Ghost manufacturers?

It is interesting that many record changers were made by other companies.

I don't mean where a company bought a well-known changer and glued its own name on it. I mean that the well-known company had another company manufacture the changer.

Here are some examples:

- Chicago Steel made most of the parts for Webster Mfg changers in the 1940s, before they merged to become Webster-Chicago, and later Webcor

- Milwaukee Stamping Company made the GE and Milwaukee-Erwood changers in the 1940s

- Galvin Manufacturing made most of the Motorola changers

- V-M made the RCA RP-168 45 rpm changers

- Bendix made the Farnsworth P-51 changer

- Alliance, best known for its "Tenna-Rotor" TV antenna rotators, made the Silvertone record changers of the 1950s and 1960s

- Gebruder Steidinger made Dual

- Admiral made the Ensign and Lafayette Knight-Kit changers

- Glaser-Steers made GE changers, and was ultimately bought by GE

- Webcor made non-V-M versions of the Zenith Micro-Touch changers

- V-M made parts for Telefunken changers

- V-M made the B.I.C. changers

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There are also the usual cases of companies putting their own names on changers also sold under the manufacturer's name:

- Many manufacturers put their names on BSR (Birmingham Sound Reproducers) changers

- Many manufacturers put their own names on V-M changers

- Grundig put its own name on Perpetuum-Ebner and Philips changers

- Magnavox put its own name on Webster-Chicago, Collaro (before buying it), V-M and Philips changers

- All Columbia changers were V-M changers

- All Motorola changers after 1955 were V-M changers

- Philco put its name on Webster, Glaser-Steers, and V-M changers

- Fisher put its name on Lincoln changers and on Perpetuum-Ebner changers

- Tandy put the Realistic name on ELAC, BSR, and V-M changers

- Aga put its name on Thorens and Philips changers

- Silvertone put its name on some V-M changers

- Westinghouse and Sherwood put their names on V-M Professional Series changers

- Wumo put its name on Dekamix (also translated Dekomix and Dokamix) changers

Finally, there were several import companies that put their own names on imported changers:

- Garrard Sales Corporation imported Garrard in the 1950s

- British Industries Corporation imported Garrard for many years, and then put its own name on a V-M changer

- Rockbar Corporation imported Collaro before Magnavox bought it

- United Audio imported Dual

- Audiogersh imported ELAC (Miracord) first, then Benjamin imported ELAC

- Various companies imported Perpetuum-Ebner, including Majestic, PE Phonograph, Elpa, and Impro

- Because of conflicts in trademark ownership, Norelco was founded solely to import Philips products

- American Elite imported Telefunken

- Ercona imported Wumo

IS ANYBODY WRITING THIS DOWN???

Larry, that is great information. You've brought up some names I haven't heard of in years since I started tinkering with stuff as a kid back in the early 60's. I like those VM changers, though...seems like you can spot one in a hot minute. Just something about the styling that gets my attention, plain, simple and functional. I especially like those micro-touch units.

I also have a small VM machine that has side-facing speakers, no radio, and the tonearm/cartridge housing is tiny...sorta shaped like a V or maybe a small fork with two tines.

I Can remember back around 1965 where our classrooms had those brown VM suitcase record-players with the automatic changer and front-mounted speaker. Not your typical classroom Rheem or Califone style. I would love to find one of those. I also recall seeing four wires on the cartridge as if they were stereo.

Here I go rambling again. Thanks for the info...your posts are always informative and entertaining and I'm sure that we all can benefit in one way or another from them. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

I've been told that Zenith's Cobra and Cobra-Matic series of changers were made by Seeburg.

Dave vincent wrote:I've been told that Zenith's Cobra and Cobra-Matic series of changers were made by Seeburg.

Probably not. The mechanisms of the two companies have nothing in common.

- Seeburg used a single large change cycle cam for its drop changers. The changer cycle was slow.

- Zenith had three camshafts with a chain drive linking them together in their 1940s and 1950s changers. Nobody else used this. The change cycle was fast. They also had an electric velocity trip.

The VM's that I'm referring to kinda looked like those record players sometimes showed on "M*A*S*H" with the automatic changers sorta seated down in the cabinet. I recall seeing an Admiral had a similar suitcase unit, possibly with a VM changer, and some other suitcase models that used a BSR changer.

I can remember as a kid back in the late 50's/early 60's, that my Mom ordered one in the mail and it came in two boxes; the second box had an extension speaker. The main unit was two-toned, blue & white, and had two 6" speakers in the front cloth grille and the volume/tone and possibly balance on the front through the grille. I don't know what channel the extension speaker fed from since it only contained one 6" speaker. I think the inside of the lid said something like "Lauraline High-Fidelity". She could have ordered it from one of thse old catalogs like Spiegels, Aldens, Sears, Monkey-Ward, etc. --BB

Very interesting topic. Great information

Galvin Manufacturing made most of the Motorola changers

Galvin Manufacturing Corporation was the official name of Motorola, until it was changed to Motorola, Inc. in 1947.

Grundig put its own name on Perpetuum-Ebner and Philips changers

Also on Telefunken Changers

I don't see Crescent (used in Sears Silvertone) or RCA Victor listed.

RCA actually made their own changers. I toured the factory where they made them in Indianapolis in 1962 (they had an open house).

V-M made some of the early RCA changers. RCA also had a patent agreement with V-M, so they could make the RP-205 thru RP-216.

Alliance made the Crescent and Silvertone units.

Re: Dual. Gebruder Steidinger was the original company in Germany who made Dual products. Their first phono product was something called a Dual motor (which could be either hand cranked or ran on AC current, hence a Dual motor). The company was later renamed Dual.

I know I'm on here a lil' late, but this really is intriguing information! I had absolutely no idea that some companies manufactured goods for other companies. What's funny is that many of the manufacturing companies merge with the ones they're manufacturing for. My question is this: If the majority of these companies eventually merge, who retains the patents for the various products they've invented? Does it become property of that entire entity or does it still belong to the original company? I don't know much about patent litigation. Not sure how that works! =)

Either way, this is some cool stuff! As a phonograph collector and enthusiast, my dad is gonna get a kick out of this.

Pam,
This is common in all manufacturing--one company making "things" and attaching a "rivals" brand nameplate. It is also common for one company to purchase another rival, and close it down, or allow it to run "independently", as "competition". (Think GE appliances, and Hotpoint---K-Mart and Sears)
As for a merger, I would assume that since there would only be one company left, it would acquire all of the patent rights of the two former companies.--but there may be "other terms" agreed to in the merger-- Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Pam,
This is common in all manufacturing--one company making "things" and attaching a "rivals" brand nameplate. It is also common for one company to purchase another rival, and close it down, or allow it to run "independently", as "competition". (Think GE appliances, and Hotpoint---K-Mart and Sears)
As for a merger, I would assume that since there would only be one company left, it would acquire all of the patent rights of the two former companies.--but there may be "other terms" agreed to in the merger-- Ron Rich

Right on Ron.
Unless you're living in a cave or under a rock (or glued to a cellphone) I can't see why this is anything astounding.

Matt,
The reason most people do not realize the above is that the "marketing dept." of these companies spends lots of $$ trying to make one "brand" or another stand out--1st time I realized this, was when I went to visit a friend that owned a "fish market". He ran out of "Petrole sole" in the pan in the display case, so he just moved sole from a pan marked "filet of sole" into that pan. He later went into the back and came out with more fish, and proceeded to load all three pans back up. I asked him what's the difference between "regular" ( marked just "sole") and the other two. He said--"Price only--people think it's better if the price is higher---" Ron Rich