Classic Gramophone

This is my 4th "wooden puzzle" (I don't know why they're called puzzles as you simply assemble a finished product from gazillion small pieces, wood, plastic, metal, some electronics components, and whatever else). It's a record player (for those of you who don't know what gramophone is). It includes a vinyl record which sounds like it was recorded in the 19th century (another point for authenticity!). There are many different variations of this product as they tweaked the design quite a few times. I think there're different companies making this one too (unless they created multiple brands for marketing purposes). The one that I have you can make work by either cranking it or plugging into USB power source and then it plays by itself. There's a small switch which allows you to switch between the 2 modes. Cranking arm is very short and the thing itself is very small so it's difficult to crank without having the gramophone vibrating and jumping which leads to the needle flying all over the record, sometimes damaging it. When you plug it into power source it sounds better but I guess it's technically not gramophone anymore :) It can only play small records (there were 3 or 4 different diameters for vinyl records, it can only play the smallest one due to its small size). The one included with the set includes 3 musical pieces. There is a way to make it play the records at different speeds by changing one or two parts, the gramophone has a small compartment where you keep the replacement parts. I haven't tried it though as I only tried the one record it came with. I typically gift myself one at New Year and then spend most of the year putting this together. This one is the most challenging of all the ones I've done, and it took me until December (it was a busy year too though so it's not like I put in 2000 hours). I got stuck a few times but there are plenty of videos on YT on assembling it which helped. In the end it somewhat works and you can hear the music even when cranking, and when you plug it into power source it works fine. I never had a gramophone or even heard it but I would imagine it sounds very authentic, ie very staticky and noisy :) I highly recommend this set for adults or very advanced teenagers with plenty of free time and close to unlimited amount of patience :) Assembly requires a lot of attention and can be frustrating at times but putting the thing together and watching it work is very rewarding. I always try to work on these while my kids are around so that they can see how things work on the inside. Looking forward to getting a few more of these, they are very well made and work and look very good.

I just finished my gramophone and have a real sense of accomplishment. I am an intermediate modeler and found this built to be quite challenging but a lot of fun. I could not figure out how to assemble a few things so I found the channel "Danniel Builds" on Youtube and he walked me through the though parts! This is a project for a patient, meticulous person to enjoy the build. I took time to stain or paint, shellac and hand rub all the pieces and I could not be happier. The parts are of very high quality and the metal parts and screws are well packed. The instructions were mediocre.

I've done about 6 of these models and this is a great challenge. It looks gorgeous and does play. Part J1, however, is next to impossible to install. It's purely decorative, so it is unnecessary functionally. It is designed to wrap around the middle of the horn, but the very slender pieces that allow it to wrap around the eight corners just snapped no matter how carefully I worked and I was REALLY careful.

One of the larger pieces, this one takes up some room on the shelf. The “leaves” of the -phone part of the Gramaphone are a bit tricky to set right but you don’t notice unless you specifically look for it. Some of the pieces are very delicate to be careful popping them out. Took about 4-6 hours to assemble while watching tv (this is like my 20th one of these so you may take shorter/longer).

I am still working on this, which is good, because that means it is challenging. I saw reviews where people stated the pieces are fragile and broke; however, the instructions state when something is fragile and so I haven't had a broken piece yet. The gears work great! Can't wait to hear music once I install the horn. Very good looking also.

It was a lot of fun to create but it doesn't work and it breaks very quickly

Sturdy and challenging to assemble the machine operates as described. Note that "as described" translates into no motor of any type be it mechanical or electric. The turntable only turns while you crank. A mechanical governor offers surprisingly good speed control. What appears to be a motor is in fact a generator that operates the electronic module linking the pickup and loudspeaker. Both loud passages and turning up the volume require increased effort to crank. The electronics can be powered via USB which decreases the cranking effort. Having assembled numerous ROKR models, the instructions were above average. While the English is just as poor the illustrations were better and I had zero problem following. Material quality and fit were excellent. The only part I broke (in numerous pieces) was a purely decorative and extraordinarily delicate band installed around the horn in nearly the final step. I used glue only in a very early step when assembling the upper and lower sub-bases together (the lower was slightly warped) and for extra security to hold both the tonearm and horn assemblies to the main assembly. Extras of many of the smaller wooden pieces are available in case you lose or break them and there are also additional common hardware items like screws.

I found this wooden 3D gramophone a little more intermediate than some of the other wooden puzzle projects I have done, but I really loved putting it together. I took my time and spent many relaxing hours getting it just right. I love that it comes with a playable record, I got a real kick out of it and it feels like a real test at the end, of your building capability, to see if it will play. It looks absolutely gorgeous in my living room, I love showing it off.

Ok this Wooden Puzzle Retro Gramophone is a great way to destress and relax. Like that it comes with extra parts in case you happen to break a delicate piece. Take your time building and the finished product will play your supplied record. The instructions are detailed and there are links to videos on complex parts. I enjoyed the build it's now a retro piece that looks great to my décor. The main thing is take your time , enjoy the build, the finished product is a great reward.

Très bon passe temps pour les bricoleurs ,, merci .

Bon produit. Très satisfait !

The turntable motor does not work with the crank and the power module also doesn't work. Other than that it is a nice puzzle. It doesn't work as advertised.