Edison A-375 Louis XV - home again!

[UpstateNYBilly]

So pleased to welcome home a phonograph I let go of a few years back...

My good friend and expert restoration specialist, Bill Meyer (Syracuse, NY), was over visiting one day and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He had a beautiful Columbia Symphony Grand upright in his collection which he had painstakingly restored. He knew I had had my eye on it for some time and he had been secretly coveting my Edison A-375 (which at the time was incomplete and had been since I bought it many years prior). I had no idea of its actual value (I only paid $150 for it when I was twenty years old) but I knew the Columbia that Bill had was a rare piece as well and so I happily traded with him and truly loved adding the Symphony Grand to my collection. But as time went by I began to miss ol' Louis. I especially regretted it when I paid a subsequent visit to Bill and saw how he had meticulously restored the machine to its former glory. It looked like a million bucks and I figured that's about what it would cost if I were to ever find another one to add back to the fold.

Well, flash forward a bit to one of my Christmas parties where he and his wife were in attendance. He told me rather cryptically that he had some news for me that might make me very happy. I was all ears. It turns out he had, in the past month or so, laid his hands on an Edison B-375 in red mahogany (whereas mine was brown mahogany) and his reasoning was that he didn't need two of the (basically) same model so he told me that he would sell mine back to me and would give me all the time I needed to put the money together for that to happen. He understood that I was still relatively new to the area and was still a bit "house poor" as I continued to acclimate to Upstate New York. He told me in no uncertain terms that it would one day be mine again.

Well, it happened today. Louis is home! And I have to tell you that it was something that haunted me many nights. The thought that the little guy wouldn't find his way back to me for some reason and he'd be lost to the ages. But Bill, bless him, brought it out to me and assembled it and we played an inaugural record on it and I nearly cried.

I know that the machine has some value because of its scarcity and that its rather sought after by some collectors but this one is particularly meaningful to me. After having had it for so many years and then to have seen it finally restored - as I could never have done myself - and THEN to ultimately be able to add it back to the herd... well, there's no way to put a price on that! For those of you who are aesthetic or sentimental collectors like I am - you know whereof I speak.

Bill Meyer is a rather rare bird among those of us in the hobby. He has vast knowledge but he's not a know-it-all about it. He does incredibly detailed restorations yet he doesn't toot his own horn. And because of the nature of the hobby and the influx of new collectors who are getting hooked on phonographs (but really don't know their way around them yet) Bill could easily charge premium prices for what he does. But he doesn't. He's fair and he's a craftsman and - as you can tell by the way in which he dealt with me on this particular phonograph - he has integrity... something we sadly can't say is in overabundance in the circles in which we collectors travel.

A few photos of the prodigal upon his return...

[52089]

Wow. I mean, just... WOW! That's so gorgeous I'd be afraid to approach it to use it!

[alang]

Such a stunningly beautiful machine! I understand why you regretted giving her away and I am happy that it found its way back to you.

Andreas

[Lucius1958]

Fit for a king!

- Bill

[TinfoilPhono]

An absolute knock-out. Truly gorgeous.

You are so very lucky! Thanks for sharing that great story.

[audiophile102]

I can only dream of owning such a treasure. It really is quite beautiful. Congratulations.

[dzavracky]

Wow that would be the centerpiece of my collection! Congratulations on having your machine back! Also, hats off to Bill for doing an INCREDIBLE restoration on it!

Cheers,

David

[BillH_NJ]

What a beauty!

[tictalk]

Congratulations That is a beauty! I bought one in the early days of my collecting in the 1990's for $150, it was missing the grill , I painstakingly refinished it myself , I had more energy back then , ran an ad in Michigan Antique Phonograph Society classifieds wanting a grill , well someone called me up from California ( you know how those guys are , offered me $1000 for it and off to California it went. I was a newby collector that just fell off the pumpkin truck and have regretted it ever since, I am still looking for its replacement. It is nice to hear that your protocol son has returned. Larry

[UpstateNYBilly]

Wow. I mean, just... WOW! That's so gorgeous I'd be afraid to approach it to use it!

I guess because I've been around it for almost 40 years incomplete it's nice to finally be able to play it. I'm past the "shock and awe" stage. Just very grateful and happy to have it home again!