Edison Standard worth restoring?

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
KCW
Victor II
Posts: 362
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:04 pm

Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by KCW »

https://www.ebay.com/itm/EARLY-EDISON-S ... %7Ciid%3A1

What do you think? I bought a best up GEM and had someone I know completely restore it. It is now flawless. Thoughts on this one?

AmberolaAndy
Victor V
Posts: 2417
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 10:15 pm
Location: A small town near Omaha, Nebraska

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Now that’s an early Standard from 1898! I say go for it!!

tomb
Victor IV
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:46 pm
Location: riverside calif

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by tomb »

That is an exceeding early phonograph that does not come up very often. It is well worth the restoration project. One thing is that getting parts for it will be expensive. The single screw reproducer clips are available but cost some bucks. Once it is restored it will be worth a lot if done correctly. I have an early one but not that low . If you buy it keep in contact with the seller as he is a good source for parts and may deal with you off line . I have brought a lot from him as he gets a lot of older phonograph part machines in and is very helpful in giving you the correct period parts. If you want to restore an older phonograph that is ideal as most of it is there but will take a lot of cleaning and painting. It does not have a gear cover. It take a standard reproducer but you could get by with an automatic. It is a project you will be proud of when finished. Tom

JohnM
Victor V
Posts: 2986
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:47 am
Location: Jerome, Arizona
Contact:

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by JohnM »

Please harvest the photos from the eBay listing and post them to this thread — when the eBay listing expires the images will be lost. That should be standard practice for any eBay/Craigslist/etc. timed listing mentioned in a TMF post.
"All of us have a place in history. Mine is clouds." Richard Brautigan

User avatar
Fonotone
Victor II
Posts: 399
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 10:58 am

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by Fonotone »

tomb wrote:It does not have a gear cover.
I'm pretty sure that the earliest Standards, including this one, were shipped without gear covers. I don't see any holes in the bedplate, adjacent to the left mandrel shaft stanchion, where the retaining screws would have been threaded.

-- Grant
Visit TechnoGallerie -- Antique Phonographs & More

http://www.technogallerie.com

A Museum Of Science & Invention Where The Exhibits Are For Sale

User avatar
fran604g
Victor VI
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:22 pm
Personal Text: I'm Feeling Cranky
Location: Hemlock, NY

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by fran604g »

The carriage also has the very early 2-screw reproducer clip arrangement.

Pics for posterity:
Attachments
s-l1600.jpg
s-l1600 (9).jpg
s-l1600 (8).jpg
s-l1600 (7).jpg
s-l1600 (6).jpg
s-l1600 (5).jpg
s-l1600 (4).jpg
s-l1600 (3).jpg
s-l1600 (2).jpg
s-l1600 (1).jpg
s-l500.jpg
s-l500.jpg (23.58 KiB) Viewed 2519 times
Francis; "i" for him, "e" for her
"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while" - the unappreciative supervisor.

Jerry B.
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 8511
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:25 am
Personal Text: Stop for a visit when in Oregon.
Location: Albany, Oregon

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by Jerry B. »

Yes, the very early Standards were shipping from the factory without the gear cover and the decks were not drilled for the gear cover. But there were mechanical issues with early Standards and many were returned to the factory for repair. I believe that gear covers as well as repairs were done to these machines before they were returned to owners.

Jerry Blais

JerryVan
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 5282
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:08 pm
Location: Southeast MI

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by JerryVan »

No crank and no lid would be the biggest negatives to me. The first won't be cheap, and the second won't be easy to find, (and probably not cheap either). But yes, it is a worthy project.

KCW
Victor II
Posts: 362
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:04 pm

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by KCW »

It’s a tough call for me. I don’t want to pay full price and offered 300$. I don’t mind spending a chunk in restoration, particularly because I love the idea of bringing something interesting back to life. However, he won’t budge on price. If it was not missing so many parts I’d be in. Probably will find a complete functioning one instead.

VanEpsFan1914
Victor VI
Posts: 3165
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:39 am
Personal Text: I've got both kinds of music--classical & rag-time.
Location: South Carolina

Re: Edison Standard worth restoring?

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

$375 is a lot of money. Then again, it is one of the oldest Edison Standards.

Post Reply