Early Victor R

[gramophone78]

Very sweet Matt. I would be proud to display such a nice example. Really nice to hear members came through again to make something great happen.

[FloridaClay]

Congrats on finding this treasure.

Clay

[mattrx]

Thank you all for the kind words. I was very impressed with the condition as well. There were a few moments of worry that the machine would not live up to the pics I received. It was a very pleasant surprise. The purchase came about due to this post here on the forum: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 14&t=23495

Can anyone answer the question about whether these reproducers were available on any other machines and for what years they were available? I do not plan on playing this machine often and I am struggling with whether to leave it completely original or rebuild the reproducer. It has lasted so long as is, and these machines do not play all that well anyway. Thoughts?

Matt

[gramophone78]

I am struggling with whether to leave it completely original or rebuild the reproducer. It has lasted so long as is, and these machines do not play all that well anyway. Thoughts?
Matt

Speaking as a purist and in my opinion....I would leave it as a time capsule. Since these are not really a daily player....why not..?.

[mattrx]

gramophone78, thanks. That thought is rambling around in my head. I'm not trying to stir the pot as I know some have strong feelings both ways. I have never had a machine this early or this "original" and as such, I want to be careful.

Below is a pic with this machine and my Zonophone Home displayed in the family media room. Someday I'll have my office back and be able to display them better.

[alang]

That's a nice display, nothing wrong with it. I agree with leaving the reproducer original if you don't plan to play it often. As long as it presents well no reason to change it.

Andreas

[TinfoilPhono]

I completely agree: this is such a nice original machine that it should be kept untouched and not used regularly to play records.

[Marco Gilardetti]

gramophone78, thanks. That thought is rambling around in my head. I'm not trying to stir the pot as I know some have strong feelings both ways. I have never had a machine this early or this "original" and as such, I want to be careful.

Yes, true. Same goes with radio collectors. And obviously only you can answer to the question, as it's a matter of personal taste and perspective.

Personally (very personally) I'd hate to have in my house a musical instrument that doesn't emit any sound - may it be a radio, a musical box, a piano, whatever... But to some extent I also understand those that like "time capsules" as you say, although I don't think it's just as funny to look at a time capsule than to play music and have fun with it, but again it's just me. "Look but don't touch" is one of the most boring things that happen in one's life IMHO and I would tolerate it just in a state museum, definitely not in my house. We might also argue about the fact that 100 years ago this "time capsule" didn't really look as it looks now - it had shiny new white gaskets, a felt green as grass, and so on. So it's quite a questionable time capsule, as all time capsules are in real world. But I'm not really trying to push you in any direction. If you care about value and money you should leave it as is, for example.

Perhaps the real question you should ask yourself is: why did I bought it? Because I liked it as an object, like a statue, like a painting? Or because I like to play records on gramophones? This is the real point I suppose.

Excuse the dumb question (I've never owned an R and I don't think I'll ever own one in the future) but is it so difficult to fit a more common Exhibition just while you play it, and then revert back to the Junior?

Personally, I would also try to just lubricate the motor and try to use the R to play second-choice records (or doublers) as-is. Some soundboxes don't sound so awfully even though the gaskets are hard as rock. And in any case, as other posters have written earlier, you won't get a broad frequency response and a mellow sound from such a crudely engineered horn anyway.

[FloridaClay]

I may certainly be missing something, but I have never, ever heard of the value of a machine being diminished by replacing rotted gaskets or properly lubricating the mechanism. Usually it is just the opposite.

I do understand that the Jr. may be a special case, though. Having an alternate properly serviced reproducer to put on for play seems like a sensible compromise.

Clay

[phonogfp]

The Exhibition Jr. reproducer is very rare. I have only come across one in over 30 years of collecting. I have only seen them on Victor R machines.
Does anyone know of any literature or ads detailing the Exhibition Jr. reproducer?

Here are a couple of pages from Victor's 1902 catalog describing the Exhibition Jr. As far as I know, only the Royals were equipped with them from the factory.

George P.