Gramophones, Phonographs, Victrolas....

[fortworthgal]

Here's an album of shots of my HMV 99, made in England between 1931 and 1934:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/pmburk/HMV 99/

Please excuse how dirty it is, I had just gotten it home from the flea market! All the parts are present and it works - I paid $25.

 

[scotrace]

How much does one cost? I absolutlely love them!

A portable in good condition can usually be had under $100 if you keep an eye out.

 

[max the cat]

hmv 99

what a wonderful portable- great pix--interesting repro thinner than US 1930+ RCA version---after 1930 UK acoustic machines seem to be superior to US made I assume transition to electric reproduction was a little later.

 

[CharlieH.]

I actually don't own this one... well... not yet!

I'll get it as a Christmas present. I know I'll get, because I had to bid on it. My parents just told me to do as they didn't quite know what I wanted. Here it is:

What do you experts think?
I doupt it is older than 40s or 50s, but what do I know!?




Regards,
Henrik

Excuse me while I pick up my jaw...

What a beauty! You are one seriously lucky fella.

 

[feltfan]

http://home.comcast.net/~vtm12/collection.html

Whoa. That is impressive. I particularly love the wooden
external horn.

If you get the time, please introduce us to some of
the more unusual ones.

The last one pictured is a Regina music box not a phonograph. It dates to pre-1894.

Love those. Saw one in the late, lamented museum of
musical instruments in Paris. The funny thing is, a sheet of
metal with holes cut in it that you read to play music... sounds
a bit like a compact disc.

 

[Martini Slayer]

Slipped Disc- Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton...THOSE ARE SOME RARE TUNES...lucky! Hey, same Martini slayer from Yehoodi???? Welcome to the lounge.

Yup! I was freaking OUT when I was in the thrift store and I saw "Slipped Disc"..

Yes! Same "Martini Slayer".. Hehee .. Nice to see you and be seen.. I saw Senator Jack at all the parties here too! Happy New Year!

 

[Martini Slayer]

Man, I sure wish I had one of them talking machines. So, what's playing in those pictures?

Ebay Baybee!! I'm so serious.. Actually, nobody wants them, and you can get one really cheap.. I paid $60 for mine..

 

[Martini Slayer]

I got some new discs!! Again, only .50 cents each!

Johnny Mercer, The Gaylords, Helen Forrest with Harry James, Frankie Laine..

 

[Fletch]

Announcing the Fletchola!

$75 took this early '30s model portable Vic at eBay (dating from just before Henry's, from the looks of the trademark).

It's working and looking quite well, tho it is really odd to see a piece of equipment prominently marked "RCA" that doesn't have a single tube or an inch of electrical wiring.

If anybody wants to hear the thing more or less as it sounds live, PM me and I'll email you an .mp3 of this hot selection from 1930 featuring the Dorsey Brothers and Hoagy Carmichael.

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

 

[Fletch]

Whatcha spinnin', Cuz?

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

Whatcha spinnin', Cuz?

Oh Man, if it's from the 30s-40s and it's hot, I like it. :eusa_clap

Used to spin lots of mid- to late-20s stuff (the whole slew of labels, cameo / banner / oriole / romeo / etc), but now am more into 30s-40s... on the grammo, usually early 30s depression stuff: Boswell Sisters, Mills Brothers, early Crosby, and whenever I could find them for $1, the likes of Jelly Roll, King Oliver & Armstrong (tho only a couple are actually 1st-pressings; mainly columbia/Bluebird/Brunswick reissue 78s for those guys...). Some potato head Whitemans when Beiderbecke was with him. stuff like that.

But my fave by far for depression era is ELLINGTON. (thought for a sec that your last label you posted was one of Ellington's under one of his many pseudonyms!) Close after him, picked up every early Cab Calloway I ever saw back in the fleamarket days - even got Cab to autograph an original from his first Perfect session, at one of his last concerts before the stroke.

How bout you?

- C H

 

[metalnut]

Share them on a website

I wonder, looking thro these threads, why more folk do not set up their own websites and share their passion/collection with everyone. I did that with my tobacco pipes and get myself a load of new friends as well. Links for possible design on my website www.smokingmetal.co.uk

 

[Decobelle]

Lonely? Not Me...

Not when I've got a "Portable PAL Phonograph"

I don't know who made this model. Sure plays swell though.

 

[Alon]

Show us your gramophones, victrolas, phonographs, etc.

I'm looking into buying my first victrola machine. There are some great bargains on eBay, the problem is no one wants to ship them and there are no local sellers.

Those of you who have some experience in the field, do you think a table top Victrola from the 1920's/30's, fully functioning and in good condition is worth about $200?

 

[scotrace]

Merge and bump.


And yes, such a machine should be worth $200. But I see few bargains on eBay these days.

 

[KilroyCD]

Those of you who have some experience in the field, do you think a table top Victrola from the 1920's/30's, fully functioning and in good condition is worth about $200?

That's a reasonable price assesment, unless you happen to be looking at a rare machine. The Victor VV-50 is one that would likely fall into that price category. It's a fairly easy one to find (I have two - one is restored, the other awaiting restoration).
There are some repro gramophones available with brass horns that might be a viable possibility. These have the HMV (His Master's Voice) label. They are usually made in India, where they supposedly found a large cache of vintage wind-up record player mechanisms in storage (so I'm told). They have built these replicas around them, and they show up on eBay at varying prices. One seller of these that I've seen is from the US and charges around $39 shipping. I saw another from Canada but the shipping wasn't specified. I have one of these machines (it's in the background in my avatar), and it works well enough, it just doesn't sound as nice as my VV-50. There are also some repro Victors out there that are coming out of China. Stay away from these, as the price is right but they'll sock you for around $500 shipping. They describe them as a rare 19th century gramophone, yet you'll see about 25 of them listed. How rare is that? lol

 

[Flivver]

I agree with the others that $200 is a fair price for a nice, functional but common tabletop Victrola.

But, the kind of records you want to play needs to be taken into consideration. If you like acoustically recorded records from 1925 and earlier, a machine like a Victrola IX will be just fine. However, if you prefer electrically recorded records from 1925 to the mid-1930s, you need an Orthophonic Victrola which has a more compliant soundbox (these tend to be harder to find and more pricey since they were made for a shorter period of time). If your tastes run to big band music of the late 1930s and 1940s, a portable Victrola from that era with an even more compliant soundbox will work best.

With spring coming on, the outdoor flea markets will be opening up soon. These can be a good source of fairly priced Victrolas...if you're persistent!

 

[airgrabber666]

That's a reasonable price assesment, unless you happen to be looking at a rare machine. The Victor VV-50 is one that would likely fall into that price category. It's a fairly easy one to find (I have two - one is restored, the other awaiting restoration).
There are some repro gramophones available with brass horns that might be a viable possibility. These have the HMV (His Master's Voice) label. They are usually made in India, where they supposedly found a large cache of vintage wind-up record player mechanisms in storage (so I'm told). They have built these replicas around them, and they show up on eBay at varying prices. One seller of these that I've seen is from the US and charges around $39 shipping. I saw another from Canada but the shipping wasn't specified. I have one of these machines (it's in the background in my avatar), and it works well enough, it just doesn't sound as nice as my VV-50. There are also some repro Victors out there that are coming out of China. Stay away from these, as the price is right but they'll sock you for around $500 shipping. They describe them as a rare 19th century gramophone, yet you'll see about 25 of them listed. How rare is that? lol

I respectfully submit that one should generally stay away from these "repro" crank phonographs from India. They are cheaply built and their performance and reliability is lacking. Click here for more info. If used for decoration, they might suffice...but if you want to actually play and enjoy vintage 78's - buy a Victrola. Vintage records sound best on a vintage machine! You can purchase (as stated before) a decent VV-50 portable for a reasonable amount. Working on them is relatively simple and Victor Talking Machine made quality phonographs with quality cabinetwork and was the standard of the industry. Plus the sheer volume of models made makes finding parts a snap (try finding ANYTHING for an off-brand phonograph). Plenty of on and off-line support from other hobbyists, as well. My first Victrola was a mahogany VV-50 and it's performance was stellar...since then I keep at least one Victrola on hand. My VV-300 is pictured below playing a Billy Murray tune ("There Must be Little Cupids in the Briny")

 

[Barbigirl]

My pride and joy