1900 Bettini Edison Micro-Standard Phonograph * Uncommon & All-Original
$12,000.00
Gianni Bettini did for turn-of-the-century cylinder phonographs what Saul Marantz and Frank McIntosh did for mid-century stereo systems — he took them from the living room to the Salon, where pre-recorded music was not simply another form of home entertainment, it was a high art, and where the devices used to reproduce music were not simply appliances, or machines, they were instruments. As such, Bettini was arguably the world’s first audiophile, or audiophile enabler, and his Micro-Reproducers and Micro-Recorders remain testaments both to the valor that lies in the pursuit of the absolute sound — that pure note — and to the beauty that lies at the intersection of form and function.
Offered here is a ca. 1900 Edison Standard Phonograph with a complete Bettini attachment, including the original Bettini horn, which was as novel as the Micro-Reproducer. First catalogued by Bettini in 1900, the phonograph was designated the “Micro-Standard,” and it retained that name throughout the better part of the decade and several iterations of the Edison Standard Phonograph.
Uncommon in any configuration but certainly with its original horn, the phonograph is in very good condition, is working well, and has no replica or replacement parts. The reproducer’s unique spider assembly is complete and undamaged, and the spider’s legs are still securely attached to the diaphragm. The painted aluminum horn has no dings or dents, and the horn’s nozzle is still securely attached to its barrel. The horn’s paint is worn but stable. The Edison Standard’s mechanism is in good working order, and the cabinet is clean, with a smooth original finish. The bedplate is likewise clean, with glossy original enamel and prominent original decorations. The phonograph includes an early brown wax cylinder housed in a replica Bettini record canister.
Overall, an extraordinary phonograph that will arrive ready to play, display and enjoy.
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SOLD