The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a machine in here, and so I wanted to share this one with you, particularly since I have not done that many Edison phonographs.

Here is an Edison Ideal from Valecnik’s collection:

Enjoy!

— MordEth

Here is some info re. the Ideal:

It's pretty easy to date this one. As many of us Edison geeks will know, according to George Frow's excellent book it was offered as the "Ideal" for about two months at the end of 1907. After that the name was changed to "Idelia" and offered into ~1911 in various forms until it was superceded by the Opera & Amberola 1. The price was $125 or in the UK about 26 pounds (which for those of you who follow exchange rates indicates what's happened to the dollar).

This one actually says "Ideal" on both the SN plate and on the horn. It has been later upgraded with the large carriage and "O" reproducer and 2/4 minute gearing. It would have originally had a model C two minute reproducer. All in all a nice machine.

Cheers, Valecnik

It’s been a while since I posted a machine transparency (which you can also find in the stock avatar gallery), so here is a Victor VI from Bill’s collection, which I got to see and hear at the MOCAPS meeting discussed in this thread.

I have a couple of other half-finished cut outs that hopefully I’ll have up in the near future, and hopefully we can continue to hear a bit about the machines from their owners.

Enjoy.

— MordEth

Very nice Victor 6 Bill. Is that a black linenoid horn you've got there? I think they fit a Victor VI very nicely. On a IV they look a bit overwhelming. I got one on a MS of all things.

Thanks, Bruce. Actually it's painted mahogany brown to match the cabinet. As and aside, the company is still in business, and makes of all things the paper for our money here in the U.S. They are located in the western part of Massachusetts (Dalton) and have been in business since the late 1700s!!
BTW, amazing job as always David!!! Thanks!

Bruce, I just scrolled up to your IDEAL...............yikes!!! Gorgeous!!! Is the O oxidized too?

Mr. Mordeth,

Very clever making of the transparency. It is now so easy to drop the perfect resized transparency into a photoshop photo and onto to my living room table so now I can have Bill's Victor VI in my collection too.

Thank you Bill your machine and rare horn have a new home too.

Regards to all,

Henri

Henri,

I was discussing with Bill earlier (after he commented about using the background I made for his YouTube channel as wallpaper on his computer) that I should do something with sheet music from the shellac era as a backdrop for some of these cut-out machines for wallpaper images.

Since he’s recorded that machine for YouTube, you can also see and hear it in action, as well:

(Double-click the video above or click this link to go to the video on YouTube.)

Now if the Columbia Grafonola logo I am working on cutting out wasn’t so tedious...

— MordEth

Thanks, The reproducer is oxidised but it's an O bottom with a new repro top. I had a guy oxidise it. I have a nice original brass O that's nickel plated but I didn't want to take off the original nickel to oxidise it.

Hrm...now what could you mean by that...?! Thanks David!!