New member with Sonora's

Hi all, I am new here and to the phonograph world all together. I purchased my first machine about 2 weeks ago and it was a Sonora Nocturne model. It plays great but the finish on the outside is baked pretty good and a very dark brown. I bought it because I remember my Dad having an old cabinet Edison when I was a kid and having to sell it to pay some bills. So I bought it and brought it home along with about 50 78's in the cabinet. After doing some research and getting some new needles and such it was playing great. In the past 2 weeks I have acquired 350 78's and about 800 needles, needle tins, Old ad's with my machine in it, and also another Sonora phonograph.

The second Sonora I bought on e-bay with very little to go on, It only had one half blurry picture in the listing, but I could see it had the brass tone arm and a good reproducer so I figured it would at least be good for spare parts. It came as described in the auction and is pretty beat up, But I checked it out and added a little grease to the important stuff in the motor and cranked it up. It plays great as well. I can't find very much info at all on this one though. It is a Sonora portable/suitcase model that is covered in leather with a flip down flap to let the sound come out of the internal horn. O have only been able to find a few pictures online, one was an ended e-bay auction the other from snapfish. I also saw an ad with it in a 1924 Sonora models in Australia.

Any info you guys with more knowledge could send my way would be much appreciated. Hopefully I could contribute here in the future as well. Thank you.

I'll also post a few pictures when I get them taken.

The Sonora Portables hit the market around 1918 or a little earlier, I believe. Anyway Google news archive search shows 1918 as the earliest date. This add from 1923 shows a model similar to the one you describe:


(CLICK THE IMAGE TO MAKE FULL SIZE)

At $60, the equivalent of around $850-$900 in today's money, they were relatively expensive. The more deluxe oak or mahogany Victor VV-50 -- http://www.victor-victrola.com/50.htm -- was priced about $10 less.

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Not sure what you want to do about the Sonora Symphony's finish, but if it's relatively intact, you might try the method described here to restore some of the original luster, rather than refinishing it -- http://www.gracyk.com/restore.shtml


For both models, if you haven't already done this, or if it was not done by a previous owner, check the "sound box" (reproducer) gaskets holding the mica diaphragm in place. If they are rock hard, they should be replaced as soon as possible with fresh soft gaskets. Not only will this reduce record wear, but it will totally transform the sound quality -- what's simply loud or high-pitched will become full, and slightly mellow.

Congratulations on your finds.

Joe

Hey, thanks Joe, That is a little more info then I have found about the portable. That looks like it in that ad you posted. Its in rough shape but I don't really want to mess with it. It has character! I just want to make sure nothing falls off of it if I pick it up to move it. The leather is all coming away from the wood, so I have been trying to glue it back the best I can. Both of the reproducers could use a rebuild, but they are in pretty good shape for their age. i didn't think of using other search engines when looking for info. I'll have to try a few others. I'm looking forward to learning more about these machines and have become a Sonora fan overnight. Looks like its antique stores and flea markers and yard sale for me searching for new treasures from now on. Thanks again for the reply. Much appreciated.