{"id":7161,"date":"2026-02-02T10:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T09:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.giakkemikke.com\/the-return-of-the-voice-restoration-of-a-1920s-viva-tonal-grafonola-no-100\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T10:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T09:40:42","slug":"the-return-of-the-voice-restoration-of-a-1920s-viva-tonal-grafonola-no-100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.giakkemikke.com\/en\/the-return-of-the-voice-restoration-of-a-1920s-viva-tonal-grafonola-no-100\/","title":{"rendered":"The Return of the Voice: Restoration of a 1920s Viva-Tonal Grafonola No. 100"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of vintage collecting, few objects evoke the charm of the Roaring Twenties like the portable gramophone.<\/strong>
Recently, at our Giakke & Mikke workshop in Calcinaia (Florence), we completed two conservative and functional restoration projects on these iconic pieces. This is one of the two: the Columbia Grafonola Viva-Tonal No. 100<\/strong>, in its black version.<\/p>\n

History in a Suitcase: Columbia Viva-Tonal<\/h2>\n

Launched by Columbia Records to compete with Victrola models, the Grafonola No. 100<\/strong> represented the cutting edge of early 20th-century portable sound technology. Designed to \u201cbring music anywhere,\u201d this engineering gem required meticulous work to shine again\u2014and, above all, to play as it should.<\/p>\n

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The Restoration Process: Before and After<\/h2>\n

Restoring a vintage gramophone is not just about aesthetics; it\u2019s a delicate balance of precision mechanics. Here are the technical interventions carried out in our workshop:<\/p>\n

1. Mechanical and Motor Overhaul<\/h3>\n

To ensure consistent and faithful playback, we worked on the heart of the device:<\/p>\n