This is a Sonora Grand (third from top of the line --- first the Supreme, followed by the Invincible, then the Grand). No, you should not be surprised by the metal tonearm. All Supremes do have wooden tonearms as far as I know, but not all Grands or Invincibles have them --- some had metal tonearms. Examples of high-end Sonoras in oak are harder to come by than the more common mahogany ones. I have never seen an oak Sonora with an oak tonearm, although they were supposedly available according to Sonora machine catalogs. I have asked some of the biggest collectors/dealers in the country about the existence of oak Sonora tonearms --- none have ever actually seen an oak Sonora tonearm. I can send more pics of machines if needed.
Regards, Bob On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 5:28 PM, Richard <richard_ru...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Can anyone tell me which model of Sonora phonograph this is? It looks to > be one of their higher-end bombe machines, but I've always had trouble > identifying particular Sonora models. If it is a higher-end machine, should > I be surprised that it doesn't have a wooden tone arm? (Do those wooden > tone arms really sound better, for that matter?) And am I the only one > who's never seen a Sonora in oak before? It seems to me every one I've ever > seen has been mahogany. Thoughts?Oh, and if anyone has one of these and > would like to share photos of it, I'd appreciate it; I'm especially curious > about what it's supposed to look like with the doors open. > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: mystery sonora.jpg > Type: image/jpeg > Size: 31338 bytes > Desc: not available > URL: < > http://oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/attachments/20140319/b6195a43/attachment.jpg > > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.org > -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 001206-006 GRAND.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 39787 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/attachments/20140319/45117266/attachment.jpg> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 010311-012 INVINCIBLE.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 86905 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/attachments/20140319/45117266/attachment-0001.jpg> _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
