Does anyone ever want one ?

Post links to auctions and classifieds here
Post Reply

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by Curt A »

It takes too long to learn how to use one of those new fangled recording machines... shorthand is much simpler. :lol:
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

User avatar
edisonphonoworks
Victor IV
Posts: 1566
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:50 am
Personal Text: A new blank with authentic formula and spiral core!
Contact:

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by edisonphonoworks »

That Ediphone dates from the late 1910's into the early 20's, so 1917 about right for this black metal case machine. Many of these suffer from pot metal problems, this one don't look bad. This has the nice spectacle recorder/ reproducer carriage, which is pretty neat. The unit has the more powerful Ekonowatt motor, that is better performing than the black modern motors of the late 30's and 40's. The price is a too high, $100.00 is about what they are worth. The wooden cased ones are worth a considerable bit more; however the works are the same as this with the exception of the wood case ones with spring powered units.
They are very nice dictation machines. The Dictation machines, actually went through much improvement in the recording and reproduction of the human voice. Some of them perform much better than the home recording heads that came with entertainment phonographs. Every single sound must be recorded clearly to be typed, and it had to be foolproof with most voices, so the quality was top notch. No these were not made for volume. Many a collector think that volume is quality but that is not the case with these, all that had to be loud enough for a typist with ear sets, and be about 75-80 DB playback volume, I have tested entertainment Edison phonographs which run at 90-100db in the horn, so you would not want it that loud on your ears all day to transcribe from. Just an explanation of the Why.

Menophanes
Victor II
Posts: 429
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2017 5:52 am
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, U.K.

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by Menophanes »

I have reopened this thread because I am currently considering a machine, apparently identical to the one under discussion, which is on sale on British eBay. These machines are certainly much less common here in Britain than they are in the U.S.A.; I suspect that most of them were scrapped when the mains supply here was converted from 110 to 240 volts.

My question is simply this: would this machine incorporate a shaving function? This is the one important thing I lack, and although the price of this example is higher than has been mentioned above it is still much less than I have ever seen for any other kind of self-contained shaving device or system. (None of my phonographs is compatible with a shaving attachment.) The machine seems to be complete, with some kind of foot-operated switch, and not severely rusted. If it can shave, I would be prepared to take it on (I am sure I would need to have it completely rewired as well as investing in a voltage-transformer); if it cannot, I shall have to let it pass. Can anyone help?

Oliver Mundy.

User avatar
Orchorsol
Victor IV
Posts: 1621
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:03 am
Location: Dover, UK
Contact:

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by Orchorsol »

Menophanes wrote:I have reopened this thread because I am currently considering a machine, apparently identical to the one under discussion, which is on sale on British eBay. These machines are certainly much less common here in Britain than they are in the U.S.A.; I suspect that most of them were scrapped when the mains supply here was converted from 110 to 240 volts.

My question is simply this: would this machine incorporate a shaving function? This is the one important thing I lack, and although the price of this example is higher than has been mentioned above it is still much less than I have ever seen for any other kind of self-contained shaving device or system. (None of my phonographs is compatible with a shaving attachment.) The machine seems to be complete, with some kind of foot-operated switch, and not severely rusted. If it can shave, I would be prepared to take it on (I am sure I would need to have it completely rewired as well as investing in a voltage-transformer); if it cannot, I shall have to let it pass. Can anyone help?

Oliver Mundy.
I have a set of these machines and the shaver is a separate and different unit. From memory the two others are fairly similar, one a recording machine and the other a typist's playback machine if I'm not mistaken (which I could easily be). I could be persuaded to sell as I'll probably never get round to doing anything with them - it would be a pity if they were broken up as a set, but on the other hand they're not worth much and it's probably unlikely that anyone else will restore/use them as a set either!
BCN thorn needles made to the original 1920s specifications: http://www.burmesecolourneedles.com

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe4DNb ... TPE-zTAJGg?

Menophanes
Victor II
Posts: 429
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2017 5:52 am
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, U.K.

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by Menophanes »

Thank you; that saves me from possibly burdening myself with a white elephant. It seems a pity that hand-cranked shavers, which I believe were produced by Edison at one time, never became popular!

Oliver Mundy.

User avatar
Orchorsol
Victor IV
Posts: 1621
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:03 am
Location: Dover, UK
Contact:

Re: Does anyone ever want one ?

Post by Orchorsol »

Menophanes wrote:Thank you; that saves me from possibly burdening myself with a white elephant. It seems a pity that hand-cranked shavers, which I believe were produced by Edison at one time, never became popular!

Oliver Mundy.
What I should have said is that I have a set of similar machines (mine look to be later) - my answer might not be definitive!
BCN thorn needles made to the original 1920s specifications: http://www.burmesecolourneedles.com

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe4DNb ... TPE-zTAJGg?

Post Reply