1915 Columbia Grafonola 50 Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5

Columbia Grafonola 50, Mint Condition 1915 Graphophone, playing Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 (the Emperor Concerto) with Artur Schnabel from 1942

 

In a Nutshell
The Columbia Grafonola 50 with its 2 inch large No.6 reproducer and its silent 3-spring motor plays 78 rpm records more faithfully and gently than any other gramophone in my collection (click pict.43 for youtube video)

Introduction:
The Columbia Graphophone Company first introduced "Grafonola" internal horn machines in 1907, and the table-top Grafonola "Favorite" in 1911. In the beginning the mahogany cabinet had double front sound doors, like a Victrola, for which the Talking Machine company had all patents. In 1912 Columbia had to change to louvers, and with some more improvements came out in 1915 with this model 50. This graphophone is a beauty and - at the same time a workhorse player, with its unfussy plain and spartanic control table, its 3-spring motor, its elegant "Perfected" tonearm with 2 inch reproducer No. 6, and its 12 inch turntable platter, especially suited to play classical music. The most provident improvement (by the way, who needed 4 sunken needle cups?) was to change the problematic pot metal tonearm/elbow into a metallic tonearm. An 8-page manual is freely available at ref.2. I recommend strongly to use diamond or sapphire tipped steel needles, readily available on eBay, to protect your precious records from wear and to save money long term.

Additional information:
ref.1: http://home.earthlink.net/~gnordenstam/PhonoCollection/ColumbiaFavorite.htm
ref.2: http://www.nipperhead.com/old/colgraf.htm
ref.3: http://www.arsc-audio.org/journals/v18/v18n1-3p33-143.pdf
ref.4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV8zZmJiCOY


About my graphophone:

The machine has been thoroughly cleaned and in-depth serviced. The mahogany cabinet has its original finish and no chips, cracks or scratches. The chrome fittings of all parts (bed plate, needle cups, Perfected tonearm, No.6 reproducer, etc.) have no corrosion. The graphophone plays loud and clear without any motor noise. I made a youtube video (click on pict.43) with the graphophone playing Art Mooney's "Piper's Junction" on Vogue picture disk No. R730, which is part of the album V101, and after that Artur Schnabel (Harold C. Schonberg: "the man who invented Beethoven", see his discography in ref.3) playing a part of Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto". Beethoven's piano concerto No. 5 ("Emperor") in E flat major Op. 73 with pianist Artur Schnabel [1882-1951], conductor Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is the second of three recordings (1932, 1942, 1947) of this concert, Schnabel did on July 22nd, 1942. It was released as a 5-record 12 inch 78 rpm set on RCA Victor Red Seal DM-939, and is very collectible by itself. Mine is complete and in mint condition and included in the sale as an option.
The camera used for the video is an old Kodak C643, the microphone of which is not prepared to accept the dynamics offered by the graphophone, as it flattens it due to its AVC (automatic volume control). It causes some high-pitched sounds, as well.
Please e-mail me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.



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Here are the specifications:

Technical Description of Item
Manufacturer Columbia Graphophone Co., Toronto, Canada
Model Grafonola model 50
Type Internal horn 78 rpm wind-up graphophone
Production Year 1915
Serial Number CO 5776
Cabinet Mahogany wood
Reproducer 2" dia. Columbia No.6
Tonearm "Perfected" tonearm in chrome
Motor Triple spring motor
Controls On/off, speed, stop position, record down/up
Dimensions (WxDxH) 18" x 22" x 13½"
Weight 16.1 kg = 36 lbs
Extras (optional) RCA Victor 1942 Red Seal album DM-939, Beethoven piano conc. No.5
Comment High-end best quality gramophone for all your 78 rpm needs
                    

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