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Klingsor machines are not that rare, but I have never seen one in this Art Nouveau style and finish before :

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 4a00f8be37

Looks somewhat sinister to me... But it made GBP 800 in the auction!

There was a similar one (a plain model, but with the same shape) exposed in Malvern last year, they played some records on it, but it was not very impressive, have you heard it? There is a story about the strings in front of the horn, claiming that these strings were "tuned" to improve the sound.

CarlosV wrote:Looks somewhat sinister to me... But it made GBP 800 in the auction!

There was a similar one (a plain model, but with the same shape) exposed in Malvern last year, they played some records on it, but it was not very impressive, have you heard it? There is a story about the strings in front of the horn, claiming that these strings were "tuned" to improve the sound.

Sympathetic strings: some musical instruments have them to add resonance.

- Bill

CarlosV wrote:Looks somewhat sinister to me... But it made GBP 800 in the auction!

There was a similar one (a plain model, but with the same shape) exposed in Malvern last year, they played some records on it, but it was not very impressive, have you heard it? There is a story about the strings in front of the horn, claiming that these strings were "tuned" to improve the sound.

The Klingsor you saw at Malvern must have been a different example to the one I saw -- which is here pictured taken from the CLPGS Facebook page. I don't think the case could be called plain ? It also generated a lot of interest from visitors to the exhibition who had not seen a Klingsor before at close quarters. Personally I thought it sounded quite good when it was being played -- a nice bright tone ! Certainly there were comments from visitors who wanted to take it home with them ! Regards from UK Dulcetto ( erstwhile exhibition co -organizer at Malvern !

Yes it looked and sounded very good at Malvern. I was tempted by the one I posted here, but distance and space considerations deterred me from pursuing it.

Roger.

epigramophone wrote:Klingsor machines are not that rare, but I have never seen one in this Art Nouveau style and finish before :

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 4a00f8be37

Hello Roger , the Klingsor that was sold in the auction sale appears to be a very early case design -- I have found it , or at least one virtually identical advertised in the December 1907 edition of " Talking Machine News " when the Klingsor machines had been newly introduced to the UK market. No model name is given in the advert although I assume that it must have had either a name or number designation for that particular case style. I too have not seen another example of that exact model before -- most unusual . Regards Dulcetto

Dulcetto wrote:
The Klingsor you saw at Malvern must have been a different example to the one I saw -- which is here pictured taken from the CLPGS Facebook page. I don't think the case could be called plain ? It also generated a lot of interest from visitors to the exhibition who had not seen a Klingsor before at close quarters. Personally I thought it sounded quite good when it was being played -- a nice bright tone ! Certainly there were comments from visitors who wanted to take it home with them ! Regards from UK Dulcetto ( erstwhile exhibition co -organizer at Malvern !

This was it, it certainly is not as plain as I my memory registered ... its sound, though, did not appear bright to me, maybe it was the particular record that was being played at the time. I presume these machines date from the late 10s - early 20s: it sounded to me quite like the table tops of that period, like the HMVs 6 and 8.
Regards from Luxembourg

Hello Carlos, Yes the Klingsor design was patented by two Germans, Krebs and Klenk ,in the year 1907. the machines were first imported to the UK market in the Autumn of 1907 but were still available in the mid 1920's through by then the sole wholesale agents,John G. Murdoch & Co.Ltd of London . By that time the cases were apparently "locally" made in the UK whereas the pre-war imports were of course wholly of German manufacture. The Klingsors were available in many different case styles and designs over the years , almost every example encountered today seems to be a different model! There were also floor standing models , looking somewhat like bookcase bureaux , also models with coin-slot attachment for use in cafe's etc. Best wishes Dulcetto .

Dulcetto wrote:Hello Carlos, Yes the Klingsor design was patented by two Germans, Krebs and Klenk ,in the year 1907. the machines were first imported to the UK market in the Autumn of 1907 but were still available in the mid 1920's through by then the sole wholesale agents,John G. Murdoch & Co.Ltd of London . By that time the cases were apparently "locally" made in the UK whereas the pre-war imports were of course wholly of German manufacture. The Klingsors were available in many different case styles and designs over the years , almost every example encountered today seems to be a different model! There were also floor standing models , looking somewhat like bookcase bureaux , also models with coin-slot attachment for use in cafe's etc. Best wishes Dulcetto .

Thanks for the info, that explains why Klingsors are frequently found in England, much more than in Germany. I recall seeing the photos of a very large floor model that looked like a cupboard, minus the dishes. If I am not mistaken it was for sale in the now-extinct Howard Hope web site. Regards
Carlos

The most elaborate and expensive Klingsors even incorporated dancing figures against a mirrored background :