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EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33899 |
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Author: | chunnybh [ Wed Jan 31, 2018 7:15 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
Interestingly both my Astra soundboxes weigh 204g. That's the Astra 5 (No Meltrope Clamp) and the Astra 6 (with Meltrope Clamp). My guess is, whoever built the Astra soundboxes also built the EMG soundboxes. |
Author: | old country chemist [ Fri Feb 02, 2018 12:02 pm ] | ||
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. | ||
here is a picture of the two spring box. Alastair Murray
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Author: | emgcr [ Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:19 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
Many thanks Alastair for sight of these fascinating, well made and extremely rare Overstall soundboxes. I can quite see that use of a weight adjuster might be necessary with the four-spring which is 10% heavier than the large Expert four-spring. Personally, I find a weight adjuster a little cumbersome for everyday use and seem to get consistently good results from the large EMG two-spring. |
Author: | emgcr [ Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:35 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
chunnybh wrote: That's the Astra 5 (No Meltrope Clamp) and the Astra 6 (with Meltrope Clamp). My guess is, whoever built the Astra soundboxes also built the EMG soundboxes. I am sure you are right about the same manufacturer being responsible for all soundboxes in the EMG and Astra stables. As far as I know, Astras were made for the Gramophone Exchange but do we know what Numbers 1,2,3,4 look like ? |
Author: | chunnybh [ Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:36 am ] | |||||
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. | |||||
Referring to a previous post on the Astra 5. There is an ad here for the Astra 4 and refers to the Astra 2 being sold for half the price. I cannot remember seeing any info on the Astra 1, 2 & 3, but being pre-1924 they may well have been advertised in The Soundwave magazine. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=18634 A few pics of the Astra 4 on the net. I believe it was available in mica diaphragm and with a "Specially built - up Composite Silk diaphragm".
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Author: | Lucius1958 [ Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:54 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
chunnybh wrote: Referring to a previous post on the Astra 5. There is an ad here for the Astra 4 and refers to the Astra 2 being sold for half the price. I cannot remember seeing any info on the Astra 1, 2 & 3, but being pre-1924 they may well have been advertised in The Soundwave magazine. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=18634 A few pics of the Astra 4 on the net. I believe it was available in mica diaphragm and with a "Specially built - up Composite Silk diaphragm". Interesting: why is the price shown as 42/-, when it could have been 2/2/-, or even 2Gn? Bill |
Author: | chunnybh [ Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:55 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
Quote: Interesting: why is the price shown as 42/-, when it could have been 2/2/-, or even 2Gn? Bill Good point. I believe people generally dealt in shillings(a bob)rather than pounds. Average wage in 1930 was £165 a year. So spending 2 pound 2 shillings on a soundbox was pretty extravagant. |
Author: | Orchorsol [ Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:27 pm ] | ||
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. | ||
I was re-reading EMG's Book of the Fibre Needle yesterday (attached) and had forgotten that they found a heavier soundbox beneficial for the largest horns - an interesting finding, and one that seems to make scientific sense. If a large exponential horn such as the Xb Oversize couples more air, more efficiently, and to a lower frequency cutoff (also considering the additional energy requird to move the air at such frequencies), the needle must "see" a greater mechanical impedance, or put another way, must have to do more work.
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Author: | old country chemist [ Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:15 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: EMG/Expert/Astra/Wild/Meltrope soundbox weights. |
THANK YOU "Orchorsol" for very kindly placing on the forum the download of the H.B. Davey booklet on how to use Fibre needles. etc. I had not seen that edition nefore. Fascinating reading-I wonder what a newcomer would think on reading the booklet! Mr Ginn advocated in one of his booklets,up to eight ounces bearing down on the tri-angular needle point. Basically, the weight compacted the needle point into a hard ball,suitable for reproduction, and most important, to alleviate fibre needle breakdowns. The heavily modulated grooves of 1930s onwards 78s required a reproducer to hold it's own in the wavy line of reproduction. I still prefer thorns, as they are easy to sharpen and seem to last the course better than the tri-angular fibre, and have a "cleaner" sound. Thanks again for posting the booklet. I did enjoy reading it. |
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