Gramophones, Phonographs, Victrolas....

airgrabber666 · Jul 15, 2011

scotrace said:
I have a VV210, which is very similar, but has a flat lid. Victor had given in to the demands of decorating by then.

This is my Victor VV-300, which would have been closer to the top of the "humpback" pecking order. As you can see, it has the curved lid and top surfaces. It must have really frustrated the home decorators of the day!

airgrabber666 · Jul 15, 2011

And, at the other end of the phonograph spectrum, may I present a blonde1958 Webcor Musicale Coronet with matching stand and accessories?

scotrace · Jul 15, 2011

Those are terrific! It's good to have an electric turntable that will play 78's - something my collection lacks. And Victor dealers bemoaned the lack of a flat topped phonograph for years until Victor finally introduced the 210. Victor didn't want people sitting things on top of the lids, believing the machine would get less use (and they'd sell fewer records). But the Lady of the House will always get her way in the end...

airgrabber666 · Jul 15, 2011

scotrace said:
Those are terrific! It's good to have an electric turntable that will play 78's - something my collection lacks. And Victor dealers bemoaned the lack of a flat topped phonograph for years until Victor finally introduced the 210. Victor didn't want people sitting things on top of the lids, believing the machine would get less use (and they'd sell fewer records). But the Lady of the House will always get her way in the end...

That's exactly why I obtained the Webcor...to play electrically-recorded 78rpm records (which make up the bulk of my 78 collection). Prior to the arrival of the Webcor, I could only look at my Count Basie and Billy Butterfield discs!

Anyway, Victor never met my ex...she was able to balance her school notebooks and such on the top of that machine until I protested!

Nobert · Jul 15, 2011

Those are both beauties, neatly bookending the historical period of 78's.

On that subject, does anyone know if it's possible to get needles for an Edison player that will play regular 78's? My ex-roommate accidentally broke the tone arm of my Webster-Chicago turntable and my regular record player has a DJ needle, which I am told is murder on shellac.

DBurch · Jul 27, 2011

I wanted to show the 1925 Victrola VV-35 that was just acquired and extend my deepest gratitude to everyone here for providing such good advice. I started collecting 78s recently after finding a short stack when clearing out my late Great Aunt's home. From there I went the route of getting a good Califone player to properly listen to the small collection many times over and over. Then I was hooked!!

Now there is no end in sight as I keep finding more of my CD favorites of the period on actual 78s. I hope soon to take the VV-35 on to Living History events and maybe a personal picnic or two.

The Lounge here is such a good resource and outlet for those of us fascinated with the 1920s-40s.

Thank You,
David

scotrace · Jul 27, 2011

Nice! And the hardware is still shiny!

RetroToday · Jul 27, 2011

S'been a while since I first posted my portable Victrola. (btw, You can see my original F.L. post on the previous page to this one.)

Sometimes patience pays off in little ways. After searching for a few years, at the end of 2010 I finally found a seller listing several parts for a Victor VV-2-60 on ebay. I was so happy to be finally able to bring mine back to it's original state when I won the proper record holder and reproducer that was missing from mine.

The only drawback is that the #4 reproducers for these Victor portables are made of pot metal, and the one I bought has some cracks due to that bad mix of cheaper metals contracting and expanding at different rates than each other over 80+ years. Due to the cracking, the sound reproduction from it is weak, but I intend to restore it one day as well. It may require that I break it into pieces and glue them all back together.
Although, an even easier solution may be to just buy one of the more durable nickel plated steel #4 reproducers and finish it off in a gold colour.

My 1927 Victor Portable, model VV-2-60 - Left: As found Right: With missing parts returned

Giftmacher · Jul 27, 2011

Excellent piece, very well restored!

LizzieMaine · Jul 27, 2011

Nobert said:
Those are both beauties, neatly bookending the historical period of 78's.

On that subject, does anyone know if it's possible to get needles for an Edison player that will play regular 78's? My ex-roommate accidentally broke the tone arm of my Webster-Chicago turntable and my regular record player has a DJ needle, which I am told is murder on shellac.

Edison didn't want people playing lateral-cut records on his machines, but there were "converters" that were sold for that purpose. It's not just the needle you'll have to change, it's the whole reproducer -- playing a lateral record with a vertical reproducer, such as is fitted on an Edison machine, will destroy the record, and won't do the reproducer any favors either.

A discussion of these adapters is here.

sartana · Aug 10, 2011

Here is a more recent acquisition. A 1926 Victor Victrola Credenza. Had the reproducer rebuilt and it sounds like a charm!

scotrace · Aug 10, 2011

Wow! Covet!!

kpreed · Aug 11, 2011

I have some 78s and play them on my Victrola made in 1919.

airgrabber666 · Aug 11, 2011

Very nice Credenza, sartana. From what I understand, those models were some of the best sounding acoustic machines made.

davidraphael · Aug 18, 2011

Here's my rare red (well, certainly rarer than the black) 1920s portable HMV 101 (I'm assuming it's the 101 because the 102's record tray was removable. This one's isn't.)

I was told it belonged to a military man. It's in its original travelling case and is covered with the customs and travel labels from its many travels!

It sounds nice but there's a problem: it will only play for a few seconds before it starts to wind down. I need to get it fixed but have no idea how. Any idea where could get it fixed in Europe, preferably Germany? Or maybe even do it myself.

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sartana · Aug 18, 2011

Very nice! I was looking for one of those but they seem a bit more rare here in the USA. As for help, I would recommend this forum:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/index.php?sid=2405b4c6e404c963361f5e18a86616bb

There will be conversation on your machine for sure!. Again, very nice player......

sartana · Aug 18, 2011

airgrabber666 said:
Very nice Credenza, sartana. From what I understand, those models were some of the best sounding acoustic machines made.

Yeah, a lot of folks would consider them the king of the wind up machines. Mine sounds great, that is for sure. It is really amazing how well a re-built reproducer will make those old records sound.

C-dot · Aug 18, 2011

davidraphael said:
It sounds nice but there's a problem: it will only play for a few seconds before it starts to wind down. I need to get it fixed but have no idea how. Any idea where could get it fixed in Europe, preferably Germany? Or maybe even do it myself.

Ahh, too bad. I've had a similar problem with mine, only it was overwound (drunk barbecue guest at my home.) If you bought it from a dealer, they would probably be the one to go to - If not, try to find one at the local antique markets.

If you're going to DIY it (like I did), get as many library books as you can on how they are put together. Diagrams on the internet are also a great resource. If you can get a solid idea of how its built, you can probably figure out basic repairs.

Good luck getting it working!

scotrace · Aug 19, 2011

Get a copy of Eric Reiss' "The Compleat (sic) Talking Machine."

davidraphael · Aug 19, 2011

thanks for all the advice!

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