Piano and Radio Gramophone

Piano and Radio Gramophone.

Incorporating many novel features, several of which have been patented in the last few days, a new player-piano in which has been included both a wireless receiver and electrically reproducing gramophone, has recently been developed by Carnegies Pty. Ltd. in conjunction with the Howard Piano Factory and the Howard Radio Factory.

The instrument is of considerable technical interest in that orthodox forms of piano, gramophone or wireless speakers have been dispensed with, and the sounding-board of the piano has been made to act as the reproducer for the gramophone wireless units in the instrument.

The main purpose of the development is to meet what is considered to be a wide demand from persons who desire to have a player-piano, a gramophone, and a wireless set, but who do not wish to meet the expense of three separate instruments, and who have not the room to include the three instruments in their home.

In appearance, there is nothing about the new instrument to distinguish it from an ordinary player-piano, but an ingenious alteration in the sliding doors of the player roll magazine on the front of the instrument enables one of the doors to be moved aside to give access to a compact tuning panel of the wireless set, which is, built into the upper put of the piano. The top of the piano stool may be lifted to give access to the turntable of an electrically operated gramophone, a short length of a flexible cord, connected with appropriate plugs, being provided to enable the gramophone unit to be connected with the sound reproducing devices in the piano when gramophone music is desired.  An advantage of this arrangement lies in the fact that the stool may be moved about the room and gramophone records, reproduced from within the case of the piano, thus changed while the operator is sitting in a chair by the fire.

By the attachment to it of a light rod of iron actuated by electromagnets operating either direct from the wireless set, or from the gramophone through the wireless amplifier, the piano sounding board can be set into vibration, thus taking the place of the loudspeaker. A definite and noticeable advantage of this innovation is that the sound is endowed with a character of diffusion, which is of considerable value in orchestral reproductions.  As the more concentrated effect, which is obtained the small reproducing element of a standard form of speaker. The reproduction of both broadcast and gramophone music is very good, the response to higher notes, in particular, is being most faithful, but the instrument appeals to possess to the same extent of the best forms of modern speakers, the point of rendering the lower bass notes in full value.

The instrument was demonstrated last night by Mr. Walter Carnegie to a part of leading Victorian musicians.
It will be sold in Melbourne for little more than the price of an ordinary player piano.

Argus (Vic.) May 23, 1930, page 10.

Here you find 130 models, 33 with images and 11 with schematics for wireless sets etc. In French: TSF for Télégraphie sans fil.
All listed radios etc. from Howard Radio Pty. Ltd.; Richmond VIC