Brunswick panatrope

[rue]

I was asked by request to show off my great grandmother's 1922 Brunswick panatrope.

It's in need of repair and it's about to be sent off, but it worked up until 2 moves ago. I love the sound it makes

Here's an advertisement I found online with the exact same one.

According to the guy that is going to fix it they are pretty rare in this condition, but they don't cost very much anymore because most people don't want them. I think he said this one, when it was new, would have been around $800 on the west coast and $650 in the east.

PS. I tried to find a thread on these or even just phonographs and couldn't, so I hope it's okay that I started one.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Beautiful!!!

 

[rue]

Beautiful!!!

Awww... thanks Tom

 

[MissMittens]

Gorgeous panatrope. I've never seen one in person, and never seen one in this condition. Does it hum when you plug it in?

 

[rue]

Gorgeous panatrope. I've never seen one in person, and never seen one in this condition. Does it hum when you plug it in?

Yep, it sure does. It's in it's condition because it's never left our family. I can't imagine how anyone could get rid of them, because even if unused it's still beautiful.

 

[jamespowers]

Interesting. I have never seen one like that before.

 

[rue]

Interesting. I have never seen one like that before.

Later models came with a radio on the side where the shelves are and are more common. Maybe you've seen those?

 

[MissMittens]

The power supply hum is very common apparently

 

[rue]

The power supply hum is very common apparently

and the Mazda goes hummmmm...... lol sorry I couldn't resist

 

[MissMittens]

Thought they went "zooommmmmm"?

 

[jamespowers]

Later models came with a radio on the side where the shelves are and are more common. Maybe you've seen those?

That sounds more familiar.

 

[rue]

Thought they went "zooommmmmm"?

Older commercial. Must be before your time

 

[rue]

That sounds more familiar.

I thought it might. The guy was in shock when we told him that I had the one without the radio and had us check to make sure it wasn't taken out at some point. It wasn't.

 

[Fletch]

Are we sure about 1922?

-Loudspeakers were still not common for home radios in 1922, and were not yet built into cabinets.

-House current power was still a year or so away as well, and you'd need it to run anything more than a radio (such as a radio-phonograph).

-The Panatrope was the first electrically reproducing home phono. So it probably rolled out in 1925, when the industry began electrical recording.

 

[MissMittens]

Older commercial. Must be before your time

Didn't know they made Mazda till the 80's

 

[MissMittens]

-Loudspeakers were still not common for home radios in 1922, and were not yet built into cabinets.

-House current power was still a year or so away as well, and you'd need it to run anything more than a radio (such as a radio-phonograph).

-The Panatrope was the first electrically reproducing home phono. So it probably rolled out in 1925, when the industry began electrical recording.

1926 apparently. The 1922 on the nomenclature plate is a patent.

 

[rue]

-Loudspeakers were still not common for home radios in 1922, and were not yet built into cabinets.

-House current power was still a year or so away as well, and you'd need it to run anything more than a radio (such as a radio-phonograph).

-The Panatrope was the first electrically reproducing home phono. So it probably rolled out in 1925, when the industry began electrical recording.

Well, I'm no expert, but that's the last date on the back and the fix-it guy said it was, but if you know more about these things I would love to hear it Oh and it's not a radio. I'm not sure if you knew that.
Also I do know that my great grandfather built their house in 20' in California and he owned an electrical components company and made circuit breakers out there, so maybe he would have had more advanced electrical??

 

[Fletch]

So that RCA patent language covers only the amplifier and speaker...Interesting.

I know why no one wants these, BTW. Early electric phonographs fall thru cracks in collector interests which, by now, are very well defined:

- If you're into phonographs, your interest stops at acoustics.
- If you're into records, you only play them on modern equipment.
- If you're into radios, you don't give a tinker's cuss about phonographs or records of any kind.

 

[rue]

So that RCA patent language covers only the amplifier and speaker...Interesting.

I know why no one wants these, BTW. Early electric phonographs fall thru cracks in collector interests which, by now, are very well defined:

- If you're into phonographs, your interest stops at acoustics.
- If you're into records, you only play them on modern equipment.
- If you're into radios, you don't give a tinker's cuss about phonographs or records of any kind.

Well, like I always say.... the value of an object is in the eye of the beholder and since it's been in my family for just under a hundred years I can't imagine loving it more
It's interesting information though. Do you know anything else about it??

 

[LizzieMaine]

RCA actually built those units for Brunswick -- they were dickering with buying out the Brunswick phono and record operation at the time, but the deal fell thru and they ended up buying out Victor Talking Machine instead. You'll see that same horseshoe-magnet pickup on early Victor Electrolas.

The rubber damper inside that head will probably be hardened with age, and should be replaced for best results -- otherwise it'll wear the records more than it should.