The “Guiniphone” Gramophone

The “Guiniphone” or “Guinea Portable” was made by  Vickers Armstrong Ltd. and retailed by The Guinea Portable Gramophone Company Co Ltd of 69 Farringdon Road,  London EC1. The gramophone was made in 1929 and is very similar to an American version known as the “Polly Portable”.

This ingenious gramophone dispenses with the need for an amplifying horn and instead uses a large card diaphragm to produce sufficient volume. A few other models attempted this of which the HMV 460 gramophone with the “Lumiere” diaphragm is probably the most striking. That invention proved to be too heavy and damaged the records, but in this case the diaphragm/horn is self-constructed and made from thin card.

The Guiniphone plays surprisingly well but should be considered as a novelty rather than a practical machine for playing records regularly. The card diaphragm is original and still usable. The original provided with this example is the alternative original design. A replica of the printed instructions disc is present and the overall condition is very good and  the gramophone is wholly original. A real collector’s item.

The gramophone comes with 100 needles and a selection of 78s if required.

Price £280.00