Grammoporn

[slammer]

Could this be the ultimate gramophone?
I got a good offer for the Tujuphone, unrestored and original as a machine from 1925 could be and picked up this.... Gramophone.... for a very reasonable price. Not too sure what it is or where it comes from, it must be a German device but each and every google comes up with a "buggered if I know!"
So I will toss it to the good members of this venerable forum.
It seems to be a pre 1925 device as the motor would suggest a manufacturing date of around 1920, give or take a few years. It is built from white beech, as far as I can tell, and it is massive, no veneer anywhere. The joints are dovetail and mortice and tenon and the weight of the machine hints at naval quality timber. It dwarves my Serinade by being twice the size, it stands just under my chest and a child would have to stand on a chair to use it.
The wind up has a click-y ratchet-y feel to it and you wind it for ages and ages and ages. Compared to the Serinade and the HMV winding is like slamming the doors on a 1975 Allergro and on a 2023 Mercedes. Wind it once and play all week.
However I am not going to play a record on it just yet.
You see the tonarm feels loose, it is a straight arm, set in a ball and socket affair, but it seems to be worn as it sits on the record at a slight angle and not 90° as I would think. I can´t imagine that being very good for a record, so I will ask the forum: "should it worry me?"
Anyway enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think.
And just for giggles I will include a picture of a portable that I fell in love with but ran out of crazy money, I said "HELL YEAH!" Wallet said: "NO!"

[JerryVan]

I think the angle of the reproducer is caused by the reproducer elbow being rotated in the tone arm.

The "click-y ratchet-y feel to it and you wind it for ages and ages and ages" comment tells me that a spring is broken.

[slammer]

If this were any other machine I would agree with you. However you wind it for ages and it runs for ages. The motor and soundbox have been serviced at the Gramophonewerkstatt in Munich and this guy knows what he is doing, if he tells me that the motor is in good condition, I´ll take it as gospel.
No idea where it is going to find a place in my tiny one room pokey hole under the roof though.

[Orchorsol]

I think the angle of the reproducer is caused by the reproducer elbow being rotated in the tone arm.

Alternatively it might be that it originally had a smaller diameter soundbox.

[slammer]

I think the angle of the reproducer is caused by the reproducer elbow being rotated in the tone arm.

Alternatively it might be that it originally had a smaller diameter soundbox.

Could be, however I doubt that this is the case here, the tonarm seems to "sag" for want of a better word to its center of gravity, there are two screws in the mount, so I will take them out and see what happens.

[gramophoneshane]

Yes, definitely something off with the soundbox sitting at that angle.
Using it as is will cause premature record wear.
Hopefully rebuilding the tonearm will remedy the problem.
I quite like those aluminium soundboxes because they are nice and light.
The ones I have were made by Thorens but the gold flange on yours is slightly different to mine.

Does the motor have a manufacturers name or trademark on it?
I can't make up my mind whether it's a German or Swiss machine.

[poodling around]

Is that bamboo in the second to last photo ? (Carrying the sound from the tone-arm to the horn).

[slammer]

It looks more like a machined wooden tube than bamboo.

[JerryVan]

I think the angle of the reproducer is caused by the reproducer elbow being rotated in the tone arm.

Alternatively it might be that it originally had a smaller diameter soundbox.

Does the reproducer lift off the record by swiveling the reproducer elbow in the end of the tone arm?

[slammer]

I think the angle of the reproducer is caused by the reproducer elbow being rotated in the tone arm.

Alternatively it might be that it originally had a smaller diameter soundbox.

Does the reproducer lift off the record by swiveling the reproducer elbow in the end of the tone arm?

It is a kind of ball and socket joint. Much like a leg bone connects to the hip bone..... There´s a song there somewhere....
This ball is currently frolicking around in that joint rather loosely. I just cant imagine it being this way originally, the machine is just too well built for that detail.