Fake Gramophones

I have mention in my previous post that I will be sharing regarding the recent increase in fake gramophones in the market. As I have shared, gramophones are getting more and more popular this days and it is easy to fool a beginner with an imitation gramophone. Most of this imitation gramophones usually comes from both China and India. This imitation gramophones are often found or sold through the internet auction sites and mail order catalogue. Most of the time, they will be advertised as original antique gramophones.

The interesting part is that this type of imitation gramophones comes in all funny shapes and sizes. Some cases are octagonal and round. Trust me, no matter what they tell you, these are just not original production of gramophones. Some even have the HMV (His Master's Voice) Lookalike logo. Pls refer below for the fakes logo and gramophone production from both China & India.

This a an imitation label for most gramophones from India

          This one is the imitation label for most gramophones from China. It is a fake Victor Tag from China.

 

This type of gramophone might look like a normal gramophones to a novice but upon closer inspection, you would notice that the horn are offset from the tone arm. An original gramophone horn is not separated from the tone arm. You can also look at the fake victor tag. The imitation gramophone on this picture is normally produced in China.

Finally, a lot of fake gramophones are made together from original wind-up portable and new parts. Do look out for poor castings and poor fitting parts in the horn elbow, torn arm and bracket. If the motor comes from a suitcase portable, you will be able to see a "plate & pillar" motor as shown on the picture on the left.

Well, I guess I have shared some things to note when you are interested to buy an antique gramophones. Do drop me an email if you have any further queries or would like to know more about antique gramophones.

Antiques Gramophone

Today I will be sharing about Antique Gramophone as I believe that this piece of antique is one of the best item to collect besides antique clocks. Not only will it helps to make your house unique itself but it will also be a conversation starter for guests who come to your house. Trust me, your guests will be amaze and curious about your new collection. If you would ask my dad to talk about antique gramophone, he can talk for hours just on this subject.

Anyway, for some history lesson, it is believe that the first person who invented the gramophone was the famous Thomas Edison. He invented the first music playing gadget before he turn his attention on creating light bulbs. He named his first music playing gadget as phonograph that played recorded sounds from round cylinders. The picture on the left is an example of Thomas Edison gramophone. But to be honest, Thomas Edison phonograph's sound was really bad and every recording can only last 1 play.

It was actually Emile Berliner who made Gramophone popular. He was the first person who start recording on flat disks or records and stop recording on cylinders. He founded the famous "The Gramophone Company" that mass produce sound disks for the Gramophone to play them. Most antique collectors will remember his company official trademark, "His Master's Voice" which until today remained one of the most best-known trademark. Its a picture of a cute doggie next to the gramophone.

Antique gramophone is fast getting popular with a lot of people lately. The main reason is the unique sound that is produced from the machine. There are a lot of imitation and fake gramophones in the market and I will be sharing to you some of them so that you can keep a lookout whenever you intend to buy one yourself. In the meantime, if you still have not decided to get an antique gramophone yourself, I hope the clip below will change your mind :) Happy Listening !