Crapophone, or not?

[nostalgia]

I can't make up my mind....crapophone, or not?
For sale, € 35.

[Wolfe]

Crapo shouldn't have a horn like that. If it's not the real deal, it'd be more Franko than Crapo.

[52089]

The top part of the horn strongly resembles an Edison cygnet horn. The tonearm suggests Columbia. Frankenphone probably, but for 35 Euros it's probably well worth it, even for parts.

[VanEpsFan1914]

For 35 euros it's worth it, if the arm and spindle have good alignment, just as an inexpensive thing to play records on. It looks like it has a Columbia sound box which should sound nice with later discs too.

[Oedipus]

The speed control is Columbia, too, so probably the motor is Columbia/Garrard. Definitely a 'Bitsa' -- I'm not sure where the dividing line comes between crapo and Franken!

[Orchorsol]

It must be a cranken or a frapo then! It has a plano-reflex tonearm probably from a portable, too.

[nostalgia]

I will pass on this one, my house is too full, and it will also cost €30 to collect it. I can't save every franken/crapo out there, and I have a storage locker full of gramophones/parts already.

[Steve]

The speed control is Columbia, too, so probably the motor is Columbia/Garrard. Definitely a 'Bitsa' -- I'm not sure where the dividing line comes between crapo and Franken!

I have a very clear delineation in my mind. A Frankenphone is basically in essence an original machine manufactured in the original gramophone era, say pre-1930, but which has been "restored" over time with some non-original parts depending on what was available to an earlier owner ie. Columbia horn and soundbox on a HMV OR some reproduction parts which are not patterned on anything original specifically ie home made tonearm, brake etc.

A Crapophone, on the other hand, is a much more modern creation made solely for the "decorative" market and not for its function to play music. It will not necessarily be modelled on anything specific from one of the original makers. These have almost all modern cheaply manufactured parts and motors from portables.

This is just my own personal means of discriminating between the two!

[OrthoFan]

It must be a cranken or a frapo then! It has a plano-reflex tonearm probably from a portable, too.

The Columbia model 2a, Columbia's last external horn gramophone was fitted with the Plano-Reflex tonearm. There's a post describing this model -- viewtopic.php?t=47149&start=30 -- but as luck would have it, the pictures are lost.

OrthoFan

[epigramophone]

I sold the machine and have regretted it ever since, but I still have the pictures :