Gifting a portable gramophone
Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:31 am
After almost one year on the forum, and after collecting a rather wide range of gramophones during this year, I decided a week back that it is on time to return somthing to the world, or to be more specific, gift a gramophone to a person that possibly could continue our hobby in the next several decades. To possbily ignite a spark of interest in someone, I have scrolled through friends and relatives, but it has not been an easy task, in this digitilized world where music is mostly downloaded, or now even more..streamed. But I decided to not give in this easily, I made a promise to myself, to be able to continue collecting, you must find someone to gift a gramophone!
When visiting my best male friend a few times during the last 3 months, his daughter, aged 23 has during the same visits asked several times if she could visit me with her father to see my collection of gramophones. Despite her father's laziness of not driving her out to see my gramophones, I was able to find out last week that she also loves old architecture and history in general, and also love music from the 1950's and 60's (blues and jazz) an even progressive rock from the 70's (classically inspired). One week ago I asked my friend on phone if he could ask his daughter if she would like to have a gramophone. Thirty minutes later she sent me an sms and was delighted to know that she possibly could receive a gramophone, and asked me several questions about what kind of records she needed for this gramophone, already knowing she could not play 45 or 33 rpm on it. After her father telling her about my offer, she had already googled wind up gramophones and read quite a bit.That is what I call interest!
The decision was then easy for me to make, I wanted for sure to gift her a gramophone, and 5 days ago I started the hunt for her first acoustic gramophone. I first looked in my closets, and under my bed where all the (for now) wrapped up portables are stored..but no, these are gramophones that for myself are collectable, hard to find, or part of a growing collection where each gramophone are (more or less) carefully chosen before being purchased. I then in a corner of my closet spotted my first portable bought last summer, I have not even looked at it since I bought it last summer, a few days after joining this forum, since I discovered when I got home that day, that the soundbox was not working. When now reopening the case, looking at the soundbox, I discovered the membrane needle was loose, after some gluing, it was one hour later playing like intended. STILL, I started to get uncertain if this was the correct portable to gift, a Odeon no 5. With its beautiful wooden motorboard, and a good working autobrake etc. I decided I not wanted to depart with it, and after googling the model, I was even more sure. This was not a portable I wanted to depart with, and for a first gramophone I also not wanted it to have an autobrake or be too complex.
Then there was only one thing to do, search for a new portable, carefully chosen for this young lady. Two days ago I found the gramophone I wanted to buy for her, an Odeon Lindese, simple, well working and easy to use. I made an offer to the seller, 20 euro and got it. Then yesterday I spent 6 hours renovating and servicing the Odeon Lindese. I serviced it, but was not able to open the spring container, if someone reading this know how they are to be opened, please leave e a note. I was not able to pull out the shaft, and also the cover has no screws. To open the container, it looks like one need to use a rubber hammer along the lid, but since I was not able to remove the shaft, I left the spring uncleaned. Luckily it was very good working, powerful and no signs of being messed up inside, so I don't really feel a spring service is necessary for this particular machine right now.
After servicing the rest of the motor, it plays amazingly well. The speed adjustment on the governor brake pad was very different from HMV models, but not too difficult to grasp ( luckily I took some photos before I started the job). The motor was running like wildfire when I opened it, and the problem was (again) the governor, but this time it was easy to fix, since it was the tightening screw preventing the axis to run over the worm gear that was not tightened.
The Lindese was originally equipped with a velvet turntable cover, but has now been substituted with brown felt (she chose the color of the felt). The Lindese was equipped with a Goldring soundbox when I bought it, which I assume is not original to the machine, but admittedly I was very suprised by how well it sounded.
I am uploading photos of both the Odeon No 5 (that was not gifted), and the process and details of the Odeon Lindese, which will be gifted over the weekend, along with some good 78 rpm records..and of course some needles. This will be the first gramophone I am gifting to someone, and my goal is to be able to make this an annual tradition !
AND, I already know I have made the right decision on who to gift a gramoopone this year, because yesterday she sent me a text message, saying: " I look forward to hear the old music on an authentic recording, and also expressing much gratefulness for preparing this portable for her"...............
When visiting my best male friend a few times during the last 3 months, his daughter, aged 23 has during the same visits asked several times if she could visit me with her father to see my collection of gramophones. Despite her father's laziness of not driving her out to see my gramophones, I was able to find out last week that she also loves old architecture and history in general, and also love music from the 1950's and 60's (blues and jazz) an even progressive rock from the 70's (classically inspired). One week ago I asked my friend on phone if he could ask his daughter if she would like to have a gramophone. Thirty minutes later she sent me an sms and was delighted to know that she possibly could receive a gramophone, and asked me several questions about what kind of records she needed for this gramophone, already knowing she could not play 45 or 33 rpm on it. After her father telling her about my offer, she had already googled wind up gramophones and read quite a bit.That is what I call interest!
The decision was then easy for me to make, I wanted for sure to gift her a gramophone, and 5 days ago I started the hunt for her first acoustic gramophone. I first looked in my closets, and under my bed where all the (for now) wrapped up portables are stored..but no, these are gramophones that for myself are collectable, hard to find, or part of a growing collection where each gramophone are (more or less) carefully chosen before being purchased. I then in a corner of my closet spotted my first portable bought last summer, I have not even looked at it since I bought it last summer, a few days after joining this forum, since I discovered when I got home that day, that the soundbox was not working. When now reopening the case, looking at the soundbox, I discovered the membrane needle was loose, after some gluing, it was one hour later playing like intended. STILL, I started to get uncertain if this was the correct portable to gift, a Odeon no 5. With its beautiful wooden motorboard, and a good working autobrake etc. I decided I not wanted to depart with it, and after googling the model, I was even more sure. This was not a portable I wanted to depart with, and for a first gramophone I also not wanted it to have an autobrake or be too complex.
Then there was only one thing to do, search for a new portable, carefully chosen for this young lady. Two days ago I found the gramophone I wanted to buy for her, an Odeon Lindese, simple, well working and easy to use. I made an offer to the seller, 20 euro and got it. Then yesterday I spent 6 hours renovating and servicing the Odeon Lindese. I serviced it, but was not able to open the spring container, if someone reading this know how they are to be opened, please leave e a note. I was not able to pull out the shaft, and also the cover has no screws. To open the container, it looks like one need to use a rubber hammer along the lid, but since I was not able to remove the shaft, I left the spring uncleaned. Luckily it was very good working, powerful and no signs of being messed up inside, so I don't really feel a spring service is necessary for this particular machine right now.
After servicing the rest of the motor, it plays amazingly well. The speed adjustment on the governor brake pad was very different from HMV models, but not too difficult to grasp ( luckily I took some photos before I started the job). The motor was running like wildfire when I opened it, and the problem was (again) the governor, but this time it was easy to fix, since it was the tightening screw preventing the axis to run over the worm gear that was not tightened.
The Lindese was originally equipped with a velvet turntable cover, but has now been substituted with brown felt (she chose the color of the felt). The Lindese was equipped with a Goldring soundbox when I bought it, which I assume is not original to the machine, but admittedly I was very suprised by how well it sounded.
I am uploading photos of both the Odeon No 5 (that was not gifted), and the process and details of the Odeon Lindese, which will be gifted over the weekend, along with some good 78 rpm records..and of course some needles. This will be the first gramophone I am gifting to someone, and my goal is to be able to make this an annual tradition !
AND, I already know I have made the right decision on who to gift a gramoopone this year, because yesterday she sent me a text message, saying: " I look forward to hear the old music on an authentic recording, and also expressing much gratefulness for preparing this portable for her"...............
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