Goldring portable

[Derek]

I briefly mentioned this, my first gramophone, in a post about my HMV 88a. It was given to me by a collector when very young as I had taken an interest in 78s and started buying them from pocket money. I remember going to his place 30 or so years ago and marvelling at the variety of machines he had and then him presenting me with this and how excited I was so it holds some sentimental value for me.

Goldring portable. I can't find any other identifying marks other than the platter mat states 'BSR - Made in England'.

Anyone know likely model or where that might be marked, when likely to have been manufactured etc?

Doesn't have any horn to speak of underneath and the motor mechanism is very small, so underneath the deck is surprisingly mostly empty space on a machine that is quite small to start with.

In good condition and works perfectly well although it doesn't have the depth of sound even of my tatty HMV 88a.

The arm is made of quite thick painted metal and has more friction than other models I have used. I presume this would cause it to wear records more quickly - I tend to play records on it that are already worn / low value due to this concern but would be interested regarding people's thoughts on this.

Also I have a box of needles that claims to play 20 records per needle. Are these a good idea or are they likely to also cause more wear to records?

[epigramophone]

BSR stood for Birmingham Sound Reproducers, a company which existed from 1932 to 1985. They were best known for their post war autochange turntable units which were used in many record players of the 50's 60's and 70's. The rubber turntable mat on your Goldring machine is probably a later addition.

Goldring still exists, and their website includes a history of the company.

[Phono48]

The first obvious thing is that the turntable mat has nothing whatsoever to do with the machine, it's from a 1950s BSR electric turntable. The original mat would have been either felt or velvet. The "Goldring" in the lid looks rather crude and hand painted, but I could well be wrong. As far as I know, Goldring never made complete machines, only soundboxes and turntables. You are right to be concerned regarding the stiffness of the arm, as it will contribute greatly to the wear of your records. The needles that claim to play multiple sides rarely do, in most cases they never last more that six sides. If they did play twenty or in some cases sixty sides, they would have to be so hard that they would destroy the grooves rapidly. Remember that it is the abrasive in the record that wears the point of the needle down to suit the groove, which is why most needles have to be discarded after each side. These things aside, what a cute little machine that is! I would be tempted to remove the arm and see if it is possible to get some grease or oil into the base, with a view to reducing the friction.

Barry

[Derek]

Thanks for the replies.

It had crossed my mind that the mat might be from a later BSR electric machine. That's probably a good thing as it is starting to crack up and so I will feel less bad when the time comes where I need to replace it and can just go back to a felt mat.

The Goldring writing isn't painted on, it is a kind of plastic that has been glued on. Looking at it in the flesh it looks pretty genuine but there would always be the possibility someone just stuck it on.

I stumbled across this on Youtube. Clearly not the same player as mine but similar soundbox (probably both Goldring). They state it is a 'Goldring' made by Hasting in New Zealand. So perhaps some lesser known makers just stuck 'Goldring' on ones they fitted with Goldring soundboxes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz2ij7GNHJE

I will try to lubricate the arm at some point but I get the impression it is just a joint that has some grease on it - in which case it is not particularly stiff but obviously does not slide like a tone arm with bearings.

I understand about the abrasion of the needle protecting the record rather than a really hard needle. The '20 side' needles I have are 'Gamma' needles. Would they be OK to use, possibly for 6 sides rather than 20?

[Phono48]

I understand about the abrasion of the needle protecting the record rather than a really hard needle. The '20 side' needles I have are 'Gamma' needles. Would they be OK to use, possibly for 6 sides rather than 20?

It's entirely up to you, but personally I wouldn't. If they are hard enough to supposedly play a multiple number of sides, they are too hard to to play even one side, as they would not wear down enough to conform to the groove.

[nostalgia]

Derek, nice little Goldring portable you have got there, and it must be pretty rare to find too. I also love to read your story about how you started to buy 78 records from pocket money, I regognize much this from my own youth:) It is stories like this that makes our hobby even more interesting, and that is also why, when it is possible, I try to add a storyline in my threads, when there is something to tell about the history of the gramophone, the restoration process, or how it ended in my collection etc.

[Curt A]

Derek, I think your Goldring is great... I wouldn't mind having one. As far as your tonearm goes, it is probably made from pot metal and over time it tends to swell, making joints tight. It might be a good idea to disassemble the tonearm completely and check all of the joints for free movement. If they seem tight, take some fine sandpaper and sand the inside and outside of the joint connections to free them up, then oil them and you should be fine... actually, I use dielectric grease on pot metal joints, since it is used in automotive applications to prevent seizure of parts and prevents corrosion.