Between 1901 and 1903 Columbia started to sell their first disc graphophones and records. Models AK, AJ and AH were front mount graphophones playing Emile Berliner's 7" records, and were sold for 15, 20 and 30 dollars, respectively. Here we have the entry model AK, style one in a later version from 1905, that is less ornate than the ribbed type two model. It features a 7" turntable platter and has a single spring motor, capable to play one full 10 inch record. The machine is equipped with its original and extremely powerful long-throat "Analyzing" reproducer. It is an advanced version featuring an automatic spring lever needle clamp instead of the early thumbscrew-type. Also all other parts are original and have a nice patina, including both aluminum tone arm and travelling arm, the turntable platter and crank, and even the 16" witch's hat horn with 9½" brass bell, and the brass elbow, parts of this early graphophone, that often are reproductions. The cabinet has two original decals, the pre-1905 Columbia banner decal and the 1900 Grand Prize Paris decal, both almost undamaged. In order to highlight the longevity of Berliner's invention I play again two records: a military march on a 7" Emerson record No. 7241 from 1917, and a 1947 10" record from near the end of the 78 rpm era, "Shine" by the Benny Goodman sextet. 25 years later you can watch Benny repeating this fox trot again on youtube (ref.1). As you can convince yourself the original long-throat analyzing reproducer has an incredible volume, as already observed for my model AJ (ref.2). The graphophone is for sale at my website (ref.3)
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