Mechanical Music Through the Ages

A collection of Mechanical Music and Arcade Machines – highlighting examples of the development in mechanical entertainment over time.

EMG Gramophone 1927 (UK)

E.M.G. Hand-Made Gramophones Limited was founded in 1923 by Ellis Michael Ginn. These gramophones have often been described as “only its inventor could love it” mostly due to the size and appearance, of the paper mache horn attached to the player. However, proponents of the EMG love the gramophone’s ability to reproduce sounds most other gramophones miss out on. There still rages a debate between owners of EMG’s and Re-entrant machines as to which reproduces the best sound quality. For me it is the EMG. They are best displayed in a large room where the ability to appreciate the sound and accoustics is uppermost. Between 1928 and 1954 EMG were awarded 16 patents relating to the sound reproduction from their gramophones.