The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This has come up before in a scattered way on various threads, but I was hoping to get - all in one place - some suggestions and perhaps photos of how people display and store their machines... like a lot of people here, I probably have too many machines right now, both table and floor models, disc and cylinder, and the space where I can put them has become fairly limited, so I could really use some guidance and examples on how to get things organized and settled in a way that allows for many things to all be contained in one place, but still useable, and without looking just stacked and stored away. Any help here would be most appreciated. Thanks.

It's easy - we converted our master bedroom into displaying all upright Victor machines - we converted our 2nd bedroom to display all our Edison machines, the 3rd bedroom displays all my off-brand machines, the 4th bedroom we made into our spare parts and repair restoration room and machine shop, we use the dining room to display all our needle tins and rare cylinder and disc records, the 3 car garage stores most of our junk machines and machines that are waiting for restoration, the den is used to house our gigantic photograph related book and research collection, and finally we just bought a brand new pull out couch we squeezed in our living room to sleep on. Plus we have 2 & ½ bathrooms - two are filled with Pathé machines right now. It all seems to work for us..

briankeith wrote:It's easy - we converted our master bedroom into displaying all upright Victor machines - we converted our 2nd bedroom to display all our Edison machines, the 3rd bedroom displays all my off-brand machines, the 4th bedroom we made into our spare parts and repair restoration room and machine shop, we use the dining room to display all our needle tins and rare cylinder and disc records, the 3 car garage stores most of our junk machines and machines that are waiting for restoration, the den is used to house our gigantic photograph related book and research collection, and finally we just bought a brand new pull out couch we squeezed in our living room to sleep on. Plus we have 2 & ½ bathrooms - two are filled with Pathé machines right now. It all seems to work for us..

I don't understand. you're kidding, right?

briankeith wrote:It's easy - we converted our master bedroom into displaying all upright Victor machines - we converted our 2nd bedroom to display all our Edison machines, the 3rd bedroom displays all my off-brand machines, the 4th bedroom we made into our spare parts and repair restoration room and machine shop, we use the dining room to display all our needle tins and rare cylinder and disc records, the 3 car garage stores most of our junk machines and machines that are waiting for restoration, the den is used to house our gigantic photograph related book and research collection, and finally we just bought a brand new pull out couch we squeezed in our living room to sleep on. Plus we have 2 & ½ bathrooms - two are filled with Pathé machines right now. It all seems to work for us..

When you say "WE" and "US", that means your dog, would that be a fair assumption?

what I was asking about was ideas for creative uses of limited space, particularly when it comes to larger concentrations of machines and such in smaller non-storage areas (I've seen some rooms where collectors have constructed special shelving systems, etc.), rather than having dozens of phonographs sprawling throughout every room of the house. but seriously, if this isn't a legitimate topic for conversation, the moderator can just erase it. I was just looking for some guidance.

brianu wrote:what I was asking about was ideas for creative uses of limited space, particularly when it comes to larger concentrations of machines and such in smaller non-storage areas (I've seen some rooms where collectors have constructed special shelving systems, etc.), rather than having dozens of phonographs sprawling throughout every room of the house. but seriously, if this isn't a legitimate topic for conversation, the moderator can just erase it. I was just looking for some guidance.

It's a great topic I've been trying to come up with ideas for smaller machines and shelving units. In my case I have a few gems and a Columbia Q with the hope of adding more. I'm of the mind that if I can't display it, it's got to go. Unless of course it's a work in progress. I've got a few ideas but looking forward to see some already in use.

This is an interesting topic that has come up before. Here's a 23-page thread from 2010, and another from 2015. Lots of pictures to study and get inspiration from. Not to mention lots of drool-worthy phonographs.

I have a spare bedroom full of uprights and table tops, some in my amateur radio room. in fact I have machines everywhere (only 50). I gave up displaying them other than the people who visit and see them in the living and dining room. Most suggest I should seek "professional help" and one auctioneer who took 17 machines off my hands remarked some of the rooms reminded her of a morgue

Bill K

I was able to get 26 of the 75 I had at the time in our dining room. All the Electrolas and Columbia Electrics were in the larger rooms and spread out in the house on the first floor. My wife actually threatened to put a box at the front door saying donations accepted. I think it was an excuse to get a new dining room set.

I'm out!