The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Edisonfan wrote:Obviously eBay is NOT the best place to buy phonographs.

Not always true, Paul. While I seldom search eBay for items to add to my collection, including phonographs, I have found a few that I was pleased with both price-wise and condition-wise. One was an excellent original Edison Amberola VIII from a seller near Boston who, in spite of my sharing specific packing instructions for which I would have gladly paid extra, packaged it with rock hard pieces of styrofoam instead of the bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Oh well. It DID arrive safely, amazingly. And another I bought on eBay was a Columbia model AO Graphophone which I always admired for its fancy cabinet. That one arrived with some damage to the pot metal carriage. Thankfully though, I had an original AO carriage in my parts boxes so that worked out just fine. I paid what I considered a fair and honest price for both. So, eBay can be a good source for phonographs sometimes - provided the seller packages securely or you can pick it up in person.

Doug

Thank You Doug, and Django!

Wes K remarked that he would love to get an Opera with an Amberola 1-A mechanism ? Has that been tried,done or even possible? I think that would be great. If anyone knows, please reply.

Thanks.

John

And, after all the previous discussion, my response to the question presented in the title of this discussion... the Regina Hexaphone in mahogany.

Mine would be a Morish L Door, or a VE 9-56

Jwb88 wrote:I'd actually like a new custom model, something along the lines of this EMG, only with a bigger horn

Maybe this one from Hogwarts would be something you could use!

Impressive. Hilariously impressive!

But what happens for the Muggle who puts the needle on the WRONG SIDE of the record?

I started out on the little RCA portables and ones like them. They were cheap and fun to play around with. Next was the Victrola's the V-V- IVX and A -VV IX-. I then got into the portables V Vs . I finally shifted into the Victrola portable V V- 50. an I loved working on the and restoring the junky ones. It would buy part machined and get them going. I brought several suitcase machines like that... I 'probably have every standard machine made and bunch of duplicates. I AM missing only one home, the model C That is a rare one.. Now I am into Amberola and Diamond Discs. My taste has finally matured and I am buying better machines. Tom B

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Impressive. Hilariously impressive!

But what happens for the Muggle who puts the needle on the WRONG SIDE of the record?

We exile him to the antique radio forums.

Truly a sad fate.

Pretty good list of machines on here. I think if I was owning some I can't afford:

Edison Fireside, Model A, with cygnet horn
Victrola Consolette, or a Brunswick Panatrope of the same size
VE-XVII in mahogany
VV-230 Humpback Console in oak (mahogany is fine)