Correct tonearm for late Victor II

[edisonplayer]

Back in 1993 I got my Victor II at a local antique shop.All that was there was the cabinet with the turntable and motor,also the tonearm.I had to get repro parts to turn it functional again.I also got an Exhibition reproducer which I had rebuilt.The dealer I got it from said it came from a house in New Jersey,and the man who sold it to the antique dealer said he had the rest of the parts,but they never turned up.So I had to use repro parts,as I said.This is a late II,and it dates from c.1909.The tonearm doesn't fit snug in the back bracket.I think it may actually be for a Victor I.Any suggestions?edisonplayerPS;I paid $300 for it,which is good even with missing parts

[Jerry B.]

(All information came from the "Victor Data Book" by Robert Baumbach and a MUST HAVE book)
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Let's make sure we are on the same page... The Victor II was sold in significant numbers until through 1927. The peak was 1907 at 29,419 units and fell to several hundred machines from 1921 through 1927. So is a 1909 Vic II a late Vic II? Most collectors split Victor II's into two groups, the "humpback II" and the "plain case II" which came out in 1909. Since the Victor II was made into the twenties, it had motors, tone arms, and other mechanical parts consistent with current Victrolas of that era.
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I suspect your machine is a plain case Victor II which was introduced in February 1909. There were changes to the back bracket in 1910 and the way the elbow attached changed from a clamp (clip & screw) to an elbow that slid down into the back bracket. Both the clip & screw and slide in type machines were shipped as late as 1915.
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I have questions. Is the Victor II tone arm different between the two different type of back bracket? Is the tone arm the same with a big case Victor I with a slide in elbow and a Victor II with a slide in elbow?

Jerry Blais

[Jerry B.]

If you bought a reproduction elbow, I suspect it's the common one with the clip & screw attachment to the back bracket. To the best of my knowledge,the slide in elbow has not been reproduced in large quantities. ( Anyone, is this true?) The tone arm in the clip & screw model is pushed up into the back bracket with pressure from a pin that is pushed up with from a spring in the bottom of the back bracket hole. The vertical distance is limited by a ring at the large opening of the tone arm so it will only go so far up into the back bracket. This setup is far from ideal but it's the way they came from the factory. It would be nice to see photos of your back bracket and tone arm. I hope this helps. Jerry Blais

[Phonofreak]

Jerry, To answer your question: The large case Victor I and II used the same back bracket and tone arm. This also applies to the brackets with the slip in elbow. I also noticed that the humpback Victor II brackets also fitted on the early large cased Victor I that used the 8" turntable.
Harvey Kravitz