The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just watched the "An Evening with Charley Hummel" DVD from 2010. What is the rest of the story with the Columbia Multiplex Grand cylinder restoration? Was it ever finished? What was on the rest of it? Is there a place on line to listen to it if so? Have any other machines or cylinders turned up?

Couldn't find much about it via Google or in a site search here.

Clay

We showed a "Multiplex Grand" carriage with its three reproducers in The Talking Machine Compendium, but that and the two items shown on the DVD are the only traces of the machines/records that I'm aware of.

I'm likewise unaware of the present state of the restored Multiplex Grand cylinder, or what else was discovered on it.

I'm glad you enjoyed the DVD, Clay.

George P.

I did enjoy the DVD. Hummel is a very interesting guy to hear.

Clay

I restored Charlie's Multiplex a couple of years ago and it was operating perfectly. I do not know if it is still operational. I did another for another person in the Northeast and when I delivered it, it to was fully operational. This type of machine is temperamental and needs periodic playing and adjustment. While I take still pictures of machines I restore, I generally do not take video. Here are a few pictures.

Ken Danckaert

Sorry, I missed the word "Grand" in "Multiplex Grand". That said, the Multiplex is still an interesting and rare machine.

Ken Danckaert

Ken - I have sent you a PM.

George P.

FloridaClay wrote:Just watched the "An Evening with Charley Hummel" DVD from 2010. What is the rest of the story with the Columbia Multiplex Grand cylinder restoration?

As far as I know only one track is recorded on this cylinder. Where is the connection to the Multiplex Grand?

You'd need to watch the DVD for the whole story; however, the cylinder is enormous (much bigger than a normal 5" grand) and fits on one of the only two known surviving Multiplex Grand mandrels, so there is not much doubt as to what it is. When found the cylinder was in many pieces and at the time the DVD was made, they had only been able to get about the first quarter or so of it in playable condition and could only speculate about what was on the rest. The restorer was hoping to get it all in playable condition in time, but I have not to date heard whether he succeeded.

The Multiplex Grand cylinders could apparently be set up to play either several different songs, one after the other, or have 3 different tracks of the same song playing simultaneously with some sort of "stereo" effect. At least at the time the DVD was made, in 2010, it was the only known surviving Multiplex Grand cylinder and they seemed to think this one is of the first type.

You can get the DVD from the Antique Phonograph Society and it is well worth watching, both for the demonstration of the cylinder and for interesting stories about many years of antique phonograph collecting from Charley Hummel.

http://www.antiquephono.org/shop/

Clay

"The Multiplex can be converted in an instant into A GRAPHOPHONE GRAND OF TRIPLE SIZE by using only one reproducer to cover the entire length of the cylinder. Special records may be had which will thus give a reproduction ten minutes long." - from a period flyer.

For those who don't own a copy of Phonographica (available here):
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =9&t=15832
the Multiplex Grand is shown below...

George P.

phonogfp wrote:"The Multiplex can be converted in an instant into A GRAPHOPHONE GRAND OF TRIPLE SIZE by using only one reproducer to cover the entire length of the cylinder. Special records may be had which will thus give a reproduction ten minutes long." - from a period flyer.

Thank you George, this is convincing. What is the (estimated) playing time of Charley's cylinder?