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I'm curious about Music Master wooden horns, particularly for disc phonographs. Were they all after-market, or did Music Master have arrangements with Victor and/or Columbia? Did they ever make mahogany horns, or just oak? Did they sometimes use spruce in these horns?

Music Master Cygnet horns were available as original equipment on Edison Phonographs. They were available in oak, mahogany, spruce, and inlaid mother-of-pearl.

I don't believe any Victors were offered with Music Master horns as original equipment.

Columbia typically offered horns by the Wooden Phonograph Horn Company of Syracuse, NY or "Truetone" horns from the General Phonograph Company, but some Disc Graphophones were equipped with oak or mahogany Music Master horns (marketed by Columbia as the "Symphony") as original equipment.

George P.

Thanks, George. A friend of mine is considering buying a Victor VI but he has concerns about the horn. He's admired the Music Master cygnet that I have with my Standard D (it's original to the machine), so I guess he thought I knew more about them than I do. He just sent me some pictures, which I've attached here. Aside from the condition of the horn (which looks more or less ok to me, but what do I know?), he thinks it's not mahogany, and I believe he is correct. I can't tell if it's oak, but the inside definitely looks like spruce. It seems an odd pairing with the machine, but it looks like it could be the original configuration, too. (Note the gold elbow.) Would a customer at a Victor dealer have had the opportunity to buy a Music Master horn there, or would they have had to go elsewhere? And if the latter was the case, could they have just left the Victor dealership with no horn at all? Why might someone have opted for a Music Master horn instead of a Victor horn? I don't think they're any nicer-looking or better-made. (But, again, what do I know?)

By the way, my Edison cygnet horn doesn't have that inlay ring.

I thought spruce was a Music Master thing, for sound quality...probably am wrong though.

The Victor VI looks legitimate to me. The whole outfit is dirty and appears to have been together for a long time. It does not appear to have been in the hands of a collector. Early Victor VIs had horns other than mahogany. Perhaps the original owner wanted to update the appearance of the machine and the Music Master horn was the best option. Maybe the original horn was damaged. If a similar Victor VI project was available to me, I'd be one happy guy.

Jerry Blais

Definitely spruce, and quite rare. It looks like it would clean up to be a fantastic original machine. The original owner evidently decided to upgrade with a high-end aftermarket horn. That's a great project.

Looks like a spruce horn to me.... possibly a period upgrade......much rarer than a mahogany spear point in my book.
Gregg

That Vic VI was on Facebook marketplace in Connecticut advertised as. “Victor Victrola” for $500!

JohnM wrote:That Vic VI was on Facebook marketplace in Connecticut advertised as. “Victor Victrola” for $500!

Yes, and my understanding was that it sold quickly.

I once had an earlier Victor VI with a mahogany Music Master horn. I bought it out of a house, and it had never been in the hands of a collector. Given the quick succession of original horn equipments offered with the first Victor VI, it's not surprising that some original owners pursued a Music Master - - especially if they didn't like the fiber horn, the early convex-petaled horn, or the brass-belled horn.

George P.

Odd that nobody mentions that the Spruce Music Master Horn itself is worth more than the Victor VI itself.

Rich Gordon