WHATS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PHONOGRAPH?

[ambrola]

I can say without a doubt the Edison Standard tall case B is my least favorite phonograph. I have only owned one in 20 years. I just think they are the ugliest phonograph ever produced. I don't know why, and probably will get hate mail over it, but just my opinion.

[estott]

The Home in its commonly found varieties. For me all it has over the Standard is size.

[Starkton]

An overcleaned Victor VI.

[clevelander]

I can say without a doubt the Edison Standard tall case B is my least favorite phonograph. I have only owned one in 20 years. I just think they are the ugliest phonograph ever produced. I don't know why, and probably will get hate mail over it, but just my opinion.

I have to agree with Amberola.
The dimensions are all wrong. Obviously that was recognised and addressed by subsequent models with the heavier base moulding.

Regards,
Alistair.

[FloridaClay]

An overcleaned Victor VI.

If you have one of those you'd like to throw away, kindly throw it in my direction.

Getting to the main question, there are none in my little collection that I'd consider ugly. I suppose if I thought them ugly, I would not have bought them. In general I would probably put near the top of the ugly list phonographs that have been tarted up with paint and/or butchered up--sawn off legs, crude changes to make modern equipment fit into the cabinet, turned into bars, that sort of thing. Makes me want to weep.

Clay

[Victrolacollector]

Silvertone.... It along with Cheney has to be the ugliest tone arms.

[welshfield]

Well... I would rate my favorite and least favorite in terms of ability to play records well rather than appearance. My Columbia Eagle (Type B) would probably be my least favorite in that I would never play any cylinder on it. But it is cute and sits in a grouping of collectibles on a table in the upstairs hallway -- with other appropriate-era antiques such as a stereoscope, two vanity-sized oil lamps, camera, and telescope. My Busy Bee front mount also never gets played as it tends to be a "record eater," probably my second least favorite, but it also occupies a nice spot in a sitting room along with many of my disc record shelves.
John

[Jerry B.]

If you are asking about machines in my personal collection, I only buy what I like so I really don't have a least favorite. I have quite a few with quite low values but I still like them. I'm about at the point where if something comes in, something else must go out. Those are difficult decisions for me to make.
*
If you are asking about machines that I detest, it would be the fakes that are imported. I believe they are a detriment to our hobby. Novice collectors can be fooled as well as reputable antique shops. If anyone is duped, they are less likely to become involved in our great hobby. I really hate to see the cheap fakes available at a phono sale. To me it gives credibility and perpetuates the fraud.

Jerry Blais

[PeterF]

Those open-works frontmount Columbia disc machines (the AU, and its fat-spindle client variant) are perhaps attractive in a funky primitive way, but - oh my - they are just awful.

I really try to avoid having anything in my collection that can't be played to some minimum degree of quality, and these don't really make that grade.

[phonojim]

I agree with Jerry B. I have no least favorite phonograph, nor have I ever. Sometimes my favorite is my latest one but I like them all.

As to the Edison Home, it is more than a Standard. The Home has a larger spring and will play longer than a Standard. I have a Home B with a 2-4 conversion and it is one of my favorite machines to use. I don't have it set up but when I pull it out to use it is ready to go with no fussing around.

@Peterf: I have a Standard AA which I completely lubed and adjusted and it will play a whole 10" side with no problem at all. The critical part of these motors is the governor/spindle gear alignment which I was able to adjust to the point where they work very smoothly, allowing for full run of the mainspring. That said, it is still a display machine which probably needs a good dusting after a couple of years on a high shelf.

Jim