Finland’s first Gramophone Museum opens, showcasing a unique collection of historical record players
The sound of a gramophone, an antique record player that operates mechanically and without electricity, is unparalleled, according to Ville Löyttyniemi, curator of Finland’s Gramophone Museum. The museum, the only one of its kind in Finland, opened in Hämeenkoski, Hollola in June. A museum dedicated to mechanical music exists in Varkaus, but the closest museum focused on gramophones is in Norway.
Löyttyniemi’s fascination with gramophones began a decade ago. The unique mechanics and design of the instrument, along with the quality of sound it produced, captivated him. He started his collection with a small pocket gramophone, which quickly grew to ten. His collection kept expanding, and he had the idea to start a museum with his friends, Jaso Sasaki, a music doctor and violinist, and Olli Suutela, who plays gramophone records under the artist name DJ Old Crank.
The museum houses a variety of gramophones, including horn gramophones and salon-style cabinet gramophones. The latter are usually made of wood, leading to a softer sound. There are also dozens of portable gramophones, which hold historical significance as they allowed music to be played anywhere, including on the frontlines of war.
The gramophone first arrived in Finland in the early 20th century, and by the 1920s, it had become widely accessible to the public. Vinyl records began to replace gramophone records in the 1950s, and the last gramophone record was published in Finland in 1964.
Löyttyniemi advises anyone interested in purchasing a gramophone to be cautious as not all gramophones are of good quality and repairing them can be expensive or even impossible. He also advises changing the needle after each record to prevent excessive wear and tear. Used gramophone records are the only ones available today, and their condition should be checked before purchase, as they can only withstand 100-150 plays before wearing out.