The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all,
I’m going to see a Pathé Phonograph this weekend that is supposed to come with about 90 records-many are supposed to be Pathé.
In the pictures, the tonearm is missing, but they do have it. The thing that I’m curious of is, is the tone arm just supposed to lift out or could it mean that the tone arm is broken where it goes into the base? Thanks in advance.
Gerald.

Yes, it's broken. The tonearm should have a bar across the base with a pivot to attach it to the socket. I think it's pot metal and tends to break. I have a Pathé Model 100, my first phono as a matter of fact, that had the same problem; my father fixed it by making a wooden replacement for the broken attachment bar and somehow affixing it to the inside of the tonearm (I was in junior high school at the time and relied on his prodigious ability to fix things).

I would advise against spending too much for the machine. Much pleasure as mine has given me over the years, and decent sounding thing that it is, Pathé uprights seem to be in just about zero demand. As far as I can see, all the company's US "conventional" offerings were essentially the same half-cabinet design, just with different model badges slapped on them.

[edit] This eBay listing will show you how the thing should look: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pathé-Phonogra ... 3597809049

drh wrote:Yes, it's broken. The tonearm should have a bar across the base with a pivot to attach it to the socket. I think it's pot metal and tends to break. I have a Pathé Model 100, my first phono as a matter of fact, that had the same problem; my father fixed it by making a wooden replacement for the broken attachment bar and somehow affixing it to the inside of the tonearm (I was in junior high school at the time and relied on his prodigious ability to fix things).

I would advise against spending too much for the machine. Much pleasure as mine has given me over the years, and decent sounding thing that it is, Pathé uprights seem to be in just about zero demand. As far as I can see, all the company's US "conventional" offerings were essentially the same half-cabinet design, just with different model badges slapped on them.

drh,
Thank you. I was afraid of that. I’ve made an offer of $60 for the phonograph and records that come with it. Do you think it’s worth it?
In all seriousness, I’m buying the lot for the records... but also because I like the different design and I wouldn’t mind fixing the phonograph up.

Thanks again.

Glad to be of help! For photos, see the edit I just made to my earlier posting.

I'd say you'd be hard pressed to go wrong for $60 if the records are good. Note that if they have been played with steel needles they are trashed. Note, too, that Pathé's popular catalogue was full of not-terribly-inspiring material; its classical/operatic one was much better. I'd see if I could pin down just what is there. If you're lucky, the records include some center start issues, which are on the whole more desirable.

[edit] Incidentally, see if it comes with the sapphire ball stylus. If so, that alone is worth a good part of what you've offered for it.

drh wrote:Glad to be of help! For photos, see the edit I just made to my earlier posting.

I'd say you'd be hard pressed to go wrong for $60 if the records are good. Note that if they have been played with steel needles they are trashed. Note, too, that Pathé's popular catalogue was full of not-terribly-inspiring material; its classical/operatic one was much better. I'd see if I could pin down just what is there. If you're lucky, the records include some center start issues, which are on the whole more desirable.

[edit] Incidentally, see if it comes with the sapphire ball stylus. If so, that alone is worth a good part of what you've offered for it.

drh,
Thank you for your help. I think I’m going to end up passing on the Pathé. It seems like it may not be the best idea to buy it.

I hope I didn't scare you off unjustly--but if I were doing things over and wanted a Pathé cabinet model, I'd look for an Actuelle or an open horn machine. $60 isn't much for a decent upright machine, but then, overhauling it and storing it aren't entirely free.

In case you change your mind, here are a few photos of my Model 100 for comparison.

drh,
You didn’t scare me off. You’ve been a great help! I have a habit of getting a little over excited and when I come back to reality I start to doubt the decision I’ve made. I’m going to see if the seller will send me a picture of the tonearm before I decide to pass on it.

Thank you again.

drh,
Does your tonearm just lift out of the base or is it fastened in a certain way?

VictorVV-X wrote:drh,
Does your tonearm just lift out of the base or is it fastened in a certain way?

It's fastened and the reproducer should "float" above the motorboard--that is, it's suspended in air when not playing a record, swinging free with the stylus naturally at a level just below the surface of the platter.

Here are some pictures of the tonearm. It does seem to be broken. This reminds me of when I bought my Edison C150... where the previous owner was using a 78 adapter on a Diamond Disc... there’s a steel needle in the reproducer and a Pathé disc on the turntable.
It makes me think that the records may have been played incorrectly.