Decca type 75 Gramophone - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

1100 man · 11th Sep 2019, 6:39 pm

Having repaired an HMV 101 a while back for a friend, I've been keeping half an eye out for something similar for myself.

People seem to ask wildly optimistic prices for anything old these days, assuming it must be 'rare' & therefore valuable.

This machine caught my eye last weekend, the seller asking £100 for it with a box of records. We arrived at half that amount which considering it's in pretty good condition and seems to work, I was quite happy with.

There seems to be an almost endless amount of machines all of which seem to be subtle variations on the HMV 101, but with different brand names. I've seen Decca, Columbia, HMV & Truetone just last weekend.

Were they all made by the same company but with different branding, or are they all different manufacturers using common parts? I assume many of the record labels offered their own branded players as well?

The label under the platter on this Decca says 'Made in London', 'Type 75', 12/ 1934.

I've yet to test it properly as I'm on a very quiet campsite and I'm not sure my fellow campers would appreciate it! But I'll give it a run through when I get home and obviously take it apart to see what sort of motor it has!

All the best
Nick

11th Sep 2019, 6:39 pm	#1
1100 man Octode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight, & Great Dunmow, Essex, UK. Posts: 1,377	Decca type 75 Gramophone Having repaired an HMV 101 a while back for a friend, I've been keeping half an eye out for something similar for myself. People seem to ask wildly optimistic prices for anything old these days, assuming it must be 'rare' & therefore valuable. This machine caught my eye last weekend, the seller asking £100 for it with a box of records. We arrived at half that amount which considering it's in pretty good condition and seems to work, I was quite happy with. There seems to be an almost endless amount of machines all of which seem to be subtle variations on the HMV 101, but with different brand names. I've seen Decca, Columbia, HMV & Truetone just last weekend. Were they all made by the same company but with different branding, or are they all different manufacturers using common parts? I assume many of the record labels offered their own branded players as well? The label under the platter on this Decca says 'Made in London', 'Type 75', 12/ 1934. I've yet to test it properly as I'm on a very quiet campsite and I'm not sure my fellow campers would appreciate it! But I'll give it a run through when I get home and obviously take it apart to see what sort of motor it has! All the best Nick