Edison DD A-375

[Lenoirstreetguy]

Isn't it in the Frow book that the Edison team was contemplating sending out the machines with two or three different reproducers so you could use the appropriate for the type of music and volume that you wanted to play? Economic realities brought that plan back to earth before the first machines went out in 1912. But they did want them loud, because one of the big criticisms in the wax Amberol days was that the machines weren't loud enough, hence all those ads touting the fact that the " Edison phonograph is not too loud: it is just right!" So when they brought out the disc there was going to be no complaints from the public that they couldn't hear it!
I'll see if I can dig up a " just right" ad later.

Jim

[Valecnik]

Isn't it in the Frow book that the Edison team was contemplating sending out the machines with two or three different reproducers so you could use the appropriate for the type of music and volume that you wanted to play? Economic realities brought that plan back to earth before the first machines went out in 1912. But they did want them loud, because one of the big criticisms in the wax Amberol days was that the machines weren't loud enough, hence all those ads touting the fact that the " Edison phonograph is not too loud: it is just right!" So when they brought out the disc there was going to be no complaints from the public that they couldn't hear it!
I'll see if I can dig up a " just right" ad later.

Jim

Yes I believe the original idea was that the new disc phono should have three reproducers, not unlike the soft, medium and loud tone needles the talking machine sellers offered.

I'd like to see the "just right" ad if you can find it. BTW I would agree that the volume is about right.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

Your wish is my command. This is one of several" just right " ads, of varying themes from 1911.This was the " Ohmigawd! Nothing's working!!" period at the National Phonograph Co:production snags meant the disc wasn't ready: the wax Amberols weren't standing up in use, the dealers who were hoping for a disc machine at any moment weren't pushing the cylinder trade with the vigour that the company wanted...Oh woe! And to top it off the customers were complaining that the machines weren't loud enough.
Here's the attempt to make that into a selling point.

Jim

[larryh]

I surely think there is such a thing as too loud! Some of those dance and even band records are ear splitting in volume. Way more than is good in a home setting to me. I think Edisons original idea was a good one as most times a medium tone needle will produce the best sound from a record. My only wish is that he somehow could have followed though with records that were closer in scale of volume so that one isn't way too hard to hear and the next blasting you out of the house.. I put on a Mandolin, I think it was, record the other day, and the thing was incredibly loudly recorded, yet some of the very late acoustics are so quiet as to seem like something is wrong. I don't know what that was all about?

Larry