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PATH'E

TALKING MACHINE / PHONOGRAPH 101

My Very Good Friend Paul from Thailand

My

Path'e Model "G"

France 1907

Paul is holding very rare Path'e  record. He has a GREAT web site you should see with plenty of information on Edison, Berliner, and Path'e in Thailand. 

Lot's of Pictures. His site was voted one of the best  information sites on the Phonograph.

www.talkingmachine.org/

A close-up of Paul's Very Rare 1905 Path'e Record that he is Holding.

The first disc record ever made by Path'e in France. After having recorded and sold literally thousands of brown wax cylinders, Path'e turned to black wax cylinders around 1903-1904. The incidence and success of other companies at recording and selling flat disc records prompted Path'e to design a record of their own around 1905. These first French Path'e disc recordings were quite unlike anything before or since.
These one-sided, 10-inch records consisted of a very thick plate made of an indestructible and very heavy material resembling cement, with a lamination black wax that appears to be of the same composition as that used for Pathe's 2-minute black wax cylinders containing the recorded grooves, starting at the center and finishing at the rim, and to be played with a Path'e ball sapphire identical to that used on their cylinder phonographs. The label is a gold foil affair with the information embossed in the wax underneath.
There is no printing on the gold label itself. The back side of the record is covered with a stunning, gorgeous "Art Nouveau" label featuring the Path'e rooster in all of his magnificence and, curiously enough, listening to a Path'e cyliner phonograph.
The large label reads "This record should be played with a patented Path'e reproducer at the speed of 90 to 100 revolutions per minute". These records proved to be unsuccessful, and very few survive today. Those that do exist are invariable unplayable, as the wax coating crackles and flakes severely, primarily as a result of the different coefficients of expansion between the cement base and the black wax containing the recorded grooves.
Due to their commercial failure, these records were withdrawn from the market within a matter of months, to be replaced with the commoner shellac Path'e records like Siamese Path'e center start disc with the engraving

label.

The Pathé model G was built in 1907-1908. After 1908, all Pathé disk machines were renamed Pathéphone with a number, and the design was lighty changed.

The price was 145 francs.  In US, it was certainly equivalent to $ 360.

This machine was made for the Pathé's center start disks.

PATH'E PLANT

The Path'e used a Sapphire needle  (ball) to play records. These  needles would last much longer then regular needles that were made of steel and had a sharp point. 

Advertisment for Path'e Phonograph Model A.

First disc model for Path'e in France.

VICTOR 3

EDISON 1

COLUMBIA 2

RECORDS &

    THINGS 5

* * * * * * * * *

Workers in the Path'e Factory in France installing motors.

I believe that's my Path'e G the man is working on ( just kidding!)

More will follow, keep checking back for more

information and links.

BUT, you can still go to my other pages listed below.