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What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:44 pm
by AL1630
So I've been thinking about buying my first vintage player, as I've received a large amount of free 78s from a relative who didn't want them anymore. I'm looking at a 1920s era Brunswick for a pretty low price, and i had a question about what records are 'safe' to play on a machine of that vintage. Can any of these be played without major damage if the needle is changed every time?

-Acoustic Recordings only
-Early Electric (~mid-late '20s?)
-All Electric
-None

Not sure if this is the right forum section to post in, but any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Re: What records can safely be played on a

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:59 pm
by Wolfe
Many threads on this topic. Many, many. Here's one :

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... rds#p39647

You'll find the same responses on every thread.

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:16 pm
by estott
1 and 2 are safe, after that it gets variable- some records from the 30's and the early 40's will play fine on an acoustic machine. I think that the record companies knew a lot of people were using acoustic portables so they dampened the response curve on popular discs a bit.

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:41 am
by larryh
You ears will tell you what works and what doesn't as well. If it is blasting and harsh it probably has too high a frequency range to sound right. It probably won't harm the machine it self but it would hurt my ears. Now and then a record beyond the usual cut off in the mid twenties will play reasonably well on a acoustic machine but they are pretty rare. When you get to the Electrical record period its a bit more difficult. Some 40s' records depending on the recorded sound can play rather well, others don't. Generally I find that up to the mid 30's some records do well on the latter orthophonic or Panatrope in Brunswick's case. Again when a record becomes outrageously loud and distorts its one I put aside for the latter electrical machines.

Larry

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:33 pm
by AL1630
Thanks for the help! I'll take a look at it.

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 1:06 pm
by EdiBrunsVic
I agree with the posts that suggest acoustics or early electrics.

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:36 am
by marcapra
You didn't say what Brunswick from the 20s you were looking at. If it is a Panatrope with acoustic or electronic amplification, then it will be fine for electric records up to the early 30s as well as the older pre-1925 acoustic records. If it is an electronically amplified Brunswick Panatrope, it can play most 1940s shellac records. Never play vinyl 78s with a steel needle.

Re: What records can safely be played on a Vintage Machine?

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:47 am
by AL1630
marcapra wrote:You didn't say what Brunswick from the 20s you were looking at. If it is a Panatrope with acoustic or electronic amplification, then it will be fine for electric records up to the early 30s as well as the older pre-1925 acoustic records. If it is an electronically amplified Brunswick Panatrope, it can play most 1940s shellac records. Never play vinyl 78s with a steel needle.
Sorry I didn't specify, the one I was looking at was a portable Brunswick Model 101, fully acoustic.