Should or does this Victrola 8-4 have a brass reproducer?

[billybob62]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/atq/5096170683.html

Thank you.

[EarlH]

It probably doesn't have one, those 8-4's with that back bracket on the tone arm are a little later on in the production run. A lot of stuff has been swapped around though over the years. Those are nice Orthophonic machines. I like those better than Credenzas. If you have a "sweet spot" to set those in your house they are really nice sounding. And, a lot of records will set between the legs on the floor.

[mattrx]

There's no harm in sending the seller an email, stating interest, an asking for a pic of the front of the reproducer-to make sure there are no cracks . Most, but not all sellers have been willing to do this for me when I have asked for a specific angle of picture before.

Good luck, the machine looks to be in very nice shape-quite similar style to my 8-12 and the 8-12 has nice sound.

Matt

[phonojim]

That is not a brass reproducer, nor would that machine have come with one. Brass reproducers were only used for a short time early in the Orthophonic era. For those of you who are not aware, a potmetal Orthophonic body is made up of three main parts: the front casting, the rear casting and the ring that holds the front and back together. A brass Orthophonic is made up of 4 main parts: the aforementioned three plus a machined steel pivot block which is screwed to the front casting from the inside and holds the needle bar cross-pin and ball bearings. There are no bearing sleeves used - they are machined into the steel block. On all examples I have seen, this block is painted black.
The earliest examples of potmetal reproducers are very similar to the brass ones, except the front is cast in one piece. Their needle bars have straight, rather than later style angled setscrews; the diaphragms are thinner and the ball bearings are magnetized like the brass models, therefore the rubber and metal washers are are not used. Because the front housings are potmetal, the bearing tubes are steel to work with the magnetized bearings. Later ones are brass. They also have the thinner diaphragms of the brass ones, the phasing plugs are stamped rather than cast and the isolators are flat backed rather than rounded.

[billybob62]

Thanks to all.
John

[wjw]

That is not a brass reproducer, nor would that machine have come with one. Brass reproducers were only used for a short time early in the Orthophonic era. For those of you who are not aware, a potmetal Orthophonic body is made up of three main parts: the front casting, the rear casting and the ring that holds the front and back together. A brass Orthophonic is made up of 4 main parts: the aforementioned three plus a machined steel pivot block which is screwed to the front casting from the inside and holds the needle bar cross-pin and ball bearings. There are no bearing sleeves used - they are machined into the steel block. On all examples I have seen, this block is painted black.
The earliest examples of potmetal reproducers are very similar to the brass ones, except the front is cast in one piece. Their needle bars have straight, rather than later style angled setscrews; the diaphragms are thinner and the ball bearings are magnetized like the brass models, therefore the rubber and metal washers are are not used. Because the front housings are potmetal, the bearing tubes are steel to work with the magnetized bearings. Later ones are brass. They also have the thinner diaphragms of the brass ones, the phasing plugs are stamped rather than cast and the isolators are flat backed rather than rounded.

Another post worthy of the print button. Thanks, Jim.