I'm curious about the Gamolo...

What is included when you purchase it?

Is there a bed or something for the girl to lay on?...does she start at waist level? Or does she start out on the floor? How high off the ground can she go, and how much has she actually levitated? How small does it pack and what is the weight? Would love to hear from some Gamolo owners!

Thanks!
B

The Gomolo as well as the "Lighter than Air" are huge, heavy. Invest in a copy of the armstrong encyclopedia of levitations and suspensions. It runs around $3,000 and is avout 70lbs. Try looking up Stevens Emporium.

It starts at the waist level And moves up and down about 3 feet. It packs in the base which you stand on and control the lift with your foot. It requires music to cover the noise level. The assistant has no frame or any devices, she just lays down on a small plate attached to a S-designed device.

If you know anything about levitations you will know what I am talking about.

There are very few levitations that move from floor upward.

It is essentially a super-x with a barbershop motor. Under what circumstances do you plan on performing?

When my friend received his, it was, at best, in kit form. There is a piece of machinery that is common enough in industry to be searched on Thomas Register. You have to build the other elements of the effect to create the levitation, and that is MUCH MORE of an undertaking than what the machinery amounts to.

Be prepared to do a LOT to get this workable, at least from what I saw with my friend's. My friend ended up using a couple of Roman columns and a LOT of velvet sheets to cover, disguise or obscure many of the elements of this effect. No removable board (that is, no invisible cradle), no substantial gooseneck, although, personally, I have moves that eliminate the need for the gooseneck. It was really barebones. In the end, the effect that he obtained was not substantial enough to keep it in his show, and I believe that he sold it.

However, Gale may be selling more advanced kits and turnkey packages currently, but that was my experience with what my friend had. In fairness, my friend my have not received the complete set that the original owner received before him. Who knows.

Now, I do know of another levitation that comes complete...

Jimmy

I've been performing the Gamolo regularly for almost ten years. I don't think it's big and heavy compared to other levitation's. I have an Asrah that is MUCH larger. The entire effect fits into a a small case which is the platform for the levitation.

It does come bare bones, but it is performable out of the box. I don't think it is loud, but low music is necessary to mask the sound. There is no suitable cradle included. That's not a problem for me because I float a child from the audience on a board that is never removed.

The supports that hold it up are junk and need to be replaced. I built A-frames. Finally, the angles are tough and you need good performance conditions. I normally perform on a full stage or I set one up if there isn't one.

I will be performing it Friday so I will try to remember and get some measurements. As a guide, I'm 6 foot and she starts at my waist and floats up to my chest.

I owned a lighter than air levitation which is very similar to the gamolo. Aaron Smith is the current owner and is selling it on ebay for a lot less than what a new one costs.

I couldn't find the Lighter than Air on ebay...is it listed anywhere else?

Is there any video avail of Lighter than Air and/or Gamolo? How do the two compare?

Hey Brian, it's here on the Café too. Under illusions for sale.

Sorry, but I couldn't find it. Could you please send me the link? Thank you!
Brian

It must have expired.....I talked to Aaron about it yesterday, I know it's still for sale. His contact information is here at http://www.aaronsmithmagic.com

I modified a Gamolo 30 years ago for Harvey Long in Seattle. I added hoses to move the noise backstage. I also isolated the pump so it would not resonate against the floor. One could also use a hydraulic accumulator tank that can be pumped up with air at the local gas station and get the same effect (since she's only going "up" once per show) without any noise.

The lighter than air is still for sale. PM me if your interested.

At one time, WAAAAY back in Philly in '76, I performed for Gale and demoed the Gamola on the dealers' show, I also saw Phil Moore do his "Lighter Than Air" in his room. At that time there were different lifting mech.s being used, Phil's was definately loud, and Gale's was a LOT quieter. Not sure if later versions of Phil's used a different "lift".

As an aside, one of the moves I used was to go down on my knees under the unit as she was rising, this was done actually in performance (unlike Phil's posed shot), I used the upright as my guide, against my back, as I went down. Boy did it ever leave a nice set of grease marks on the back of the suit!!! LOL

Blair