How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

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alang
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by alang »

Zonophone kept the names for Parlor, Concert, Concert Grand and Grand Opera for rear mount models as well. In the attached catalog pictures you can see that Parlor and Concert have a smaller and thicker reproducer than the Concert Grand and Grand Opera. So the two smaller and cheaper models probably still had the V-Concert, while the larger models had the Exhibition style reproducer.

Andreas
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vic-b
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by vic-b »

They mad back mount versions of the Parlor, Home, Concert, Concert Grand, and Grand Opera.

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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by phonogfp »

Here are some pages from a catalog later than that posted by Andreas (this one's no earlier than 1907). Notice that the sound box for the Home is specified as the "Universal" but all other models are equipped with the "Zonophone." I think it's probable that the "Universal" sound box was the V Concert.

George P.
Zono001.jpg
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jboger
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by jboger »

I wish to thank everyone for all their input. It is a bit of a relief that I have the original reproducer, albeit probably with a broken needle bar. This thread started innocently enough. I just wanted to know what to expect when I got around to rebuilding the reproducer, probably a million years from now as I have other things to do. It does work, however.

I will post pictures of the machine. You will see a metal bedplate. If Victor owned the company when this machine was assembled, then it must have been shortly after the takeover as it seems to be a completely Zonophone machine.People have mentioned on this Forum that Zonophones morphed into a Victor-style machines. Reiss writes as much in his book. I imagine a situation where, as Zonophone parts were used up, Victor made changes as necessary until the Zonophone supply of parts was exhausted. At that point the transformation of the Zonophone into a Victor would have been complete.

That being the case I suspect I have a machine made shortly after the takeover or before.

Jeff, thanks for your invaluable input. And also for the information on how to rebuild the reproducer. I will leave everything alone. And Brad, thanks for pursuing this.

I shall post pictures later. I imagine people are now curious to see the entire machine.

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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by jboger »

(I've edited this to make a word change: stylus --> needle bar.)

Will wonders never cease! After much back and forth deliberation, angst, self-doubt, what-if thinking, etc etc etc, I decided to remove the V-Concert reproducer from the tonearm. The rubber gasket is brittle, but I have kept it. I was pleasantly surprised to see, from the back of the reproducer (now removed), that the tip of the needle bar is NOT broken, that even the little screw that secures the needle bar to the mica diaphragm is still present.

The next step in this saga is to remove the pink material that was used to secure the tip of the needle bar to the mica. You can see it in the above photos. Why was this material applied in the first place, you ask? Well, the center hole of the mica had been ruptured and enlarged such that the tip of the needle bar punctured right through the mica. Someone solved this problem by applying that pink material to secure the needle bar to the diaphragm.

I have tried several solvents to remove that pink stuff. I had hoped the material was shellac because ethanol dissolves shellac. Nope, didn't work. I have also tried xylol, acetone, and other organics--no luck. One must be very careful because inside the soundbox is a paper label. I don't want to damage that.

Once i get the pink stuff off I will be able to tell if the needle has been bent.
Last edited by jboger on Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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phonogfp
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by phonogfp »

I was confused until I realized that you meant "needle bar" rather than "stylus." :)

What a stroke of luck that it's not damaged!

Best of luck,
George P.

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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by wjw »

Once i get the pink stuff off I will be able to tell if the stylus has been bent.

Maybe if you have a soldering iron you could see if it will melt. You might scrape or tweezer the stuff off.
-bill

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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by jboger »

wjw: that's a good idea. I have not tried heat.

Here's a picture:
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by jboger »

I heated the end of a jeweler's screwdriver with a torch and was able to scape away the pink material that surrounded the needle tip. Heat was necessary as the cold screwdriver by itself would not remove any material. The hot tip of a screwdriver actually plowed through the material. This makes me think it was shellac. If I can gather up enough of the pink stuff I will put it in a test tube with some ethanol and see if it goes into solution. Here are a couple of photos. How badly bent is the tip of the needle bar? It looks quite fragile. You can also see the large hole in the mica.

By the way, I mounted an Exhibition reproducer on the tonearm. It works quite well but is much heavier than the V-Concert.
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outune
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Re: How to rebuild a Zonophone V Concert Reproducer?

Post by outune »

Great progress John!! The clamp ring in front of the diaphragm will be a challenge to get out-- I've done two-- One went well-- the other... :( Clean all the rust and crud off that you can and work a LITTLE penetrating oil right along the outer edge of the ring --As you already have mentioned, you want to be careful not to damage the paper label. Since your diaphragm is toast you're not worried about damaging it. Put a thin cloth over the tip of a flat head screwdriver and try prying the ring out a little at a time. Or (and I didn't do this) make a jig with "L" rods and flat supports on the front of the reproducer and one on the tube side with a screw connecting them. The "L" would grab each side of the ring and allow you to slowly screw it out. (That probably doesn't make sense, but I've got a great picture of it in my head) :)
Good Luck with it-- Keep us updated.

Brad Abell

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