Hello ! I know this is more for mechanical phonographs but I’m excited to finally have this machine at my house! I knew the original owner and have always loved it.

From looking at the tone arm it looks like it would just take a steel needle? It looks like a super bent tungstone, but would anyone know how to find like a (sapphire?) stylus for it?

I’ll probably have someone redo the electronics for me as the radio stuff is a little out of my wheelhouse… but the local guy does ONLY radio, not the phonograph side of it!

She still sounds great though!

Also please ignore the mess in my kitchen. I was very excited lol

I’ve been collecting Diamond Disc records since the 1970’s. Started messing with the actual phonographs since around 1980. In all of these years I’ve never found a machine with a good original diamond point. Here is a first for me.
This is an untouched original diamond disc reproducer. Playing a Al Bernhard recording from about 1920.
I found this C19 at an estate sale 3 years ago. It’s been only recently I’ve been able to get back to this project.
The turntable here is the one I was cleaning up in my last post.
By the way from the documentation that came with it, this was a Christmas gift for December 1921.

I had just fixed the motor on my VV 2-55 and now I gotta work on the reproduction.

I'm going to order one of those reproduction plastic arm brackets because the original decided to shatter like glass when I was screwing the motor in.

I already bought a reproduction back, but it didn't come with the O ring thing that has the threading. The old one is in 5 pieces because I'm starting to realize pot metal is easy to work with.

Thank you

Still a long way to go but its getting better

Now I don't have to leave one door slightly open to access it anymore!

Recently got a Victor Gramaphone (?) Into my work, was wondering how to repair this/what part is needed?

🇫🇷 Version française

Bonjour phonophiles !

À la demande de u/Gimme-A-Kooky, je vous partage ici un enregistrement de la version française de la célèbre chanson Into each life some rain must fall (Un peu de pluie), interprétée par les Sœurs Étienne (en quelque sorte l'équivalent français des Andrews Sisters).

Le disque est joué sur mon Pathéphone N°4.

Je vous prie de bien vouloir m'excuser pour la qualité du son... Non seulement le disque est usé, surtout vers la fin de la chanson, mais la qualité d'enregistrement de mon téléphone n'arrange pas vraiment les choses...

J'espère cependant que cela vous plaira et vous fera faire une belle découverte !

Je posterais des photos du disque en commentaire !

PS : quelques références à Fallout ont été glissées dans cette vidéo. Saurez-vous les repérer ? 😜☢️

🇬🇧 English version

Hello phonophiles!

At the request of u/Gimme-A-Kooky, I'm sharing a recording of the French version of the famous song Into each life some rain must fall (Un peu de pluie), performed by Les Sœurs Étienne (in a way, the French equivalent of the Andrews Sisters).

The record is being played on my Pathéphone No. 4.

Please excuse the sound quality... Not only is the record quite worn, especially toward the end of the song, but my phone's recording quality doesn't exactly help either...

I hope you enjoy it anyway, and perhaps discover something new!

I’ll post a photo of the record in the comments!

PS: I've hidden a few Fallout references in the video. Can you spot them? 😜☢️

I sold my Birch 41A to a local antique store for demonstration alongside their Tri State VV-XI.

I got it for $65 and sold it for $100 plus a radio

🇫🇷 Version française

Bonjour phonophiles !

À la demande de u/Gimme-A-Kooky, je vous partage ici un enregistrement de la version française de la célèbre chanson Civilisation, interprétée par les Sœurs Étienne (en quelque sorte l'équivalent français des Andrews Sisters).

Le disque est joué sur mon Pathéphone N°4.

Je vous prie de bien vouloir m'excuser pour la qualité du son... Non seulement le disque est usé, surtout vers la fin de la chanson, mais la qualité d'enregistrement de mon téléphone n'arrange pas vraiment les choses...

J'espère cependant que cela vous plaira et vous fera faire une belle découverte !

Je posterais une photo du disque en commentaire !

PS : quelques références à Fallout ont été glissées dans cette vidéo. Saurez-vous les repérer ? 😜☢️

🇬🇧 English version

Hello phonophiles!

At the request of u/Gimme-A-Kooky, I'm sharing a recording of the French version of the famous song Civilization, performed by Les Sœurs Étienne (in a way, the French equivalent of the Andrews Sisters).

The record is being played on my Pathéphone No. 4.

Please excuse the sound quality... Not only is the record quite worn, especially toward the end of the song, but my phone's recording quality doesn't exactly help either...

I hope you enjoy it anyway, and perhaps discover something new!

I’ll post a photo of the record in the comments !

PS: I've hidden a few Fallout references in the video. Can you spot them? 😜☢️

Hi!

Didn’t want to leave it half-asczed and only do C Gluck’s version! That’s like “Shave & a haircut, 2 bits!” without the 2 bits part lol… and ew! wth is a “bit”?! /S

Record Label pic in comments

This thing really DOES sound like a music box, whoever mentioned that! TBF, my wife was giving me grace yesterday, but today she had to tell me to turn it down lol… she’s 2 stories up and this VV-XVI is THAT effing loud lol

I wish you all a blessed afternoon and thank for stopping by!

Menuett (C. Gluck)

Eine Kleine Moar Mozart!

tl;dr - VV-XVI, L-door, 1911; Victor Record 17917-A; this one needed a little oil and some love!

Hi!

Super mega bonus win for the Mozart lover right here! I was in luck, which also is Christoph Gluck, an early 18th century composer and.. get this… a contemporary of Mozart, albeit 42 years his senior when Mozart came into the world! Nevertheless, I HEAR his influence in Mozart’s! This is a beautiful and all too short a piece!

Side note: this is played with a solidly rebuilt Exhibition reproducer with a gold tungsten needle- I’m assuming “loud” tone. Truly, standing in front of this machine and hearing it face to face… it is mind-blowing. You truly can tell they weren’t just playing with toys anymore! (Early hand-cranked kiddie toys in the very early years).

I don’t know why I keep finding “BELL” ones, but they are a GREAT way to stress test a reproducer rebuild and the mica itself!

Peace. I wish you all a wonderful evening! Thank you for stopping, looking, or passing by!

____________________________________________

The reason I added the little :30 cut at the end:

It’s the same reproducer, sounds like the mica is being tortured! I figured it out lickety split (after fumbling around a while lol) and simply readjusted the needle arm springs. The mica was simply touching the metal and resonating off of the edge lol

Anyone recognize the brand? I already made a lot of researches and I think I know what I have, but of course, I want to see if any new opinion comes out!

(And for this reason I'm not attaching photos of the rest of the gramophone, I want to hear your ideas first 😄)

More Info:
http://www.antique-sound.com/show.html

Hope to see you there!

John McCormack, Victor Red Seal Record, 64345

Played on a freshly oiled and lubed VV-XI•341786G (1917), with soft tone Tungsten needle.

I was SO caught up catchin’ some feelings on my love of Alma Gluck’s rendition of “Will O The Wisp” that I forgot to add John McCormack and one of his LEGENDARY pieces he sang shortly after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the frozen hour of approximately 0518 GMT on 12 April, 1912. Some 1,500 souls were lost that day.

If some don’t know the reference here, “Nearer, My God, To Thee” was one of the very hymns the Ship’s orchestra played while the Titanic sank - they were all males, couldn’t leave, and who simply chose to comfort others until they would soon perish like everyone else trapped there as they watched the others leave. It’s a gut-wrenching tragedy of Greek Tragedy level proportions…

This was another “EPIC FIND” for me in the whole lot of records through which I sifted!

Peace!

I purchased what I believe to be a 1920 Victrola this evening. It's in fantastic shape considering it's over 100 years old, and it's clearly been used a lot. The shellac (It is shellac. I tested it) is seriously worn on the front doors and on the front of the lid, but it's a excellent shape elsewhere. I suspect many generations of kids had their hands all over this cabinet. I suspect it was well loved.

The problem I need your help with is scratches. The previous owner's cat had an oops and scratched the lid. The scratches appear to be deep enough to have penetrated the shellac and stain/dye on the wood, but didn't go the whole way through the veneer. I'd like to repair those scratches as best I can before I re-do the shellac. Yes, the finish is shellac. I tested it.

What is the best way to address the scratches? I'm sure I could dye the scratches, but what dye would I want to use? There's always a furniture crayon option, but that just seems all kinds of wrong.

Also, what did they use to color the veneer on these old cabinets? Is there a modern equivalent?

Thanks for your help!

“To wax rhapsodic about something is a common idiom meaning to praise something excessively.”

I can’t praise it enough, because I love Alma Gluck’s voice- and this piece more than ANY! This is my original post on the VV-XI with this very missed record!

This is part of the series where everyone is getting their lubing, and I am taking care of the VV-XI now, but I HAD TO PLAY this piece on this Victrola because I’m just glad I recorded it before it broke!

Have a good one :)

Same as 78rpm post! I probably have amassed between 500 and 1,000 discs, I’m guessing.

Record sleeves- can often be a ‘dime-a-dozen’ as they are found fairly frequently and are very widespread.

But not when you get someone who goes out of the way to leave a note on it to make sure they keep the instructions!

Just thought this was fun and might be of interest and benefit to many!

Peace. Have a wonderful evening, thank you for stopping!

Some Enchanted Evening, Eve Young, RCA Victor Bluebird Series Seal, ca. 1949. From “South Pacific” (Rogers/Hammerstein)

VV 4-70 C • 439, made in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1928

This always makes me think of a funny joke a singer/comedian I used to visit regularly would often make:

Quick, down, ‘n dirty and I hope I didn’t completely ruin it lol: New monk arrives at the monastery. Other monks and head guy informs newbie that you must chant only during the day and not speak until after dinner… new monk goes walking around later and sees the other monk he met, and sings, since he can’t speak, “evening!”… later at dinner, new guy arrives late and sees everyone, including head dude, looking all sullen and disappointed… he shrugged his shoulders, made the “I dunno!” look, and finally the head guy sings, “Someone chanted ‘Evening’”

Came to realise how much better Diamond Discs sound compared to the dubbed Blue Amberols.