2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
-
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1144
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:12 pm
2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
Suppose you had a pile of bare cylinders with both two-minute and four-minute cylinder recordings mixed together. Is it possible to separate them with just a simple visual examination? For example, if cylinders are blue, does that mean they are just four-minute blue amberols? Or if black, does that mean they are two-minute recordings? thanks in advance for any response. John
- rizbone
- Victor III
- Posts: 544
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 6:17 pm
- Location: Maryland
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
The blue ones are going to be 4 minute cylinders. Black ones could be either. I generally just look at the grooves, after a while you can tell them apart. When in doubt I would try playing a cylinder on a two minute setting and if it skips tracks you have your answer. I would not try this with a 4 minute reproducer as you are going to do some damage to a wax cylinder.
- phonogfp
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 7458
- Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:08 pm
- Personal Text: "If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will." - A. Lincoln
- Location: New York's Finger Lakes
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
This article shows what most cylinder types look like (scroll about ⅓ down):
http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/
Also note that many black celluloid cylinders are marked "2M" or "4M." If not marked either way, it's probably a 2 minute cylinder.
George P.
http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/
Also note that many black celluloid cylinders are marked "2M" or "4M." If not marked either way, it's probably a 2 minute cylinder.
George P.
-
- Victor I
- Posts: 133
- Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:40 pm
- Location: Suffolk, UK
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
I would be very, very careful with the four minute black wax Amberol records. These are quite delicate, and using the wrong stylus might damage them. They are fairly easy to identify, however. virtually all of them show the catalogue number on the end plate in the form "4M-NNNNN", where 'N' is the numeric catalogue number. On rare occasions you will find "D" or "Special" in the number as well. Another telltale is that they look similar to two minute wax records, but with flat end plates and have no inner lining such as those you will find on blue Amberols, Indestructibles or US-Everlasting.
After a while you will be able to spot four minute records by the fact that there are twice as many grooves.
Good hunting!
Keith
After a while you will be able to spot four minute records by the fact that there are twice as many grooves.
Good hunting!
Keith
-
- Auxetophone
- Posts: 2587
- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:01 am
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
Like others have said...If it's not blue, or doesn't say "4M" on the title end, it's probably a 2M record.
-
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3760
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:54 pm
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
I'll also mention that the Edison "Royal Purple" series cylinders, which are a sort of mauve color, are all 4 minute.
- NEFaurora
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1209
- Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:02 pm
- Personal Text: "A Phonograph in every home..."
- Location: Melbourne, FL (Former New Yorker!)
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
"Is it possible to separate them with just a simple visual examination?"
Yes sir...You Betcha!
"...If it's not blue, or doesn't say "4M" on the title end, it's probably a 2M record"
I agree. I've never seen a 4-Minute cylinder that wasn't ever marked "4M" other than Royal Purple or Blue Amberols. Lots of 2 Minute cylinders aren't marked, It's pretty safe to assume that they are a 2-minute cylinder if they are not marked.
)
Tony K.
Yes sir...You Betcha!
"...If it's not blue, or doesn't say "4M" on the title end, it's probably a 2M record"
I agree. I've never seen a 4-Minute cylinder that wasn't ever marked "4M" other than Royal Purple or Blue Amberols. Lots of 2 Minute cylinders aren't marked, It's pretty safe to assume that they are a 2-minute cylinder if they are not marked.
)
Tony K.
- edisonphonoworks
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1566
- Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:50 am
- Personal Text: A new blank with authentic formula and spiral core!
- Contact:
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
http://members.tripod.com/edison_1/id16.html A page I made to help identify normal cylinders. I have a few kinds to add like Concert or intermediate records like Busy Bee and Pathé'.
-
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1144
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:12 pm
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
Great. And the links were just what the doctor ordered. Now, I did take a loupe and examine the threads. I have one (only one) two-minute cylinder, a Columbia recording of a Sousa march. If I look at the beginning of the recording, where the stylus is in a straight groove before the music starts, I can clearly see the thread count is half of what it is for a four-minute cylinder. Beyond that point, my eye can't tell the difference even with the loupe. But still I can go by color and other markings as well. Thanks to everyone. Now my problem is, lots of four-minute recordings and no machine to play them.
-
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3760
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:54 pm
Re: 2-minute vs 4-minute cylinders
You may want to consider offering your 4 minute records in the Yankee Trader section, perhaps offering to trade for 2 minute records? Or perhaps you might want to post a wanted ad looking for a 4 minute (or 2 and 4 minute) machine.jboger wrote:Great. And the links were just what the doctor ordered. Now, I did take a loupe and examine the threads. I have one (only one) two-minute cylinder, a Columbia recording of a Sousa march. If I look at the beginning of the recording, where the stylus is in a straight groove before the music starts, I can clearly see the thread count is half of what it is for a four-minute cylinder. Beyond that point, my eye can't tell the difference even with the loupe. But still I can go by color and other markings as well. Thanks to everyone. Now my problem is, lots of four-minute recordings and no machine to play them.