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Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 11:12 am
by poodling around
I just thought that the tone-arm looks like it should belong to one ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157756685762 ... R8K2-p-eZw

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 1:51 pm
by epigramophone
This machine is not a Chromogram.
The horns of all Chromograms occupy the full depth of the cabinets. Like many of it's kind, this cheaply made machine is effectively a table model on legs with record storage beneath. Also the tonearm curves the opposite way round to the Chromogram design.
As for the crude wood block which serves as a tonearm rest...... :roll: .
.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:02 pm
by poodling around
epigramophone wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 1:51 pm The machine looks too badly made to be a Chromogram, and the tonearm curves the opposite way round.
It may not even be original to the machine. Look at the crude wood block which serves as a tonearm rest.
Oh, I didn't notice the tone-arm being the opposite way around and appreciate you other observations - I just thought it might be a very early example.

An interesting tone-arm never-the-less maybe in terms of it's resemblance ?

It is 'partially unscrewed how-ever, so maybe if it was 'fully screwed' it would face the correct way ????

Thank you so very much as always epigramophone.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:45 pm
by Steve
No, it's a "piece of crap", to quote the Neil Young song.

At that price you could buy a decent German horn gramophone (as we saw) and have change leftover to upgrade the soundbox to a Meltrope for playing electrically recorded titles.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:50 pm
by poodling around
Steve wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:45 pm No, it's a "piece of crap", to quote the Neil Young song.

At that price you could buy a decent German horn gramophone (as we saw) and have change leftover to upgrade the soundbox to a Meltrope for playing electrically recorded titles.
I don't know why you don't see that this is the same tone-arm.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:50 pm
by jamiegramo
The tracking looks very poor. I am wondering if the tonearm has got twisted around the wrong way but perhaps it’s a poor replacement tonearm.

I agree with Steve’s or Neil Young’s assessment of this machine. Give me the German horn gramophone!

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 3:42 pm
by poodling around
Steve wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:45 pm No, it's a "piece of crap", to quote the Neil Young song.

At that price you could buy a decent German horn gramophone (as we saw) and have change leftover to upgrade the soundbox to a Meltrope for playing electrically recorded titles.
Thanks as always steve, although the tone-arms still look pretty much the same to me, especially if the first one is tightened appropriately to allow the 'face' of the sound-box to point in the right direction and the sound-box is repositioned.

(Example taken from ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116910563981 ... R7ahpLGeZw

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 4:41 pm
by JerryVan
You may indeed have a point. If you seperated the joint between the 90 degree "ell" and the swooping tone arm, rotated the ell 180 degrees, flipped the tone arm over, and re-attached the joint, you would essentially have the same thing. You can even see the set screw the retains the joint sitcking out of the bottom the legit tone arm, while the one in question is located on top, further suggesting it's been flipped.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 5:15 pm
by poodling around
JerryVan wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 4:41 pm You may indeed have a point. If you seperated the joint between the 90 degree "ell" and the swooping tone arm, rotated the ell 180 degrees, flipped the tone arm over, and re-attached the joint, you would essentially have the same thing. You can even see the set screw the retains the joint sitcking out of the bottom the legit tone arm, while the one in question is located on top, further suggesting it's been flipped.
Thanks JerryVan ....... My hero !

What you describe sounds like a magic trick - 'If you seperated the joint between the 90 degree "ell" and the swooping tone arm, rotated the ell 180 degrees, flipped the tone arm over, and re-attached the joint' then "Hey Presto" ! ha ha ! :)

The cheque (check) is in the post.

Re: Is this a Micro Perophone Chromogram ?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 6:02 pm
by Steve
poodling around wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 5:15 pm
JerryVan wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 4:41 pm You may indeed have a point. If you seperated the joint between the 90 degree "ell" and the swooping tone arm, rotated the ell 180 degrees, flipped the tone arm over, and re-attached the joint, you would essentially have the same thing. You can even see the set screw the retains the joint sitcking out of the bottom the legit tone arm, while the one in question is located on top, further suggesting it's been flipped.
Thanks JerryVan ....... My hero !

What you describe sounds like a magic trick - 'If you seperated the joint between the 90 degree "ell" and the swooping tone arm, rotated the ell 180 degrees, flipped the tone arm over, and re-attached the joint' then "Hey Presto" ! ha ha ! :)

The cheque (check) is in the post.
I think you could be missing my wider point? Yes, it might be a Chromagram tonearm, incorrectly fitted, but a complete Chromagram itself is not exactly a "hot ticket item" with most collectors, but this machine is simply a typically poorly constructed anonymous cabinet machine of little consequence or merit; a cheap table model on legs, as Roger said. It isn't even a Chromagram.

Have you noticed the redundant tonearm anchoring screw hole? The tonearm probably isn't original to it anyway.