Question about which records to play on early machines.

[EdisonWizard]

What is the standard when playing 78s on our early machines? Does everyone just play records they like or happen to have; or, do you try to only play acoustic records on your early machines? I've just started really trying to differentiate the early acoustic recordings from the electric ones, and I'm worried that some of my favorite 78s are probably electric recordings and I don't want to wear them out on my machines. I've read you should only play the records from the era of the player. What year records are safe to play on the early machines? One of my favorite songs (from growing up on cartoons) is "I wanna singa" and I have a copy on 78 I play often, but now I'm wondering if I'm wearing it out. (It's an early Brunswick i believe).

[EdiBrunsVic]

There are varying opinions on which records to play on early machines, but I prefer to play the acoustic records on the early disc machines.

[EdisonWizard]

There are varying opinions on which records to play on early machines, but I prefer to play the acoustic records on the early disc machines.

Is there a way to tell if they're acoustic by their physical appearance? Or you just have to date them some how?

[Lucius1958]

There are varying opinions on which records to play on early machines, but I prefer to play the acoustic records on the early disc machines.

Is there a way to tell if they're acoustic by their physical appearance? Or you just have to date them some how?

Well, there are a number of criteria here: the best way is to familiarize yourself with the various labels and their evolution. I might suggest the "78 rpm Discographical Project", and the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" as references: if you look up the catalogue or matrix numbers of a disc, you may find the relevant info.

As a very rough guide, the earlier records tend to be somewhat thicker. If there is no run-out groove, it's most likely acoustic: if there is a lead-in groove on the outer edge, it is definitely an electric from the late '30s or later.

Many early electrics will either proclaim that fact on the label, or have a stamp in the dead wax (as the "VE" on Victors).

With a little study, you'll soon be able to get a general sense of a record's period.

Bill

[Menophanes]

As the needle is the only point of contact between the machine and the record, one could argue that any pre-vinyl record can be played on any machine which is capable of playing at the correct speed. (I mention this proviso because not all machines, even clockwork ones, have a sufficient range of speed adjustment; for example, my H.M.V. 101 portable cannot go below 72 r.p.m. and is therefore useless for certain early operatic records which may require a speed as low as 63 r.p.m.) I suppose it is possible that some very early types of sound-box may be badly enough designed to allow unwanted vibrations from the needle-arm to feed back down to the needle-point and cause it to judder in the groove with potential harmful results; however, this does not seem to happen with the Victor/G&T 'Exhibition', a design dating from 1903. And if this problem does exist it will apply to records of all types and periods.

The next consideration, then, is whether the gramophone is capable not only of playing the record without damage but also of dealing with it acceptably to the ear. Early sound-boxes tend to be smaller in diameter than later ones and (in my experience at least) have a very fierce bright tone which can be impressive but can also become wearisome. I used to play records of all ages from 1896 to 1950 on an H.M.V. Intermediate Monarch (dated 1913) with an 18-inch wooden horn and the original Exhibition box. This could render the brass instruments of a post-war full orchestra with brilliant effect, but eventually I grew tired of its fierceness and lack of bass tones and therefore fitted a No. 4 box to the machine instead. I still felt that something was lacking in the bass, and this impression was startlingly confirmed when I acquired the 101 portable. I tested the two machines against each other, using the same sound-box on both, and found that the portable (despite having an internal horn with a mouth not much bigger than a post-card) was giving me bass tones, such as timpani, organ-pedals and cello/bass pizzicati, which I had never heard before. I attributed this to the abrupt right-angle in the tone-arm of the older machine, which 'broke the back' of the fragile lower frequencies so that they could not reach the mouth of the horn. As a result I semi-retired the Monarch, using it thereafter (with the Exhibition reinstated) mainly for records of its own time which it could often play with an immediacy not easily achievable elsewhere.

Oliver Mundy.

[epigramophone]

This question has been asked several times in the past, and my answer is always the same.

A pre-1925 machine which has been properly maintained and adjusted will not damage electrical recordings, but it will not reproduce them to their full potential.

After electrical recordings first appeared in 1925, many owners updated their earlier machines with new soundboxes.

[Henry]

What epigramophone said. Except for the very late vinyls, I play any and all "shellac" 78s on my VV-XI-G (1917) with rebuilt Exhibition sound box and a fresh steel needle. Electrical recordings of orchestral music are not heard to full advantage, but smaller ensembles (e.g., jazz, big bands) sound fine. Play your records and enjoy them!