The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everyone,
I was offered this Columbia electric phonograph and I’m wondering if these are good performers? The cabinet seems to be in very good shape and he stated that it works. For $800 I really would like a good player.

Any ideas?
Kirk

I'd it one of those Renaissance or Gothic models? It seems to lack the back panel

I know nothing about it sorry. I think you are correct about having a back...

Kirk

As long as it is complete I wouldn't worry too much about it being a great player. $800 for any art cabinet sounds like an awesome deal to me.

Andreas

Period Grafonola 1917-1919 era. Probably a $700 or so machine. Who cares if it's a "good player". If you want a good player get an iPad. What are you waiting for?

Valecnik wrote:Period Grafonola 1917-1919 era. Probably a $700 or so machine. Who cares if it's a "good player". If you want a good player get an iPad. What are you waiting for?

DEATH to the Infidel!!!

A Columbia Grafonola carries a very large diaphragm and some precise pivots on the needle bar that can, IF and only IF you get it rebuilt, give it a sound approaching that of a very high-end Victrola. I had a 1915 Oxford hornless, truly a cheap-and-nasty Sears Roebuck special, that had one of those reproducers. It sounded amazing. Had it a proper horn inside a la Victrola XIV, it would have been a phonograph of superior excellence.

Go ahead & get it! That's a great cabinet and it just happens to have a high-grade, name-brand reproducer. And an electric motor too? Perfection--no more grinding away with a hand-crank to get the thing started. Columbia acoustic 78s have a nice bass sound that works really well on Columbia equipment, so I hope you can get this and squeeze the maximum out of those records if you have any.

A fabulous looking cabinet, and the tone-arm and motor/turntable appear to be authentic Columbia. Yet, for a high end phonograph, one would reasonably expect it to be gold plated, or at least gold tone. Cheers, Russie

Snag it!

Run and get it!!