VV-IX Question

[johnwilla]

Greetings, I am working on an early VV-IX which does not have the tone arm overhang, but the tone arm which fits into the horn on a post. Instead of the combination overhang and escutcheon finished in shiny black, there is a simple ring with two tiny screw holes (or nail holes?) which look too small for any Victor nickel-plated screw I have seen. None of the images I find for this machine show clearly how the ring was attached to the back of the phonograph cabinet. Anybody have an early VV-IX with this kind of fitting, who can tell me how the ring was fastened? Nails? Screws? I am attaching an image of the phonograph showing the tonearm attachment, but the board is incorrect and the ring is missing in this image. Thanks in advance for any suggestions--

[De Soto Frank]

How early is your IX - does it have "feet", or is it "flat-bottom", with a continuous moulding around the base ?


I'm also curious about the hardware on the motorboard - that "crescent" -style speed control did not appear until around 1913, the "tab brake" around 1912, and the #2 sound-box until around 1918. And the turn-table platter looks like it is from the Orthophonic era... ( sorry if you already know all this - I'm not trying to nit-pick )

The reason I'm asking about these details is that I have a 1915 IX ( "footed" ), which has the "crescent" speed control( at right-front of motorboard), tab-brake ( at back-right of motorboard), Exhibition soundbox on "skinny" taper-tube with back-bracket that includes the top-pin. Also, my motor crank is at the upper-middle of the side of the machine, and the serial plate is located on the back-board, to the left of the taper-tube bracket.

I will look for pictures of the earlier style taper-tube bracket...

[johnwilla]

Thanks for your quick reply, and the questions. This machine came as a mishmash of parts, and the turntable is definitely wrong--I have replaced it. SN is 201567, which per Victor Data Book puts it in 1911-1912 (Type A) except that the regulator is wrong (Murray type). Machine is flat-bottomed, no feet, the innards were gone (baffles to extend the cast-iron horn)and I have fabricated some based on pictures of how they should have been. Motor is a two-spring motor (correct for Type A) Machine came with a No. 2 reproducer and a larger tone arm which was sort of attached to the horn with black electrical tape (!) I have replaced the tone arm, the reproducer, and the winding key. Members of this forum have been very helpful with suggestions, and George Vollema came up with the parts I needed. I am almost at the point of starting the refinishing of the cabinet--I played a record on it and it sounded pretty good...

[De Soto Frank]

God bless you, John... you have the patience of a saint !

I'm still hunting for photos of an early taper-tube... I know I've seen some within the last month or so... just have to track them down.


Frank

[Dino Bravo]

God bless you, John... you have the patience of a saint !

I'm still hunting for photos of an early taper-tube... I know I've seen some within the last month or so... just have to track them down.


Frank

The round plate attaches with two screws. Good luck with your restoration. Dino

[johnwilla]

Exactly what I needed, thanks for the clear images and the information.
Cheers--

[whoopinola]

I found a similar VV-IX , and it too posed a few questions .The crank escustion is Orthophonic , and has been replaced

[johnwilla]

Looks like you have a crank that is too long, also--I got mine cut down and drilled and tapped by my neighbor. Not to be too needy, but is the ring around your tonearm attached by nails or small screws? Your machine has a decent finish and the Victor decal on the lid--mine sanded away by enthusiastic handyman. Good luck!