The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The Ultra-Paradox counterweight with “Lifebelt” was found with the Expert All-Range at Harewood House. My first thoughts were that this was a one off home-made device until I found the typed instructions.
I couldn’t find any information on the device until I did a search through The Gramophone magazine. There is only one mention and it’s in the advertising section of the September 1947 issue.
“PARADOX BOOKLET, 1s.; New Paradox, 10s.; Ultra-Paradox, 7s. 6d.— Rev. L. D. Griffith, F.R.S.A., Tunstead Vicarage, Bacup, Lancs.” (Bacup! It’s where I stay with friends when I am in England)

Searching “The Gramophone” again for the Rev. L. D. Griffith revealed hundreds of hits.
He was of course the inventor of the “Lifebelt” way back in 1925. Attached below a PDF of a long article by Compton Mackenzie on the merits of the “Lifebelt”.

This little piece of “garden hose” between the tonearm and soundbox was quite a revelation in acoustic reproduction, so much so, that it is discussed and talked about in the pages of “The Gramophone” for decades. Percy Wilson himself mention it again in an article from March 1964,” Those were the days”.

The Rev. L. D. Griffith started advertising his wares in the back pages of “The Gramophone” in 1943 and continued until Jan 1956: Last ad “BARFORD CONTROL, improves LPs. 78s or radio, easily fitted any set, 7s. 6d. post free. Rev. L. D. Griffith. Rectory, Barford St. Martin, Salisbury.” Perhaps something to do with a piece of rubber?

Now that’s a man stuck in time and possessed by his invention. He has written loads of write-ups and self-promoting articles throughout decades of “The Gramophone”, all espousing the benefits of acoustic reproduction. He even writes several articles about the merits of fibre needles and decries manufacturers of record players in the 1950's for not making ones available with spring motors to play 33rpm records.
Reverend Leopold David Griffith1884-1960

chunnybh wrote: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:26 pm He was of course the inventor of the “Lifebelt” way back in 1925. Attached below a PDF of a long article by Compton Mackenzie........

I never quite understood the excitement over the "lifebelt" in 1925. Was The Gramophone magazine living under a rock for the previous 20 plus years? I mean, seriously, the Reverend didn't really invent anything. Pathé were using flexible rubber hoses to connect the soundboxes to the tone-arm way back in 1906, for exactly the right reasons. I believe, apart from the great soundboxes they produced in the early days, its one reason Pathé machines can sound better than Victor / HMV or Columbia machines.

Well, we are still discussing it nearly a 100 years later. I can see Compton Mackenzie being surrounded by "scientists" and this garden hose comes along and makes a huge difference to his gramophones reproduction. Perhaps he was just trying to get one over his learned peers. he even encouraged the Reverend to patent it. It was taken up by Orchorsol and improved.
Even in the 1925 article it is just a "garden hose" until it is tweaked and set correctly, then it becomes a revelation.

It is odd that the Reverend was still pushing his "invention" decades later. I should "hod ma whisht" as I had loads of rubber parts made for gramophones and am still selling them.

I've written a page on the Rev L.D. Griffith and the "LIFEBELT":
http://www.gramophonemuseum.com/rev-l-d-griffith.html

Yes, we're still discussing it here but I maintain the Reverend didn't invent it. Pathé was there 20 years earlier.

Yes, we're still discussing it here but I maintain the Reverend didn't invent it. Pathé was there 20 years earlier.

Agreed. I am surprised the patent was issued at all. Rubber tubing has been used as a conduit from the very early days of the phonograph.

chunnybh wrote: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:26 pm The Ultra-Paradox counterweight with “Lifebelt” was found with the Expert All-Range at Harewood House. My first thoughts were that this was a one off home-made device until I found the typed instructions.

Indeed it looks very crude, Chunny. It seems that the vertical alignment of the soundbox would go haywire with this hose in between the arm and the soundbox, unless the hose is rigid, which would kind of defeat the purpose. Maybe worth a try to make one of these and check if there is any improvement or this is only another bottle of Reverend's Snake Oil.