FOR SALE
Selling a few items. You can now only buy them directly from here. Payment is preferred via Paypal. Email me with your order and I will send you a Paypal invoice. I may sometimes also sell these on Ebay but at a slightly higher price to cover Ebay and Paypal costs.
The E.M.G. Story by Francis James
I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to Francis James for his timeless guidance, his readiness to offer information and all his help in establishing this collection. Before this book, very little was known about the world of E.M.G. Handmade Gramophones and EXPERT Handmade Gramophones.
Mr. James' excellent research has uncovered a mine of fascinating information about these two rival British companies and the people who helped make these huge horned gramophones.
E.M.G Handmade Gramophones Ltd was founded in 1923 by Ellis Michael Ginn. Helped by Henry Seymour, Percy Wilson, David Phillips & Balfour Davey, he did in fact produce the best acoustic gramophones on the market.
However, in 1930, Ellis Michael Ginn, lost control of his namesake company and Balfour Davey found himself in charge of E.M.G.
Ginn subsequently started up the rival "EXPERT" brand. Francis James takes the reader through the intrigue, politics and rivalry of the times, to make this a compelling read.
This book is now out of print (Only a few copies left). The books for sale here are NEW and include a dustcover and bookmark. The author, Francis James has given permission to now also include photocopies of two postscripts that were written by him and published in, "For The Record".
PRICE is £150 (US$185). Postage at cost. Please contact me with your location for postal quotes.
PRICE is USD$26 (£20) each.
Please request exact postage as it can vary hugely, especially during these Covid times.
Tracked postage to anywhere in the world is usually USD$26 (£20) for any number you buy.
Normal airmail postage from Australia simply does not exist anymore.
Paypal charges are around 4.7% of the total with postage.
EMG, EXPERT, Davey, Victor and HMV replacement rubber parts
These rubber parts are made from 100% Natural Rubber. Custom made to exact original specs.
TYPE A: 28.5mm x 20mm x 13mm. Replacement for most EMG, Expert, Meltrope II soundboxes to fit a HMV/ Victor re-entrant tonearm (~20mm). Try an EMG, Expert, Meltrope II soundbox on your re-entrant. On some soundboxes an additional washer is required for better compression. I will include a fiber washer with the Type A.
TYPE B: 28.5mm x 17.8mm x 13mm. Replacement for most EMG, Expert, Meltrope II soundboxes to fit a normal tonearm (~18mm)
TYPE C: 26.5mm x 17.8mm x11.8mm. Replacement for Meltrope III soundboxes. Also fits snugly into the 5A/B soundboxes and fits on an EMG, Expert or HMV 4 tonearm. There is obviously no compression nut but with a bit of talcum powder it fits perfectly on the tonearm without the metal ring.
TYPE D: 23.5mm x 17.8mm x 10mm. Replacement for some early EMG and for the Meltrope I soundboxes.
TYPE E: 28mm x 17mm x 13mm. Replacement for ASTRA 5 soundbox and some EMG soundboxes
TYPE F: 23mm x 17mm x 10mm. Replacement for some early EMG and for the Meltrope I soundboxes. ALSO a replacement for a HMV4 soundbox , It fits over the cleaned metal ring and snuggly into the HMV 4 soundbox.
(Type E and Type F are odd sizes I have found on some rare EMG soundboxes, they also work on normal EMG soundboxes.
TYPE G: Replacement rubber for a Davey Rollright thorn needle sharpener.
TYPE H: Replacement rubber for Victor Orthophonic, HMV 5A , 5B No16. This part has the all-important outer lip which creates an airtight seal with the tonearm. Without this outer lip your reproducer will never sound its best. It is exactly the same as the original, even having the knurled profile to exactly match the inner metal ring. This item is only the rubber not the metal flange within the rubber. You will need to remove your old part and use the original metal ring. Enlarge image on left to view knurling profile on the inside of the rubber ring.
My personal method for removing the rubber from an HMV 5A or 5B soundbox. All this at your own risk of course.
REMEMBER the back plate is "POT-METAL". The quality of Pot-Metal varies hugly and over time it has usually swollen and is very brittle. I have seen lots of 5A and 5B soundboxes with broken collars, so be warned!
PART 1:
The biggest problem is unscrewing the two grub screws. This is also a sign that the pot-metal has swollen and if those two grub screws do not come out easily, my advice is to go streight to Part 2 without removing the grub screws.
The grub screw slot head often splits and then the only solution is drilling them out. I soak the back of the reproducer in WD40 overnight and that usually loosens the screws to help remove them.
Then try and slowly twist the rubber off. If that does not work, place a small flathead screwdriver inside at a 45 degree angle and twist. Do this all around; this usually lifts it out a fraction at a time without damage.
Don't force it or you will break the pot-metal collar.
PART 2:
If that does not work, I cut the top of the rubber clean off and drill tiny holes all around the remaining rubber, between the body and the metal ring. I then soak the collar in a solvent overnight to soften the rubber. This will remove it but may also strip the black paint from the collar depending on what solvent you use.
PART 3:
With my replacement, the original metal ring needs to be removed from the old rubber and fitted to the new rubber. Take a note of the orientation of the metal ring. Clean all the old rubber from the metal ring. I use a wire brush. The replacement rubber has a profiled inside to fit the metal flange. Talcum powder will help with installing the rubber back into the soundbox. Align the holes in the metal ring with the grub screw holes. Drill a small hole in the rubber through the grub screw hole and replace the two screws.