The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I just picked up a Brunswick BR-50. It has the battery operated Radiola 25 with thumbwheel tuning. The phonograph uses a GE Electric Motor, not a crank. On the back is a plate identifying it as an AR-992. The cabinet looks like the pictures I have seen of the Brunswick Cordova. I was hoping to find more information. It appears to be mostly complete. It is missing the knob for the antenna door on the left, a thumbscrew for the tube cover in the radio and one tube. Then there is the metal panel behind the radio that had something in it. It has a rectangular hole in the center with what look like to small screw holes to the left and right of the rectangular hole. Whatever was there is missing now. The battery cables for the radio still have the original metal tags on them and are in excellent shape.

There is a knob on the right side to switch between radio and phonograph. It appears to move a damper in the horn to select the sound source either the accoustic phonograph or the electric reproducer for the radio.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Rich

Could you post a few pictures? I have a Brunswick Radiola combination as well (mine's a BR-260). Funny, my machine was missing the knob for the antenna door as well, understandably so, it's a heavy door!

Sean

Here are a few pictures. I will update with better pictures when I can. My Radio/Phonograph space is under construction, space is limited until I finish the project. The top and sides were dusted down to move it however it has not been cleaned in the pictures. It had two of the four Brunswick albums (C & D) in it filled with 78's.

A neat machine...now that I see the tonearm and ortho style reproducer, it's probably a 1926 model.

I've always liked Brunswick machines. Nice find! Do you intend to restore the radio part of it? I've always wanted to get my Brunswick's radiola done, but I hear those sealed "catacomb" units can be tricky (and expensive) to have done...

Sean

Your specific model does not appear to be in this pic, but it is similar to some of the other Brunny lowboys. I had the same model BR-260 as OrthoSean but had to get rid of it to make room for my Credenza... but I certainly miss it.

Hope you enjoy this machine!

I'm pretty sure that photo is late 1924 / early 1925, so the ortho styles weren't out yet. I don't think Brunswick started with orthophonic types until early (or even mid) 1926...Jim T. can probably pinpoint this with his wonderful ephemera collection!

Sean

A couple of the parts in the radio section have manufacturing dates on them. One is January 1926, the other is June 1926. They appear to be original, in which case the radio would have been made sometime during or more likely after June 1926.

Richard

Well that Beaux Art, Hudson or Empire models would certainly be impressive.

I've always been attracted to those early attempts to marry the phonograph and the radio but never owned one.

Yeah, mine's the Hudson. It's an imposing beast of a machine, but it's a real eye catcher. I'll feature it at some point when I can get to it for photographing...my phonograph room is a little more than cluttered right now.

Sean

EDIT: here's a couple of pics from the auction on eBay for the machine I bought. It's been cleaned up since then...

Looking forward to seeing that Hudson Sean. Start moving some stuff around and get it out!