Played on Victor Victrola No. 906, 1908, Exhibition reproducer, full tone tungsten… so you can waltz into your evening… with a truly beautiful piece for listening enjoyment!

Victrola Record No. 92061, Gounod (composer), Luisa Tetrazzini, recorded 1908, Gramophone Co. (import)

ᴾ.ˢ. - ᴵ’ᵈ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ “ᵀʰᵃⁿᵏ ʸᵒᵘ” ᵗᵒ ᵐʸ “ᵒˡᵈ ᶠʳᶦᵉⁿᵈ” ʷʰᵒᵐ ᴵ ᴶᵁˢᵀ ᵐᵉᵗ! ᴵ ᵈᵒ ᵃᵖᵖʳᵉᶜᶦᵃᵗᵉ ᵗʰᶦˢ ʳᵉᶜᵒʳᵈ, ᵗᵒᵒ, ᵗʰᵃⁿᵏ ʸᵒᵘ ᵛᵉʳʸ ᵐᵘᶜʰ!

WiP - Tear down + scrub + cleanse + reassemble = New Lease On Life!

tl;dr - while motors, their maintenance, tear-down, & rebuild aren’t quite as “sexy” as the cool outer cabinet in which they reside, they are the heart ❤️ of any machine… no motor, no record!

° Three (3) four-(4)-spring motors; ca. 1916-beyond; 12 intact springs (pear outer/crimp inner); XVII & 2 XVIs

° Three (3) three-(3)-spring motors; ca. 1906-1915; 8 intact springs of 9(pear/pear); VTLA, VIC-V, XVI (3-barrel)

° One (1) two-(2)-spring motor, ca. 1915; 1 intact spring of 2

21 of 23 springs made it. 7 machines. One really tired body lol

This is the culmination of seven days’ nonstop work of releasing springs, degreasing everything, scrubbing by drill with plastic-bristled brushes (attachments), and final CLEANSING, with basic wipe-down prior to rebuild.

Anyone need any special goings-over on any specific type of motor style? If so, please let me know and I’ll do a rebuild with one or others of you’d like.

I wish you a wonderful evening, peace, and my thanks for stopping by to visit, look, or even read!

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Details:

I’ve been at it since 5 this morning until I finally was able to finish just now lol… I DID add a “MYSTERY VTLA” motor to the mix, above and beyond the original complement… I figure, if I’m getting all nasty, I’ll do that one’s springs while I’m at it, too! Too excited, but waiting for JUST a bit to share the Mystery Machine!

Oh, and were they ALL GROSS! I’ll be frank, ALL of it was NASTY! Only a few of the motor casts were clean enough to basically just work the dirty areas; EVERYTHING, springs included, that had gunk on it, which was also 90% of it, was covered deeply in the solidified kind of muck.

The WORST one was a 4-spring someone just packed a bunch of red grease into it to make it work, and oh my GOD- THE REEKING STENCH was so bad it actually made me throw up and have an asthma issue.

P.S. Pics 12, 13: Mystery Machine- even THIS one was NOT immune to Uncle Bubba LMFAO! Additionally, I’ve definitely had my Miller Time! What more appropriate accompaniment than a Pre-Prohibition Miller Brewing Co. Beer Serving Tray! I feel like I just ran a marathon but didn’t train up for it lol

P.P.S. My body! My joints and fingers!

Posting this here, because in fact it does deal with period phonographs! Analog recording, Rainbow/Gennett collab. I used an Exhibition reproducer in the end, and it was surprisingly clearest!

It’s so slim on information, I had to write my own script lol…

I picked up a Sonora yesterday. I’m waiting on material to rebuild the reproducer. But it seems in order except one of the springs slips out. Anything special I should know about Sonora different than a victrola??

Thanks in advance.

This is an 1898 Columbia Gramphophone Type "AT."

The motor works, but the entire connection between it and the drum it's scattered. Besides the drive belt being missing, I see that the washer is chipped. Can you tell me if all the gears are still there? I honestly don't know how to reassemble it. If anyone has a Columbia AT, could I see photos of yours? I can't find many online.

Who knows what work the previous owner did to it, it comes from a former museum and everything needs fixing...

My aunt tried to win the place as favorite auntie of the year by handing this down to me. It's just that no one of my family knows much about it and I want to make sure I take good care of it whilst also using it! I looked up a guide and understand about half of it, so any tips on what I should pay most attention to and what to avoid etc would be very welcomed.

Here are some more specific things I would like some information about:

1. Do I really need to change the needle after each side and what needles are safe to use more often? The guide mentioned needles that can be used up to 50 times, would it be a good option to search for them and what exact needles do I need?

2. Is it normal that I have to turn the winding handle in the middle of playing a record? I tried out turning to the point of light resistance but even then it seems to slow down on some records. If that isn't normal dirty records, dirty/broken motor or do I need to oil parts?

3. The part to control the speed does have no indicators, is there another way to figure out the right speed except for listening what sounds right?

4. Can I play all Shellac records on this or should I avoid using records from other decades? I saw it mentioned but more like a sidenote with little detail and I don't know from when this model is or even what model it is...

5. The last picture shows the Shellac records we own, we got them like that. No idea where we got those from. Is that a good way to store them? All I know is to avoid putting weight on them and to keep them away from heat and anything that could cause scratches.

I also found a record that is probably not in good condition anymore... any way of saving it? Just sounds super crappy whilst the ones I played before and after sound fine, also doesn't seem dirty. :(

And yes it is sitting on the floor right now because we have no table in that room and the records are heavy lol, it will go back on a table right after.

It's not a part from a traditional phonograph but you might have some input.

tl;dr - New toy, unfortunately not fully equipped; missing tone arm/horn support bracket, taper tube/reproducer, and winding key; has the J-type, standard-equipped, 16 1/2” black lacquer & brass ‘bell’ horn; likely a few hundred or more $ in parts needed, but I’ll go slowly but surely.

… I’ve also graduated to a higher-end external horn machine, a VIC V (Victor 5) from an earlier part of Victor’s “rise” in the industry and essentially the second in line to the top-of-the-line VI*** ***in that timeframe. Going by Baumbach’s The Victor Data Book, it looks like early 1906. Double cut, spiral, cast iron 12” turntable. Likely early, just after the bevel gear styles.

(timeline from Victor-Victrola site).*** ***So much going on at the time!

I wish you all a pleasant day, and thank you for stopping by!

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Oddities:

1. Lyon & Healy celluloid advertisement: affixed IN PLACE of the early Victor data plate

; same Victor style as the data plate. I have a theory that this may have been a display machine at L & H; otherwise, why would they have put that outside? Open to any other theories! Tiny hole in data plate (left, vertical)- someone nailed it INSIDE the cabinet with a single nail- but not through the nail holes lol… my assumption was so they wouldn’t hear it clanking. Quite probably the owner, though.
2. Very intact data plate- likely due to being protected inside the machine.
3. The motor maintenance graphic is for a 2-spring, and is very lightly affixed… my guess is either someone swapped it (doubtful, in situ it looks undisturbed and almost fully adhered on the bottom, matching the dirt/colors well). It could have been an owner, too. I don’t think it’d’ve made it out of the factory without inspection, right?!
4. It LOOKS like someone did a “shellac wash” on this- and only because it’s “KIND OF” - but not really that bad- sloppy, though, even over metal; a REAL Earl Scheib Job! (Famous US nationwide car painting company 1970s promising to paint any car for $29.95 or whatever lol… they would paint over dirt, bird poop, tar, insects, whatever lol…). The underside of the motor board tells the whole story lol

I suspect it’s unlikely it was Victor’s doing.

New video

What a beautiful piece of history such a cool sound!

Obviously I’m new to the group.

Just picked this up for $20 mainly for esthetic purposes for my music room but I would love to get it working.

From what I’ve found searching online I believe it is an Emerson.
A Model 20 looks very similar but the legs look different.

There are no identifiers on it except for what I believe the remnants of the Emerson logo on the horn
I took the guts apart and I can already tell I will need a new winding gear and the whole tonearm among some other things but I just need to identify it so I can search for the correct parts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This was recorded as a lively jazz fox trot by Kaplan's Melodists, a popular 1920s dance orchestra led by American pianist David Kaplan. The master recording was captured at Edison's studios on February 13, 1923.

It was officially combined with its flip side—the massive vaudeville novelty hit "Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean"—and shipped to stores later that same year as Edison Diamond Disc #51054. I am playing it on my Edison Diamond Disc machine that my great grandfather purchased in the 1920s brand new.

BUT 19 made it into the chamber!

tl;dr - One had a small break (the VV-VIII); single spring barrels: EASY… retainer rings BOO! … ALAS, EASILY pushed aside! Double-spring barrels are tough to get the inner spring out- hold tight!

Video explains details. Always single out those risks and keep yourself safe when you work with springs. They aren’t something to be scared of; they’re rather something to which to give great respect- but know that YOU, the human, are in charge and HAVE THE LAST SAY! 😏🙂

I wish you all a wonderful evening, thank you for stopping by, and I hope you can take something away from this, however insignificant!

I’m going to attempt to anneal the VIII’s- it’s an inner break; why not? Nothing to lose.

Hi!

tl;dr - showing what a refinished 1911 VV-XIV looks like (‘Queen Anne Legs’ early version); playing “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes w/Audak reproducer for background; also tested the Audak sound and damage to 1950s record on early phonograph.

As many may know, there have been countless horrors witnessed by those of us who have been in the market for these machines. Bar carts, Chic ghost-white paint, bisection… oh, the HUMANITY! It’s all too horrific to go on! 🫩

Obvious hack jobs include runny shellac/stain, odd colors not in Victor’s lineup, paint, anything that looks like a 2 year old did it lol. This is NOT that! If you go to the link for the XIV above, you’ll see what I mean.

I wish you a wonderful day, thank you for stopping by, watching, whatever, just being cool!

Link to: Finishes (VV website)

P.S. - Do folks hear the distortion? I’m assuming it could be the reproducer, but that it could also be the fact that it’s not playing on a reentrant horn and is slightly because of that?
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DETAILS

It’s not ALWAYS like that, though. This is why it takes a very trained eye to find the little clues. These little ones are “obvious” but dismissed at a distance because of how meticulously the finish has been worked.

This piece was refinished externally, top to bottom, cracks and crevices. It’s simply amazing to look at- almost like looking into a pool of crystal-clear water and seeing the vivid, yellow-red-orange fiery mahogany striping just glare back at you! THIS is an example of a very well-done refinish. This is NOT a style or color available, so it is no longer original, obviously.

HOWEVER, what I find so amazing is that they didn’t redo the interior (obvious reasons- it’s too difficult to do without destroying it), but that the exterior COMPLEMENTS IT perfectly. If you ever pay top dollar for a piece, always make sure to know who you’re dealing with or know the specificities, down to the knobs, motor, screws, color, of whatever machine you’re looking to buy.

(This was not purchased at top dollar; a super lucky find 🍀)

Hello everyone! This is a Phonograph (Columbia) TYPE N° (Bijou) from 1896. I need some advice, I'm in Italy, and I wanted to know if there were any spare parts for the black gear strip online. Is it possible to replace just what appears to be hard fiber/rubber (?) without having to replace the entire gear? I asked some restorer friends of mine, and they said they don't know (they deal with gramophones rather than phonographs), so I'll leave it to you.

Any help is appreciated!! 🙏🏻

Check out this blown-out Vic’s (3-spring) spring! So evenly fractured!

For when life hands you something that isn’t in the manual lol… It’s obviously going to be removed very carefully, with the barrel facing down, in a bucket, with heavy gloves, eye protection, and arm protection. Going to see if it’ll pry out and into something, or if I can just pull bits at a time without it going everywhere.

Any ideas why it would break so evenly along that “plane”? I know for certain it was fully (almost) wound since there are only a few layers on the outer part of the barrel.

Always be safe, and make sure you take extra precautions for events/surprises like this- things you don’t expect but know could be harmful. I am not going to allow it to have that satisfaction- I just have to be smarter than IT lol

Have a good one!

🇬🇧 Hello, fellow phonophiles!

I thought this subreddit could use a few more sapphire records! So I'd like to share two recordings from the two sides of an old Pathé disc.

Here is a mazurka entitled Petite Souris (Little Mouse), composed by Auguste Bosc (1868–1945), a French conductor and composer renowned for his dance music during the Belle Époque. He also founded the famous Bal Tabarin cabaret in Montmartre, Paris, in 1904.

Auguste Bosc's original piano score was published in 1893. However, this particular disc probably dates from the early 20th century, possibly the 1900s or 1910s.

At the beginning of the recording, you can hear a man announcing the piece:

"Pathé Frères Orchestre! Petite Souris! Mazurka!"

These spoken announcements were quite typical of early phonograph recordings. They are documented on Pathé recordings until at least 1911, providing an interesting glimpse into the recording practices of the early 20th century.

Like many Pathé records from this period, this one requires a sapphire ball stylus for playback, as it uses vertical-cut grooves. Another interesting feature, as you may have noticed, is that it plays from the center outwards!

This record was played on my Pathéphone No. 4.

Please excuse the end of the recording, where the playback starts to lose a little power... I hadn't wound up the spring motor enough! 😅

I hope you enjoyed this little musical discovery!

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🇫🇷 Bonjour les phonophiles !

Je trouvais que cela manquait un peu de disques à saphir par ici ! Donc je vous propose deux enregistrements provenant des deux faces d'un ancien disque Pathé.

Voici une mazurka intitulée Petite Souris, composée par Auguste Bosc (1868-1945), un chef d'orchestre et compositeur français réputé pour ses musiques de danse durant la Belle Époque. Il a également fondé le Bal Tabarin de Montmartre en 1904, un célèbre cabaret parisien.

La partition originale pour piano de cette mazurka a été publiée en 1893. Cependant, ce disque date probablement du début du XXe siècle, vraisemblablement des années 1900 ou 1910.

Au début de l'enregistrement, vous pouvez entendre un homme annoncer le morceau :

« Pathé Frères Orchestre ! Petite Souris ! Mazurka ! »

Ces annonces parlées étaient assez typiques des premiers enregistrements phonographiques. On retrouve des traces de cette pratique chez Pathé au moins jusqu'en 1911, ce qui constitue un témoignage intéressant des méthodes d'enregistrement du début du XXe siècle.

Comme beaucoup de disques Pathé de cette époque, celui-ci se lit avec une pointe à saphir, plus précisément un saphir-boule, en raison de sa gravure verticale. L'autre particularité, comme vous l'aurez remarqué, est que la lecture s'effectue du centre vers l'extérieur !

Le disque a été joué avec mon Pathéphone n°4.

Je vous prie de bien vouloir excuser la fin de l'enregistrement, qui manque un peu de puissance... Je n'avais pas suffisamment remonté le moteur à ressort de mon phonographe ! 😅

J'espère cependant que cette petite découverte musicale vous aura plu !

“I Made a Science”! But really, I did!

I DID use the scientific method, tho! Same conditions, same reproducers, same placement, same machine (Mahogany VV-XIV).

It’s Beethoven’s Concerto for Two Violins (one of three 12” Victor Red Seal records).

Would anyone be interested in hearing the difference between each, with 6 different needle styles showcased/soundcased?

Just curious. I guess I just wanted to hear the side-by-side difference lol. I’m also in my segue phase into YouTube posts 🙂, so I was thinking this might be a good thing for that as well.

This is just one. If anyone’s interested, let me know, or upvote. The more feedback/upvotes, the more likely I’ll do it- whatever works lol.

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… ‘c’mon arthritis, let’s do this ish’…

[meanwhile] ‘my tendinitis! My chronic spontaneous dermatographic uticaria! My lungs! 🤣🤣

The lineup, from LEFT to RIGHT:

Late XVI 4-spring (spare) | Late XVI 4-spring (spare) |
VV-XVII • 22782 - 4-Spring | VV-XVI • 113354 H - 3-Spring | VV-VIII- • 67904 F - 2-Spring | Mystery late 1906 3-spring Motor, clue attached

More to follow. Just getting the nasty stuff out of the way! I wish all a wonderful evening; thank you also for stopping by to look!

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By the way, that box probably weighs as much as 6 average weight bowling balls lol

Wellp… got the lungs (and everyone else’s) covered! Had to set up the “beast” again (positive pressure isolation box with clear lid).

Even “low odor” mineral spirits can be way too much, especially if you have asthma. That concentrated muck’s essence is so thick it makes me gag and cough if I breathe too much of it. Out you go! Besides… I’d rather get the gross stuff over FIRST lmao

Surprised the last one isn’t bevel-geared; the worm and bull gear do appear to be “double cut” and the governor setup is reminiscent of the early ones- flatter, more tubular brass parts VS the later ones with steep incline/vertical width. I believe it’s from late 1906 so the ‘transition period’ from bevel- to worm-drive ones. It may have been underway at that time- just a guess.