Newbie's question: How to choose my first phonograph?

[ewok]

Yes, according to the old Brunswick catalogue (on the internet), the York model has "single" Ultona reproducer. (Maybe I should get another Brunswick with "double" Ultona..........)
I am amazed by the wood horn because it was made in the way looking like an one-piece spruce pressed into the horn shape. Wondering how people in the old days did that.

[estott]

Yes, according to the old Brunswick catalogue (on the internet), the York model has "single" Ultona reproducer. (Maybe I should get another Brunswick with "double" Ultona..........)
I am amazed by the wood horn because it was made in the way looking like an one-piece spruce pressed into the horn shape. Wondering how people in the old days did that.

It would be a fairly simple thing to do with thin veneer steamed and wrapped around a form. Brunswick had enormous wood working facilities so they could do just about anything.

You might be able to substitute another Ultona arm- I think most of the parts are interchangeable and arms turn up on Ebay constantly. The only problem is rebuilding them- Brunswick used a high grade of pot metal but they can shatter if you try to take them apart.

[ewok]

I just recorded my Brunswick York play with a "quiet" needle on a Columbia record. (The microphone of my Sony digital camera had trouble recording the sound when I used a "loud" needle.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC2pevyLMto

The video quality is bad but basically that's how my Brunie sounds like.

The brake functions OK that stops the turntable gradually, however, I am a bit concerned with the braking sound! Please tell me if that's normal.

[estott]

Very decent sound- and that is a VERY nice record, particularly for a Columbia of that vintage. Barrere was one of the best flutists of the era.

The leather on your brake has hardened. You can try sanding the end a bit or crushing it with a pliers to try and soften it, but you should replace it with a new piece of leather.

[ewok]

Thanks for the tips on the brake issue!

[FloridaClay]

Doesn't sound bad; maybe just a bit of high frequency shatter. Unless somebody has done a restoration, the rubber seals in the reproducers of old machines will have dried out to rock hard and need to be replaced. Doing that will improve sound. If you are not comfortable with taking that on yourself, there are any number of restorers who can do it for you. For those I don’t do myself, I usually send them off to George Vollema of Great Lakes Antique Phonograph and I am sure that others on the board here can recommend their favorites.

As Estott indicated your brake problem almost certainly has to do with the small bit of leather generally used as the phonograph equivalent of a brake shoe. These also dry out. However yours sounds like metal on metal so I am guessing the end of the leather has just broken off at this point--not unusual. If so, it is pretty simple to get a new bit and replace it. If the leather is still there some light oil, something like 3-in-1, will likely do the trick. Instructions that came with these old machines include the brake leather on the list of things to be periodically oiled.

Good brands of old phonographs, like yours, are pretty faithful and uncomplaining. They just need a bit of TLC once in awhile to offset the ravages of time. The 3 most common needs in my experience are rebuilding the reproducer, oiling or replacing the brake leather, and (if you hear bumps and thumps when you play it) having the motor overhauled. The bumps and thumps are the result of spring grease having turned to a tar-like substance over the years.

Clay