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My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:29 pm
by kirtley2012
Despite having collected over 10 years and having a number of EMG’s, I have some how never came upon a traditional rear mount gramophone, so a couple days ago I saw this pop up about 20 miles away on Facebook marketplace for not a lot of money, and I jumped on it.
It’s branded ‘Mead’ in Birmingham, of course it’s a typical Swiss made machine though, I’m not sure of age on these things, I guessed around 1910-15, the horn is very attractive, I’m not sure if it would have originally been white, but I like it as it is, and the rest of the gramophone is very nice cosmetically.
Mechanically it needs some work, it needs a new brake and soundbox, I could probably fix the winding handle though it may be easier to find a replacement, and I need to re-make a missing part on the motor, but in the meantime, it’s looking very nice in the living room
**click on photos to view in correct orientation**
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:48 pm
by VanEpsFan1914
Looks quite nice. What is wrong with the soundbox on it? I've never seen one with that kind of a cover before.
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 4:36 am
by epigramophone
What a coincidence. I bought a Mead, pictured below in my workshop, at the CLPGS Malvern weekend in October. Although I had no use and no room for it, I was attracted by the unusually good quality of the case for a bought in machine. I have yet to discover who the manufacturer was.
The advertisement pictured dates from 1922, by which time the machine on offer was looking distinctly old fashioned.
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 4:43 am
by nostalgia
Congratulations to both new Mead owners, and in particular to Alex, since this is your first rear mounted horn gramophone. Both gramophones look nice, and as you say Alex, they really look nice in the living room.
PS. I see your cat also like being on top of gramophones, Roger
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 6:11 am
by Gramtastic
I've always liked the quality of Mead gramophones - here's mine. it is enormous, that's a 12 inch turntable on it, and the solid oak front panel has carved oak leaves on it. I have never seen two Mead machines which are the same. They seemed to have used many different cabinet makers and hardware suppliers. I also attach another advert for them from 1920. With a £1 in 1920 being worth around £50 today it means they were priced from £250 - £5900 !! (sorry the photos aren't great but had to do some mountaineering to get to it in the gramophone room !)
(Don't know why the ad is upside down - if you click on it it is the right way round - I even rotated it 180 degrees and uploaded it and it still came out upside down, don't you just love computers ?)
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 6:50 am
by epigramophone
Gramtastic wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 6:11 am
I've always liked the quality of Mead gramophones - here's mine. it is enormous, that's a 12 inch turntable on it, and the solid oak front panel has carved oak leaves on it. I have never seen two Mead machines which are the same. They seemed to have used many different cabinet makers and hardware suppliers. I also attach another advert for them from 1920. With a £1 in 1920 being worth around £50 today it means they were priced from £250 - £5900 !! (sorry the photos aren't great but had to do some mountaineering to get to it in the gramophone room !)
(Don't know why the ad is upside down - if you click on it it is the right way round - I even rotated it 180 degrees and uploaded it and it still came out upside down, don't you just love computers ?)
Many thanks for posting this advert, which I have added to my Mead archive in preparation for a possible article for the CLPGS magazine.
I contacted the Balsall Heath Local History Society who confirmed that theirs is the earlier address. Later machines have the Sparkbrook address.
Mead were best known as bicycle retailers. The bicycles, like their gramophones, were bought in.
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 7:03 am
by epigramophone
nostalgia wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 4:43 am
Congratulations to both new Mead owners, and in particular to Alex, since this is your first rear mounted horn gramophone. Both gramophones look nice, and as you say Alex, they really look nice in the living room.
PS. I see your cat also like being on top of gramophones, Roger
Thank you Martin. You are not the first to be fooled by "Able Seaman Simon".
Here is his story, again unaccountably the wrong way up, plus a picture of my real cat "Holly", who does not jump onto gramophones.
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 7:15 am
by epigramophone
kirtley2012 wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:29 pm
Despite having collected over 10 years and having a number of EMG’s, I have some how never came upon a traditional rear mount gramophone, so a couple days ago I saw this pop up about 20 miles away on Facebook marketplace for not a lot of money, and I jumped on it.
It’s branded ‘Mead’ in Birmingham, of course it’s a typical Swiss made machine though, I’m not sure of age on these things, I guessed around 1910-15, the horn is very attractive, I’m not sure if it would have originally been white, but I like it as it is, and the rest of the gramophone is very nice cosmetically.
Mechanically it needs some work, it needs a new brake and soundbox, I could probably fix the winding handle though it may be easier to find a replacement, and I need to re-make a missing part on the motor, but in the meantime, it’s looking very nice in the living room
**click on photos to view in correct orientation**
552C8919-CA0A-4EC0-8F54-34B42950F790.jpeg
E29C31F4-D930-4A76-80C6-091CCB63DAAC.jpeg
26BF1C05-C9E7-4745-8F85-1AFDC2D42A08.jpeg
B64D274E-5F4B-4628-B52E-FCF274F4A02E.jpeg
6E92BD33-94FE-4E72-A612-955CC5B49246.jpeg
My Mead is fitted with a Thorens Extra Sonore Concert soundbox, but Mead soundboxes do exist.
This image from the Internet is the only one I have ever seen :
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2021 8:43 am
by epigramophone
Here is yet another Mead, this one coming up for auction shortly.
The case is identical to mine, but the horn is a different pattern and is damaged.
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... c901087c4c
Re: My first rear mount gramophone
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:42 pm
by nostalgia
Roger, yes now I was fooled by your "cat"
I remember having seen your real cat "Holly on a photo in the past, but thought you maybe had acquired another one. As I can see from the photo,"Able Seaman Simon" is very gentle to gramophone tops.