The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Folks,

Lets gather together some of the basics for new collectors so we can have a short FAQ sort of place for neophytes.

Regards,
John

Neo,

I know you said short, but . . .

Phonopedia! I like it!

I would suggest a glossary as well, with definitions for phono and record related terms.

Would it make sense to have some answers given on two levels? That way, we wouldn't bore the casual inquirer to death with detail, but if one wanted to dig deeper, one could.

Either as a FAQ or a glossary entry, i.e.:

"What is a Victrola?"

-- or --

"Victrola: The brand name for lateral disc playing phonographs produced only by the Victor Talking Machine Company with the horn concealed within the cabinet. Victrolas were produced in many models and styles from 1906 through 1929. Click here to learn more."

Clicking would take one to http://www.victor-victrola.com or to our own in-depth 'Phonopedia' entry.

Great idea!

Maybe easiest to divide it in to sections,

-What is it I have bought/inherited/should buy as a first machine
-Maintenance of a machines exterior
-Maintenance of a machines interior
-Soundboxes, how do they work & how do you rebuild them
-Records, why aren't grandpa´s old Paul Whiteman 78s worth $1000 a piece
-Records maintenance & where to get them

And so on, most of the information is most certainly already on the web, here or elsewhere.
But for a beginner its pretty hard to search for " howto rebuild a Exhibition" when they have no idea what an Exhibtion is.

And, each post should start with "USE EACH NEEDLE ONCE"

Basically a rough guide to getting started & then lots of helpful hints on how to come by more, & more & more & more information & machines & records & more machines & more records & lots more machines...

Great idea! Something along the following linces could also add a section on;

Cylinder records - What records I can play on which machines with which reproducers
- 2 min brown wax
- 2 min celluloid
- 4 min wax
- 4 min celluloid
Disc records - What records I can play on which machines with which reproducers
- lateral 78s
- vertical cut Pathé
- Edison Diamond Disc
The importance of a properly restored reproducer to avoid damage to the records

What NOT to do....
- When NOT to refinish

This would be a big job even with alot of contributions from the membership though! Linking to already existing material, websites, should be done whenever possible!

I'm not a new collector, but even I would appreciate some of this information.

Folks,

Well Phonopedia it is Ha Ha Ha! Do I have any volunteers to start putting together short basic entries on individual subjects?

Regards,
John

John, I can start putting together something on cylinder records as that is really my area of expertise... I can start with brown wax and work my way though the years. I could actually start on tinfoil if you'd like?

Aaron

Aaron,

Sounds good. Just a sort of basic info type of think, You know, what can be played with what-how to tell the difference &c. Thank you.

Regards,
John

While this is a good idea, we should be mindful of our desire to attract new members to the board. Quite often when someone is new and has a question, they don't want to wade through the huge volumes of information that we will undoubtedly generate for the FAQ. They want their question answered directly, which will lead to more questions which will engage them in the forum and the hobby. A new member that has a question that gets answered with "Go read the FAQ" will likely not feel welcome, or, they may be overwhelmed or confused by all of the data, or their question won't be answered.

An FAQ is a good idea, but it should NOT be intended to avoid us regulars from engaging and welcoming new members. We should keep the personal touch.

So right Brad thank you.

Regards,
John