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How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:30 am
by Neophone
Folks,

A question that came up in another thread gave me the idea for this question. How far have you traveled to pick-up a machine specifically?

I'll wait for a few answers before I chime in.

Regards,
John

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:18 am
by ColoradoPhonograf
Once in the late 90's we had a fellow collector fly into town to visit. We went antiquing and he found an Edison IA in oak with gun metal finish bedplate. He bought it and I got volunteered to deliver it 1100 miles to his house for a follow up visit. I was driving an early 90's ford Probe hatchback and with that "coffin" of a machine lying on it's side made quite an interesting trip to the west coast. We had to pack lightly and not buy anything that couldn't be discarded on that trek. It was an eventful LONG trip. I think I got a cold beer for doing that delivery!

ColoradoPhonograf

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:27 am
by MordEth
ColoradoPhonograf wrote:It was an eventful LONG trip. I think I got a cold beer for doing that delivery!
I imagine that he appreciated it greatly, though. Do you remember how long it took you to drive that far?

Unlike everyone else here, I don’t have any anecdotes about how far I have gone for a machine except to comment that I think that I win for having gone the shortest distance to pick up a phonograph—down one flight of stairs, 3 doors down the street, and up one flight of stairs. I think that one would be hard-pressed to top it. :D

All joking aside, though, it’s quite impressive the distances you will go for the love of collecting phonographs and gramophones.

— MordEth


Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:37 am
by saxymojo
Well I went from Sydney to Orlando and got a lovely Victor MS front mount :D

Marcel

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:38 am
by Valecnik
Furthest I've driven was ~950 miles from Minneapolis to Toronto. I talked a couple friends into riding with me. We left after work on a Friday night, drove all night and got there about noon the next day. I think it was about a 17 hour trip or so. I picked up a mahogany Edison Opera there. We slept there that night and headed home very early Sunday morning. As I recall we got in about midnight and had to go to work the next morning. Ugh...

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 4:41 am
by phonophan79
Hehe, I see I'm in good company here. I'm in Northern New Jersey and my phono-distance record is driving about 7 hours each way to Canada and back. :-)

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:41 am
by Zeppy
Washington, DC to north central, PA, which really shouldn't count, because I drvie that way to see my parents (although the trip was specificially to pick it up...we paid for it during a trip visiting). Otherwise, it was DC to the NJ burbs of philly (actually purchasing from another member of this board). I guess I'm not dedicated enough (or just haven't found a machine that motivates me enough)

:(

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:52 am
by saxymojo
Valecnik wrote:Furthest I've driven was ~950 miles from Minneapolis to Toronto. I talked a couple friends into riding with me. We left after work on a Friday night, drove all night and got there about noon the next day. I think it was about a 17 hour trip or so. I picked up a mahogany Edison Opera there. We slept there that night and headed home very early Sunday morning. As I recall we got in about midnight and had to go to work the next morning. Ugh...
I would do that in a heart beat for a mahogany Opera :D

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:37 pm
by coyote
Only about 370 miles (that's one-way) from Pittsburgh to the last Wayne show to pick up a Triumph B with repeater...picked up some records I've been looking for as well, and a mahogany Opera, which was unexpected, but I couldn't pass it up! I've also made a circuitous drive from here to central PA and then up to Rochester, NY to pick up phonographs, which probably covered the same (if not more) distance. Hope to meet some of you in April in Wayne, but I'll save that for a few months when the thread about that show is started.

Bill

Re: How Far For a Phono?

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 4:36 pm
by solophoneman
I have never really thought about that question before, but remarkably in all my years of collecting the farthest I think I have ever gone to pick up a phonograph was about a hour drive to a town just North of Boston, Mass. The Columbia AB (MacDonald) I found about 10 minutes from my home, and a one a kind? Pathé Model Solophone and a very nice Victor VV-330 I also found right here in my home Town, Everything else came from auctions or private parties within 30 to 45 minutes of my home.