Columbia BK Reproducer question

[Edisone]

My BQ message reminded me to ask about this: I have a BK, which came with an aftermarket horn but no crane. My question is about the reproducer, which does play both 2 & 4 minute celluloid cylinders in a sorta-okay fashion, but tinny and not much volume. (It's a 2/4 BK, which seems to be a bit rare) ... I'm wondering what the repro SHOULD look like, and if somebody stuck a Dictaphone speaker on this. The spring seems awfully weak, to me - and it lacks ID. I can photo or scan it, if that would help

[ChuckA]

Here's what the 2/4 minute reproducer should look like:



Chuck

[Edisone]

Thanks, Chuck! And darn: mine does say REPRODUCER on the cup, and has a few patents, but the weight/spring/stylus assembly is nothing like yours. Mine has a flat diaphragm, too - looks similar to the shellac-soaked paper of an Edison.

I bet it's from an office machine. Prolly hard to find the right one, too.

[Edisone]

Here's what I have :

http://www.box.net/shared/arays8hlsn

http://www.box.net/shared/qh2afg0g18

[Edisone]

So, what is the correct reproducer's name? I want to find one.

[gramophoneshane]

Yup, that's definately a dictaphone weight & stylus.

[ChuckA]

So, what is the correct reproducer's name? I want to find one.

I don't remember ever seeing an "official" name for it. I just call it a 4 minute or combination Columbia Lyric reproducer.


Chuck

[gregbogantz]

The Lyric reproducer was available in four styles. The first one has a weight and is referred to as type #9 and designated the Lyric T-1 by Hazelcorn in his book "Columbia Phonograph Companion, Volume 1". It was used on the model AZ and other rare early graphophones. The next one with the weight is called the type #11, designated "T-2" and was typically found on the BE, BF, and BG graphophones. The third one with the spring instead of the weight was the type #12, designated "T-3" and was found on many more models including the BK. The latest versions of this were called the type #15, and designated the "Extra Tension". Columbia brought these out when they had acquired the full output of the Indestructible Record Company in 1908. This model used both a weight and a leaf spring to provide more tracking force than the earlier models. These were intended to play both 2 and 4 minute celluloid records and Columbia called this model the "Columbia Indestructible Reproducer". Columbia offered this model as standard equipment on all cylinder graphophones (except the Highams) starting in 1909. Columbia came out with the 2&4 minute gearing in 1908 which is also when the #15 reproducer was debuted, so there may not have been any 2&4 minute reproducer other than the #15. The one I have on my 2&4 minute BF has a thin sapphire rod as the stylus rather than the typical tapered jewel seen on most reproducers. See the attached picture. All the above data is from the Hazelcorn book.

[ChuckA]

Greg,

Don't think I have ever seen a 4 minute stylus bar with that "crook" at the end. Does that "hacked" hole in the bar line up with anything?

Have you ever seen one of the "Extra Tension" reproducers? I've only seen the early weighted Lyrics on very low serial numbered BE and BF models.

Chuck

[gregbogantz]

You know, Chuck, after I posted that info from the Hazelcorn book, I had to wonder if it's fully accurate. I have never seen one of the "extra tension" models as he describes with both a weight and a LEAF spring. If, as he says, they were standard equipment after 1909 you'd think they should show up all the time. I've seen several Lyric reproducers and none of them has had a leaf spring - all have had the coil spring.

I can't speculate on that extra hole in the stylus bar except that maybe it was a universal replacement bar designed to fit more than one model of reproducer and that other hole might line up with the diaphragm link on some other model. Don't know about the commonality of the crook at the end of the stylus bar, but my 2-minute Lyric on my BO machine has the crook also. Maybe that's what they evolved to since these are both fairly late designs, being post 1909 or so.

What about our other readers. Have any of you seen a Columbia Lyric with both the weight and LEAF spring?