MARXOPHONE HOMEPAGE

 

The Marxophone is a musical instrument that has four sets of chord strings (Cmajor, Gmajor, Fmajor and D7) to be strummed with the left hand and two octaves of double melody strings (Cmiddle - C'') which are struck by metal hammers activated by the right hand. The hammers are mounted on spring steel and produce a mandolin-like sound from repeated bouncing on the strings, hence the name mandolin-guitar-zither that was sometimes applied to the Marxophone. The string layout of the Marxophone is here.

Numerically coded music prepared specifically for the Marxophone indicated when and in what order melody and chord strings are to be played. The advantage of using numerically coded music is that one does not have to know how to read standard music notation in order to play the instrument. The music that is currently playing on your browser is the Marxophone synthesizer arrangement of "Home Sweet Home". Some Marxophones had both the number and the note on the staff pictured for each melody note (See photo). I want to thank Cathy Britell of http://www.larkpoint.com for the use of her recording of Tombigbee waltz (1Mb mp3) using a real Marxophone.

 The Marxophone was produced by the Marxochime Colony of New Troy, Michigan which was in business from about 1927 to 1972. Henry Charles Marx (1875-1947), the founder of the company, oversaw the production of the Marxophone. Marxophones were also produced earlier by the International Musical Corporation of Hoboken, New Jersey under 1912 Patent #1044553.

Mr. Marx was one of a number of late 19th century/early 20th century musical gadget manufacturers who would combine two or more instruments into one: the Hawaiian ukelele and the bowed violin or the mandolin-guitar-zither yielded instruments with strange names like the Ukelin and the Marxophone. Other inventions included the Banjolin, the Hawaii-Phone, the Mandolin-Uke, the Marxolin, the Pianoette, the Pianolin, and the Tremoloa.

 Marxophones were billed as easy-to-play and sold on time-purchase plans by door-to-door salesmen as well as through mail-order companies such as Sears. The 1902 Sears catalog called the Deweylin Harp, a precursor of the Marxophone, "...the wonder of the age" and "...the greatest musical instrument that has ever been placed before the public." These mandolin-guitar-zithers combined three instruments for the price of one.

The Marxophone shown in the photograph (#3926) was made in the 1920s and was purchased at auction. This is a picture of the Marxophone before restoration. To disassemble the Marxophone, first remove the stamped metal cover and the attached keyboard assembly. The keyboard assembly can then be unscrewed from the metal cover. The comb holds the hammer/keys and the keyboard stop/nameplate. The keyboard nameplate can be snapped off the comb. Likewise the hammer/keys are held on the comb by a V notch and leaf spring and just snaps in as shown here. This is a key/hammer assembly removed from the comb. The front of restored Marxophone after some hours of work. The back and side of the restored Marxophone. This is the soundboard decal and eagle.

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Email us: Bob Last Updated: 12/12/2005