Most brands used a mica diaphragm in the reproducer. The tone arms varied in size and shape most were composed of two or more sections and were not truly tapered in design since that would violate the tapered tone arm patent still held by the Victor Talking Machine Company. Most tone arms sold by independent makers were of the “universal” type which held reproducers that could be turned and positioned to play either lateral or vertical shellac records. The Bush & Lane Company’s Cecilaphone was named after Saint Cecilia, patron saint of music. Other company owners simply named machines after themselves-hence, the Cheney, Crafts, Crippen, Emerson, Fisher, Heintzman, Heywood-Wakefield, Onken, Steger, Weser and Wilson. The machine made by Sachs and Company was called the Saxola. William Tonk called his machine the Tonkola. The Robinola’s name no doubt was derived from the robin’s reputation for song the Harmonola’s name was clearly derived from “harmony.” Some company owners added “-ola” to their own names. Some companies limited their range of possibilities by following a trend of adding “-ola” to a prefix. With hundreds of phonograph brands on the market, executives of new firms had difficulty selecting distinct and memorable names for their products.
Heavy advertising in TMW did not guarantee brisk sales. The Delpheon Company of Bay City, Michigan, paid for large advertisements in most issues from 1916 to 1918, yet only a handful of Delpheon machines are known to exist today. On the other hand, some small companies are surprisingly prominent in TMW. Some regional companies considered their advertising dollars to be poorly spent in a national trade publication as The Talking Machine World. Not every phonograph manufacturer is represented in the following list. Many companies used spring motors imported from Switzerland. Other hardware producers were the Arrow Motor Company of Newark, New Jersey, and The René Manufacturing Company in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Motors, reproducers, tone arms, and other hardware could be purchased from a number of independent manufacturers the Otto Heineman Phonograph Supply Company in New York was especially important for providing basic parts. To supply these stores, some cabinet manufacturing firms made and sold complete brand “X” phonographs while others sold just the cabinets. It was not unusual for a furniture, department, piano, or music store to sell phonographs under its own name. Many of these companies were local in production and distribution whereas others, such as Cheney and Starr, enjoyed national distribution.
Not including major companies-Aeolian-Vocalion, Brunswick, Columbia, Edison, Pathé, Sonora, and Victor-the list totaled over 400 companies. Below is a listing of the “off brand” phonographs from the 1910 to 1925 era. Many companies advertised in the phonograph trade journal, The Talking Machine World (TMW). Many new companies entered this lucrative field as basic phonographs patents held by Victor, Columbia, and Edison were expiring. Throughout the 1910’s the demand for phonographs and records exceeded supply. In his book, The Fabulous Phonograph, Roland Gelatt states that in 1919 there were nearly 200 phonograph manufacturers in the U.S.
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