E.M.G. and EXPERT Gramophones — and Their Famous Owners
EMG and Expert gramophones were typically owned by the wealthy and well-known. As handcrafted instruments, they were costly, and—apart from a few smaller “budget” models—remained beyond the reach of most people.
More than mere devices, they became symbols of refined taste—chosen by those who valued music not just as entertainment, but as an experience to be savoured.
Among the distinguished owners and admirers of EMG and Expert gramophones were a remarkable group of cultural figures, collectors, and connoisseurs of sound:
John Lennon
Musician - With an EMG Mk10 horn
Sir Compton Mackenzie
Novelist and founder of The Gramophone magazine
T.E.Lawrence
“Lawrence of Arabia,” British Army officer, archaeologist, writer and audiophile.
Frederick Delius
Composer devoted to musical nuance
Osbert & Sacheverell Sitwell
Literary figures of the Sitwell circle
Edward Sackville-West
British music critic, novelist and a member of the House of Lords
Charles Kay Ogden
British linguist, philosopher, and writer. He commissioned the 'Cambridge Models'.
Max Ernst
Pioneering surrealist artist
Lucy Maria Boston
English novelist best known for her Green Knowe series
Charles Francis Jenkins
Pioneering American engineer and inventor in the fields of cinema and television
Brian-Desmond-Hurst
Irish film director. Famous the 1951 'Scrooge' starring Alastair Sim
George Lascelles
