The talking machine world (July-Dec 1924)

November 15, 1924 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 215 FROM OUR EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS — ( Continued from page 214) Hornless, Table Grand, Upright and Horizontal Cabinet Grands Actual Manufacturers Export a specialty REX GRAMOPHONE COMPANY 59 Chiswell Street, LONDON, E. C, England Cable Address "Lyrecodisc, London" properties of the pleated diaphragm. Handling an ordinary circular paper fan one day, he noticed that when striking the center the sound of the blow was greatly magnified. Applying the principle to the gramophone he evolved a suitable type of diaphragm and then placed his invention in the hands of the Gramophone Co., Ltd., for development. The consensus of critical opinion here is that the new machines possess a powerful tone and are more faithful in quality to the original than anything so far evolved. Tremendous advertising and publicity campaigns are being conducted by the Gramophone Co. in connection with the new invention. Columbia Activities The Columbia Graphophone Co., as in former years, is stimulating retail activity by a further series of window display competitions, offering hundreds of pounds in prizes during the months of October, November and December to dealers making the best displays of Columbia records and the new Grafonola. On October 15, in the Chancery Division, the Columbia Co. applied for and was granted an injunction restraining a dealer, Henry Murray, of Croydon, from selling Regal records below the fixed prices and infringing the company's rights in respect to its letters patent. The company has just celebrated the first anniversary of the introduction of the New Process records and the new Columbia Grafonola. It claims that millions of the new records have been sold, and that the success has made pos sible the production of a number of complete orchestral symphonies and other ambitious works. Plans for British Industries Fair The preliminary announcements have just been made, of the British Industries Fair, to be held, as in former years, at the White City, Shepherd's Bush. The fair is the eleventh of the series and will be held from the 16th to the 27th of February, 1925. A special music section will again be organized by the Federation of British Music Industries. Mme. Galli-Curci's Records Make Reputation The visit of Madame Galli-Curci to this country has occasioned that amount of publicity usually only given to visits of Royal personages. The reputation built up for her by the "His Master's Voice" Co.'s recordings of her voice was such that months ago, when her recital for October 11 was announced, the whole of the 10,000 seats in the Albert Hall were sold. Introduce Ingenious Stop The British Polyphon Co., Ltd., maker of the well-known Dulcetto gramophones, has just introduced a new and ingenious gadget to its models in the form of an auto-gramophone stop. This works in conjunction with a goose-neck tone arm, permitting, as the sound box is lifted, a wire passing through the arm and elbow to the motor, to actuate a small spring which engages a brake directly acting on the governor. Record Elgar's "The Dream of Gerontius" Recordings of the standard classics and musical masterpieces of late have been extremely prolific, and students of every form of musical art can now obtain in permanent form examples of practically all the finest composers' compositions. The latest big achievement here is the production by the Edison Bell Co. (J. E. Hough, Ltd.) of Elgar's masterpiece, "The Dream of Gerontius." It holds eight doublesided velvet-face records, the complete set being issued in a handsome album retailing at 45/ inclusive. Avoiding the "Handling" Annoyance by Customers In busy establishments highly polished instruments are often finger-marked by customers, spoiling the appearance of the display and very often necessitating frequent repolishing in order that the machines may be shown to the best advantage. One dealer has solved the problem by having neat little signs printed which read as follows: "Please do not handle merchandise." These signs are placed on the instrument so that anyone standing before it cannot help but see them. Another customer-annoyance which sometimes causes loss to dealers is the carelessness of customers in placing records on the turntable of the instrument. This is especially so where the patron is permitted to handle several records at a time.. They permit the records to rub against each other with the result that they become scratched, making perfect reproduction impossible. Here, too, several dealers have overcome this trouble by signs asking customers to be careful to avoid marring records. Landon-Gleckner Music Go. Opens in Williamsport, Pa. William sport, Pa., November 6. — The LandonGleckner Music Co., just formed here, has been formally opened at 427 Market street with a complete line of music goods. Ernest E. Landon, one of the partners in the business, has been head of the piano department in the Megahan & Megahan store for the past thirteen years. Byron L. Gleckner, the other proprietor, is a professional musician and will have charge of the small goods department. The store will have a radio department, in charge of Kenneth Breon, a graduate of the Radio Engineering College, New York. "Hear Caruso on the Pixie Grippa, it will astonish you" A Miniature Gramophone at a miniature price but with a giant voice The Pixie Grippa is a tiny gramophone ; it only measures 7y2 in. x 4% in. x 10>£ in., and only weighs 6]/2 lbs., and yet it plays 12 inch records with all the tone, depth, and detail of a big machine. The Pixie Grippa is a triumph of manufacture. Every part is constructed on scientific lines, and is strong and durable and capable of really hard wear in the home or on the journey anywhere. It has no loose parts and all the working parts are hidden and the delicate mechanism of the sound box is securely encased. The Pixie Grippa has a Secondary Amplifying Horn which effects a 20 per cent, increase in tone, so that it will fill the largest room with great ease. This Machine has been truly named "The Wonder of Wembley." Customers from every part of the world have insisted on purchasing this machine in preference to all other portables at the British Empire Exhibition. The World's patents on this machine are now in process of completion and the Patentee is prepared to consider proposals for manufacture in U. S. A. and Canada under license terms. ( In Leatherette case £2 9 6 $12.50 PRICE ] In Oak Case 2 15 0 13.50 f in Solid Oak case 3 5 0 15.00 Sample Machine Prepaid Post free by parcel post all countries except Australia and New Zealand. Trade Discounts available in cases containing 48 machines Size 42 x 33 x 25=23 cubic feet Sole Patentee H. J. CULLUM Perophone, Ltd. 76-8 City Road, E. C. LONDON, ENGLAND Cables, PEROWOOD, LONDON