold it in place. It’s a snug fit and it solved the problem.

I ran across some 1905-1910ish Victor records recently, so I’ve been playing a few as I test and tweak this little machine. Good times.