Edison B-19 which one to keep?

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Victrolacollector
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Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by Victrolacollector »

Decisions Decisions! I am debating which of the B-19 machines should I keep. Both are nice, one is the rouge and other is natural.

Both machines work equally well and equal appearance in good condition.

I only wish to keep one, I would like to keep the one that is harder to replace? rouge or natural.

Any feedback and suggestions would be great.

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fran604g
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by fran604g »

Victrolacollector wrote:Decisions Decisions! I am debating which of the B-19 machines should I keep. Both are nice, one is the rouge and other is natural.

Both machines work equally well and equal appearance in good condition.

I only wish to keep one, I would like to keep the one that is harder to replace? rouge or natural.

Any feedback and suggestions would be great.
I've seen many more Rouge than Natural. Just my observation.

-Fran

EDIT: The correct spelling for the finish is "Naturel", not the common English natural.
Last edited by fran604g on Sat Jan 05, 2019 5:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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zenith82
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by zenith82 »

I agree the natural seems to be a little more scarce, but in the end, keep whichever one you like best.

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marcapra
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by marcapra »

I once owned what I thought was a Natural, but later learned that is was a Rouge. I would like to see pics of both of yours, side by side. Thanks, Marc.

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Indestructible
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by Indestructible »

I would keep the Natural.

vansteem78
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by vansteem78 »

Okay guys rouge or natural. Never heard those terms. I thought all were mahogany, oak. elm or some other kind of wood. I guess if I saw photos I'd know what they look like. Never heard the terms. Photos? Neil

52089
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by 52089 »

vansteem78 wrote:Okay guys rouge or natural. Never heard those terms. I thought all were mahogany, oak. elm or some other kind of wood. I guess if I saw photos I'd know what they look like. Never heard the terms. Photos? Neil
For rouge, think fake mahogany. For "naturel" (Edison's term), think fake pine. In both cases, it's cheap gum wood in non-matching strips, with an OK stain and a mediocre finish. I have yet to see a B-19 that didn't have easily visible drips in the finish. Mechanically they're the same as every other Diamond Disc machine of the period, but the cabinets were cheapened so they could be sold at lower prices.

Here's a Google image search. The light ones are "naturel", the dark ones are "rouge".

https://www.google.com/search?q=edison+ ... 71#imgrc=_
Last edited by 52089 on Sat Jan 12, 2019 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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marcapra
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by marcapra »

Thanks for the link. In those Internet pics, I found my old B-19. I thought it was Naturel, but someone said No, it's rouge. What do you think?
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Herman
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by Herman »

Personally I prefer the Natural as it stands out among the darker phonographs in my collection. No doubt about mine being natural as very light in color.
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Last edited by Herman on Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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fran604g
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Re: Edison B-19 which one to keep?

Post by fran604g »

Marc, I think yours is/was actually the Naturel finish, that has likely been lightened a little through cleaning. The Rouge finish seems to be very easily damaged, and/or removed without difficulty inadvertently. Either that, or someone refinished it at some point.

Best,
Fran
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"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while" - the unappreciative supervisor.

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