Edison Model D-25 Jacobean

[solophoneman]

I am not sure I have posted anything about this phonograph in the past, but it is not often found by Edison Collectors, as it was not a good seller in its day. It was the only Edison Phonograph that featured a cabinet in "Stump Oak". It had only a single spring motor, but came with the larger Edison horn. Here it is playing a jazzy Edison number from 1923 featuring the Prolific Vernon Dalhart using the alias of Robert White.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PloMY3i8sXE

[richardh]

Seems strange that this machine didn't sell well...it sounds great and the cabinet (at least to my eyes) looks good too. Certainly better than those often seen dark Edison Disk phonos Was oak not popular in the States at that time?

RJ

[phonophan79]

It does certainly have a good sound, but as solophoneman mentioned it has the large horn size.

The cabinet definitely is different... I would definitely like to own it because of rarity, but my mind can't seem to make up whether or not I like the cabinet. I don't go crazy over oak like a lot of people do... but I do like the little designs near the top.

Also, are all Edison oak machine black on the inside like that?

[Zeppy]

It does certainly have a good sound, but as solophoneman mentioned it has the large horn size.

The cabinet definitely is different... I would definitely like to own it because of rarity, but my mind can't seem to make up whether or not I like the cabinet. I don't go crazy over oak like a lot of people do... but I do like the little designs near the top.

Also, are all Edison oak machine black on the inside like that?

I was under the impression that the entire machines were originally a dark finish, and many of these cabinets have been stripped over the years...I seem to recall a bit of an uproar when a member of a prior board did just that, and there was some heated debate over "restoring" machines to non-original finishes, and the merits of stripping what many considered an unattractive finish.

[gramophoneshane]

Yes, there was, and I was one of the original finish fans. But, if the original finish is shot, then it's shot & nothing will ever bring it back, so you might as well refinish it to suit your own tastes.
I guess like with any machine, it's just a shame to see someone remove the original finish if it could be salvaged, purely because they don't like the colour.
Matt Brown recently restored one of these (the J-25) retaining the original finish & it looks great.

http://edisonphonos.proboards.com/index ... thread=745

Personally I like the dark finish, & if I ever "had" to strip & refinish one, I'd do it dark again because it would match a lot of my other furniture, and it would be a more accurate restoration.
I do think they look fine in a light finish like Solophone's example though, and truth be told, they probably would have been a more successful model had they left the factory that way.