HARDWOOD RECORD 



Utilization of HardWoods 



Things change and change rapidly. What 

 is regarded as satisfactory at one time is 

 considered less valuable or even Tvorthloss at 

 a later period. So in the ease of the grapho- 

 phone, that reproducer of human speech so 

 popular just now, there has recently occurred 

 a change which is almost revolutionary, and 

 hardwood was the means of achieving this 

 result. 



Until a year ago metal was used in the 

 construction of the horns used on grapho- 



SMALL liOKNLESS UKAPllUi'HONE 



phones. From the start there was evident 

 rather a harsh, rasping sound always unsat- 

 isfactory because it failed to produce tones 

 truthfully. Manufacturers, however, contin- 

 ued its use for the very good reason that they 

 knew of nothing better. 



The horn of the graphophone is probably 

 the most essential part of the instrument, it 

 is doubtless a wonderful thing to record 

 sounds, but it is equally as important to re- 

 produce them accurately, and the horn is 

 largely responsible for this part of the work. 



About a year ago, after some experimenta- 

 tion, it was ascertained that by the use of 

 certain hardwoods a horn could be made that 

 would give the most pleasing tones possible 

 under present conditions. The 'reason for this 

 is that metal reverberates, each tone making 

 a slight echo, giving an unsteady and harsh 

 sound. With the hardwood horn, tones are 

 reproduced with a mellowness and softness 

 that is a vast improvement over the old metal 

 styles. 



In constructing these wooden horns a bell- 

 shaped mold is made twenty-eight inches long, 

 twenty-six inches wide at the widest place 

 and two inches wide at the throat where 

 the finished horn will tit onto the machine 

 proper. These are precisely the dimensions 

 of the old metal horn as first invented — that 

 is, for the average sized graphophone. 

 Into this mold sixteen panels, three inches 

 wide at the broad end and tapering down to 

 nothing at the other end, are dovetailed and 

 then bent until they conform to the shape 

 of the mold. The panels are then grooved 

 and remain in the mold from two to three 

 weeks, or until they are thoroughly bent into 



ARTICLE .\XXVI 

 GRAPHOPHONES 



tho desired shape. When the horn is fin- 

 ished it is quite impossible to tell that it is 

 pieced, so skillfully and accurately are the 

 segments matched up and the finishing done. 

 For these horns spruce, oak and mahogany 

 are the woods most used. Spruce gives the 

 best tone, as it is more resonant than the 

 others. Oak and mahogany are used in 

 greater quantities, however; they give satis- 

 faction from the point of view of tone, and 

 besides are more beautiful woods and more 

 popular at present for cabinet purposes. Oak 

 ;uul mahogany match much better than spruce 

 in addition to being of" greater streugtli, 

 which accounts for their being more widely 

 used in this line. 



These graphophone horns are made of 

 three-ply veneer, cross-banded^ and so con- 

 structed that they do not warp or lose their 

 shape. Both the outside and inside layers of 

 veneer are arranged so that the grain runs 

 spirally around the horn. The veneer is 

 usually one-fifth of an inch thick. Manufac- 

 turers claim, and it is easily understood, that 

 a veneered horn is not only much more satis- 

 factory than one of solid wood, but is also 

 stronger. Since the grain of the wood runs 

 round the horn, it is much less likely to split 

 than it would be if made of solid wood. 



Veneered horns are made in both plain 

 and fancy styles. Some have ribs and carved 

 panels, some are built up with raised effects, 

 but the most popular style is the smooth 

 three-ply horn of regulation shape, when 



wood of attractive grain is used and the horn 

 well finished. In some cases horns are faced 

 with mahogany and various other woods to 

 take the eye of the buyer seeking something 

 new. 



This is one instance where wood has sup- 

 planted metal because of the sound feature 

 entirely. It has been thought for a great 

 many years that all kinds of woods were dead- 

 ening so far as the power to transmit sound 



IIIGH-CLASS CABINET GnArHOPlIONE 



is concerned, because of their non-resonant 

 character. This idea is evidently a mistaken 

 one, for although metal more sharply conveys 

 sound, wood conveys it more clearly. 



CABINET FOR HOLDING Cri.INDER RECORDS CABINET FOR HOLDING DISC RECORDS 



