These old record players, or gramophones, are now making a comeback as aesthetic decorative pieces for homes aiming for the vintage look, especially with them coming in different retro colors.
A gramophone is an ancient instrument allowing to play mechanically a piece of music recorded on a metal phonographic record. It follows the Thomas Edison cylinder phonograph , and patented by Émile Berliner.
For young folks who haven’t used these before, a gramophone consists of three elements:
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A turntable where the disc is deposited. The plate is then rotated by means of a crank or later by a spring motor;
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A tubular arm having one of its ends a reading end, which is composed of a needle, like a sewing needle, and a diaphragm, which can pivot and follow the movement of the head on the disk;
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And an amplification device, usually a conical shape. The most common of these devices is a decorated sheet metal pavilion.
It is fully mechanical for rotating the disc as well as reproducing the sound.
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The rotations is assured by a spring which is tended beforehand by listening to a disc, by actuating a key or crank a few turns, and the speed is ensured by a regulator.
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Listening is done by the reading head, whihc weighs about 100 – 200 grams, and consists of a vibrating membrane by means of a needle or sapphire under the impulse of the sinuosities of the furrow, and amplified by a flag, a funnel or sound box.
Source: Wikipedia
