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                                                                 The Victor-Victrola Page 

Design Details:

1. Horns

2. Tonearm Designs

3. Cabinet Features

4. Soundboxes

5. Cranks and Speed Controls

Pictures and details on some of the design features of External Horn Victor phonographs. Each sequential page covers one aspect of the evolving designs. Advance to the next page via the link above or at the bottom of each page.


Victor Cabinets  Cabinets for Victor machines varied from nothing at all to simple plywood boxes to ornate custom-carved designs. Cabinets also evolved as the motor and tonearm designs improved. 

 

No Cabinet/Base Mount.  The earliest Victor machines (at first called "Eldridge Johnson" phonographs) had no cabinet at all, leaving the motor and other components completely exposed. The crank was wound from the top. The horn is supported from the base plate.

 

Top-winding/Front Mount Cabinet.  Very early Victor phonographs (including the "no cabinet" types listed above) used a top winding crank, wherein the winding key (crank) is wound above the turntable. This required that no record be present on the turntable when winding. Note: some early machines used a "lever-arm" to wind the spring. This arm was pumped via a ratchet type mechanism.  The horn is mounted via a support bracket on the front of the machine (facing the listener).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side Winding/Front Mount Cabinet.  During the latter part of 1901, Victor converted to a more practical side-winding crank, which allowed the user to wind the machine while the record remains on the turntable. The horn is mounted via a support bracket on the front of the machine (facing the listener).  A huge variety of different machines were produced using this design, which are covered under the individual model listings. Some were plain, while others used elaborate carvings and/or figuration.  From this point onward, cranks were always mounted on the side of the cabinet. The "Front Mount" horn support design was continued on some of the less expensive models through the early 'teens.

 

 

 

Rear Mount Cabinet. When the "Rigid Arm" tonearm design came into being in 1902 on some of the premium models, the horn support bracket was moved from the front of the machine to the rear. This cabinet configuration became Victor's standard design for the next 20+ years.

 

"Hump-Back" Cabinet.  Some "Victor II" machines manufactured from 1906 through 1909 had an offset section of wood to support the tonearm backbracket.  This design is often called a "hump back" cabinet.

Note: Blanking plates were used on some cabinets when Victor transitioned from the integral horn design to the rigid or taper arm configuration. During this transition time, many machines came with an "option" of a newer-style rear-mount horn. When this change was made, the front of the machine became the rear of the machine, and the larger horn support bracket could be added if desired. Metal plates were used to cover the mounting holes for the large back-bracket during the period of transition when both designs were available. The blanking plates typically appear as in the picture shown at left. Machines which were sold as "Front Mount" styles could be converted to "Rear Mount" at a later time by the dealer. So one may find evidence of both types of horn supports having been available via the presence of additional bracket supports (right). Considerable variations in plate designs and/or wording are common.

 

 

 

 

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