4 boxes of early 78s for $10

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Jop Amberola 30
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by Jop Amberola 30 »

I’ve seen quite a few Edison DD consoles around here… some under $100… but never had the desire to haul one home. Most look like they’ve went through a nuclear blast and just aren’t worth it.

Now I’d love to have a nice Victor Orthophonic Credenza… and I’d pay decent money… but like you say those don’t turn up often in the Midwest.

Sure wish there were phono shows around here. There’s a yearly antique radio swap meet in Tulsa in July that I attend… and that’s always fun.

AmberolaAndy
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Jop Amberola 30 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 9:20 am I’ve seen quite a few Edison DD consoles around here… some under $100… but never had the desire to haul one home. Most look like they’ve went through a nuclear blast and just aren’t worth it.

Now I’d love to have a nice Victor Orthophonic Credenza… and I’d pay decent money… but like you say those don’t turn up often in the Midwest.

Sure wish there were phono shows around here. There’s a yearly antique radio swap meet in Tulsa in July that I attend… and that’s always fun.
It was a challenge getting my credenza. I held a yard sale to afford the cost of one, and I had a lot of stuff I didn’t use anymore. I did manage to get almost $1000 enough to afford the one I was initially looking at but that one sold apparently, so as a last resort, I made a Yankee trader post and was able to “import” one from Wisconsin to Nebraska. Let me tell ya determination can really get ya somewhere!

As for Diamond Disc machines, I know the two I own, The B-19 and C-19 models aren’t perfect and I’m still looking for a grill for my B-19 and to send my reproducer to Steve Medved for a new stylus. I also had to replace the winding pawl and bend the feed rack back into place because it wasn’t tracking very well. Plus I’m waiting for a crank from Jerry B. But I got both playing music and sounding great! Don’t be afraid of a project because half my machines didn’t work very well when I’ve got them, but with the help of folks here and YouTube, all my machines (except the portables with bad tonearm brackets) work great!

Jop Amberola 30
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Location: SW Missouri

Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by Jop Amberola 30 »

Hey Andy… do you know about the Edison Amberola 30 cylinder machine? I bought an early model a few years ago fairly cheap and the seller told me it ran… but the motor won’t wind and appears locked up. That’s what I get for not testing it at sale. Been sitting in my garage a few years. Always been a bit scared digging into the motor since they say it can really hurt ya if things go bad. Be cool getting it going. What do you think?

zenith82
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by zenith82 »

Realize I'm a bit late, but that was a nice score. Have fun looking through them - there could literally be anything in there. The Zonophone record is from the 19-oughts as you probably know and the other one is from the '20s. I've had similar lots give up early blues and hillbilly records. You just never know.

Jop Amberola 30
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by Jop Amberola 30 »

Yeah. I’ve looked at them a bit and there’s lots of single sided Victor… very early Columbia… and lots of Standard Disc stuff. Already cleaned up and played some hot jazz ones from the mid 20s. Couldn’t be more pleased!

AmberolaAndy
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Jop Amberola 30 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 2:53 pm Hey Andy… do you know about the Edison Amberola 30 cylinder machine? I bought an early model a few years ago fairly cheap and the seller told me it ran… but the motor won’t wind and appears locked up. That’s what I get for not testing it at sale. Been sitting in my garage a few years. Always been a bit scared digging into the motor since they say it can really hurt ya if things go bad. Be cool getting it going. What do you think?
How early? As in pinstripes on the gear cover early? Did they perhaps over wind something? Is there any movement when you turn on the switch? Is the winding pawl broken or have any issue? Did you look under the gear cover and see any issue there? Would you like me to take photos of mine so you can compare it to yours? What parts would you like photos of?

AmberolaAndy
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Jop Amberola 30 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 4:43 pm Yeah. I’ve looked at them a bit and there’s lots of single sided Victor… very early Columbia… and lots of Standard Disc stuff. Already cleaned up and played some hot jazz ones from the mid 20s. Couldn’t be more pleased!
Since the owners had standard disc stuff were there any other records that had their spindle hole modified to fit on a Standard machine? The last 78 lot had that done to some Victor, Columbia and Oxford label discs. I’m glad I have my standard machine but recently something happened to the mica diaphragm and now it buzzes like crazy! I need to know who’s got those things for a Columbia long throat soundbox plus a new set of gaskets? Perhaps Walt Sommers or Wayatt has them? Maybe Steve Pellacano?

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Lucius1958
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by Lucius1958 »

Jop Amberola 30 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 2:53 pm Hey Andy… do you know about the Edison Amberola 30 cylinder machine? I bought an early model a few years ago fairly cheap and the seller told me it ran… but the motor won’t wind and appears locked up. That’s what I get for not testing it at sale. Been sitting in my garage a few years. Always been a bit scared digging into the motor since they say it can really hurt ya if things go bad. Be cool getting it going. What do you think?
'The motor won't wind': do you mean the crank won't turn, or that it turns without winding? In the first case, it may have been wound up, and there's some damage to the gearing; in the second, the spring may have broken or come unhooked.

Do you have a copy of The Compleat Talking Machine? If not, I heartily recommend it. I could have used it when I first started working on my Amberola 30, nearly 50 years ago. I made the rookie mistake of disengaging the governor while it was still wound: luckily, all that happened was a slight ding in one of the gears, as everything went whizzing around.

You might start by removing the crank and the reproducer, unhooking the horn from its suspension spring (if it's still there), then removing the motor. You'll have to unscrew the lid stay, to get at the screws for the gear cover (one of the mounting bolts is under that cover). Check to see whether the spring barrel moves easily, when you twist it with your fingers: that will tell you whether there's any tension left on the spring. You can then CAREFULLY use a screwdriver, or some other tool, to disengage the winding pawl. Either the spring will dramatically unwind; or, if the spring is broken or unhooked, it will do nothing.

When you're sure the spring is unwound, then you can disassemble the motor, check the gears for damage, and go from there. If the spring is broken, you can always send the barrel off for a replacement, to one of the suppliers in the 'Links' section. You should also check the reproducer, to see if the stylus is still good. Diamond styli are a bit expensive, but a necessary investment to make it play properly: new diaphragms and gaskets are also available, and will greatly improve performance.

I hope this advice will be useful to you: it took me many years to get my Amberola back into something resembling its original condition.

- Bill

AmberolaAndy
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Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Lucius1958 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 11:38 pm
Jop Amberola 30 wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 2:53 pm Hey Andy… do you know about the Edison Amberola 30 cylinder machine? I bought an early model a few years ago fairly cheap and the seller told me it ran… but the motor won’t wind and appears locked up. That’s what I get for not testing it at sale. Been sitting in my garage a few years. Always been a bit scared digging into the motor since they say it can really hurt ya if things go bad. Be cool getting it going. What do you think?
'The motor won't wind': do you mean the crank won't turn, or that it turns without winding? In the first case, it may have been wound up, and there's some damage to the gearing; in the second, the spring may have broken or come unhooked.

Do you have a copy of The Compleat Talking Machine? If not, I heartily recommend it. I could have used it when I first started working on my Amberola 30, nearly 50 years ago. I made the rookie mistake of disengaging the governor while it was still wound: luckily, all that happened was a slight ding in one of the gears, as everything went whizzing around.

You might start by removing the crank and the reproducer, unhooking the horn from its suspension spring (if it's still there), then removing the motor. You'll have to unscrew the lid stay, to get at the screws for the gear cover (one of the mounting bolts is under that cover). Check to see whether the spring barrel moves easily, when you twist it with your fingers: that will tell you whether there's any tension left on the spring. You can then CAREFULLY use a screwdriver, or some other tool, to disengage the winding pawl. Either the spring will dramatically unwind; or, if the spring is broken or unhooked, it will do nothing.

When you're sure the spring is unwound, then you can disassemble the motor, check the gears for damage, and go from there. If the spring is broken, you can always send the barrel off for a replacement, to one of the suppliers in the 'Links' section. You should also check the reproducer, to see if the stylus is still good. Diamond styli are a bit expensive, but a necessary investment to make it play properly: new diaphragms and gaskets are also available, and will greatly improve performance.

I hope this advice will be useful to you: it took me many years to get my Amberola back into something resembling its original condition.

- Bill
Much better than I can describe it!

Jop Amberola 30
Victor Jr
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2018 4:51 pm
Location: SW Missouri

Re: 4 boxes of early 78s for $10

Post by Jop Amberola 30 »

Can’t believe I went back to our local weekend flea market this morning and the woman who sold me the 4 boxes of early 78s said she forgot she stashed a box under a table… so just told me to take it!

Now 5 boxes in this $10 haul… at least 250 of them!

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