Fully Serviced Restored Antique Wood Bell Walnut Metronome de Maelzel Seth Thomas Clocks

This is a beautiful, fully serviced Antique Seth Thomas wind-up bell Metronome with lacquered solid brass trim in smooth dark walnut or ebony! It is a real treasure to find and was made in the 1930s based on similar dates observed on this same model that I have restored. This fully restored metronome runs strong like it was brand new. The unique bell chime on this metronome is a feature you can use to signal the start of a measure that has either 2, 3, 4, or 6 beats per measure. The bell can also be set to not strike at all, so it functions as regular metronome. This is a very useful but rare option not normally seen on Seth Thomas metronomes, especially after ca. 1945. It is complete with no missing parts, and a solid case with no loose parts, seam separations or open cracks. All bottom feet are there and the metronome rests completely level on a flat surface. The original finish on the case has only a few bumps, touchups and scratches as would normally be expected from one this old, and the lower front panel where the cover pins touched the surface there is a tiny bit of wear. They are hard to see from a distance but should be visible in some of the close-up pictures. Even so, you will probably not find another one of these rare metronomes in this nice of condition with the movement already serviced. Those sellers that do this detailed movement service will say so in their listings. The finish shines up very well with no alligator which you should be able to see the reflections in the close-up pictures. The dark brown stained wood case is made out of solid wood, possibly birch (no veneers) and has a pretty brown grain throughout. The original front dust cover door is a perfect match to the rest of the case, definitely original to this metronome. Since this is an antique, there are some signs of age-related usage on the instrument, but remarkably very few. Please see all pictures and notice how beautiful this piece is! A video with sound is here in the listing.

Seth Thomas and other manufacturers used solid birchwood, NO veneers in their metronome constructions. As such, the sound is crisp and not dampened if it were to have a coating of veneer over the solid birch wood case. I believe it is best to keep these instruments all-original to ensure they produce the sound quality the manufacturer intended when they were originally designed.

It has an excellent condition, signed "ST" in a diamond trademark beat scale that is clean, but it has slight wear, see close-up picture. The pendulum stick is very secure feeling where the slide weight grips into the notches, and it has no tarnish that would affect the ability to slide the weight up and down. The beautiful looking, large sized plaque on the front is made of solid brass and signed in fancy curved script, "Metronome De Maelzel, Trade <ST> Mark, Made by Seth Thomas Clock Co., U.S.A.", and the Made in USA movement runs like new. The movement is held together with blued steel screws. Only the movement says Made in the USA, so I'm not sure if the case was made here or in France. It has a wide, very visual pendulum swing with its sliding weight to adjust the tempo and a very even, wide and loud ticking sound as it runs. Note: To keep the weight gripping the stick, there is a thin spring strip that maintains pressure. The weight should only be nudged up and down with pressure applied along the direction of travel. NO pressure should ever be applied pushing the top half inward towards the center, as that would strain the spring strip and cause it to lose grip. Of course, this weight does stay up by itself on the stick as it runs, which is not always the case on other "as found" metronomes. Only a classic mechanical metronome produces the solid and desirable "wood block" ticking sound.

The brass movement was just overhauled, cleaned, adjusted and oiled, saving you at least $250 over those other "as found" metronomes. The movement's condition is actually more important to a musician than the look of the exterior case. Note the lack of lint and built-up grease and dirt on the close-up picture of my metronome movements that you might find on other seller's metronomes described as being in very good working condition (if you are lucky to even get a close-up picture of the movement). Not many of the other metronomes you may find elsewhere get the proper kind of servicing of the movement and you may soon have issues with those other metronomes that have not been properly serviced. This is a labor-intensive service where the entire movement was disassembled, cleaned, each gear was inspected for damage, pivots polished, hard brass bushings added where needed (pressed in from the inside of the movement), mainspring removed, cleaned and lubricated, and re-assembled. This was done for you so you can enjoy it right away rather than waiting on a repair shop. After cleaning, the entire movement was oiled with synthetic clock oil, and then tested. It should not need cleaning again for about 10 to 20 years. I have included pictures of the movement so you can see its inner beauty and cleanliness, which is also rare to find in other antique metronome listings. Everything remains original to this movement to preserve its antique value, including the longer mainsprings used by Seth Thomas to ensure very accurate time keeping between windings. The larger mainspring barrel in this particular model gives it a wide pendulum swing, and in my opinion, is their best design in their entire history of making metronomes. It is also unique in that there is a Geneva stop wheel (like in high-quality clock or music box movements) to help prevent overwinding, and this also serves to prevent trying to run the metronome when the spring needs winding, a very useful feature (I see other metronome servicemen remove these important Geneva stop works, probably because they don't know how to setup the preload). This metronome was also just calibrated at 40 and 80 beats per minute where it is most accurate and will run for over 3000 beats per full winding. For neighboring speed settings, it is decently accurate for a mechanical metronome, but no mechanical metronome will be as accurate as an electronic one: the beat error gradually falls off to approximately 2% slow at the 160 and 3% slow at 200 BPM settings and also varies slightly between fully wound up to being fully wound down and whether the bell is used or not. Most importantly: It keeps an even beat whether the sliding weight is set to 40 or 208 - a challenge to find in other metronomes described as "working perfectly".

Has the wood cover door in great condition, and a brass hook latch that holds the door securely closed, and two steel pins on the bottom that fit in the base of the metronome. Has a well-aged 99% complete instruction label on the cover, this label being the original label which is firmly attached. This is rare to have the label as many are torn or completely missing by now. The winding key is original, and it has the original brass rings next to the case under the keys to protect the finish. Even the tiny finish nails are brass and all original! All exterior brass parts have been polished to look like new and re-lacquered to prevent tarnish (other servicemen omit that important detail and the brass will soon tarnish in a few years or months). The wooden bottom cover plate looks to be the original one and fits well over the opening with two screws to hold the cover securely in place. Both the front bottom raised feet and back feet are designed to allow the sound of the clicks to reflect off the smooth surface (like a piano) the metronome is placed upon, beware of metronomes without these feet. The feet are wooden to protect your music instrument. This large metronome measures about 9 inches high (as measured from the feet to the very top tip) and 4.5 inches wide.

Many music teachers recommend the mechanical metronome due to its visual swinging pendulum similar to the way the music conductor moves his or her hands. It is easier to anticipate the downbeat signal when seeing this action out of the corner of your eye. I can personally attest to that fact, for a metronome very much like this one is helpful to me as a musician in the Livingston Symphony Orchestra during my individual practice sessions. This metronome must have been cherished its entire life, and it is looking for a new home on your piano or organ, and most of all, it runs great! Perfect for the collector, or for music lessons. This would also make a great present!

If you are looking to purchase a Maelzel type metronome to use in your own music practice sessions, you have come to the right shop! My restored metronomes keep an even beat when put on a level surface whether the sliding weight is set to 40 or 208 - a challenge to find in other metronomes described as "working perfectly". Note that I'm also a musician in the Livingston Symphony Orchestra who uses a mechanical metronome, so I know what it takes to properly service a metronome. I have yet to find a clock repair horologist that does BOTH the professional repair of mechanical metronomes AND actually use a mechanical metronome for their own music practicing.

This is a premium metronome, unmatched by anything made today. The newer ones from Germany or France being made now or within the last decade or so, tend to use plastic in the movement and/or case and feel cheap. Those ones are not built to last and are not able to be fully disassembled for servicing in the future. Also, with their plastic gears having their mainsprings enclosed in plastic barrels, those cannot be lubricated without eventually damaging the plastic. This American made Seth Thomas metronome listed in my shop is for one made of all wood, brass and steel, no plastic at all anywhere, period!

These vintage metronomes amaze me, they are built to last - can you imagine any other mechanical consumer product still working well after 70 years? The truly amazing thing is with proper care they will work easily for another 100 years, as these movements are made to be serviced as easily or easier as other American clocks from long ago! There are no plastic parts in these movements, only brass plates and gears with steel pinions, pivots and arbors. They hold their value and are an excellent investment to add to your collection and estate. No Seth Thomas clock collection is complete without one of these metronomes by this famous clock maker.

Note, I have listed this at a price point to reflect the rarity, quality of the restoration work and investment. This is important when you consider many metronomes you currently find listed have never been cleaned, calibrated and/or have an uneven beat, and show tarnish on the brass parts. It would be a challenge to find a wood Seth Thomas metronome in better cosmetic and mechanical working condition.

Thank you in advance for your business!