Victor Junior with Factory Exhibition Adaptor

[Jerry B.]

Here's a photo of the reproducer that came with my recently purchased Victor Junior. Stan S. purchased it from a non-collector in Vancouver, WA. Stan passed it on to me in the same condition as he found it. I am reasonably sure that this sound box has been with the Junior for a long time. I believe the adaptor is a Victor part that allows the Junior owner to use an Exhibition with his machine.

How does this affect the value of the machine? I've seen quite a number of Juniors and they've all had the special Junior sound box. Using an Exhibition on a Junior improved the sound quality. If I had the choice of two Juniors of equal condition, one with a factory Exhibition and the other with a Junior sound box, I'd take the one with the Junior reproducer. I'd be interested in other opinions.

Jerry Blais

[jboger]

More on this adapter, but not a discussion of value, can be found on this thread: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =victor+jr

I agree. Exhibition soundboxes are found on a wide variety of machines. The Junior soundbox is special and makes the Junior machine special.

(Sometimes I hate this autocorrect.)

[Phono-Phan]

These adapters are as scarce as the Victor Jr. reproducers. It is a Victor product so I wouldn't have a problem with it on a Junior. I have one on mine. I would agree that having a choice, collectors would prefer the Junior reproducer.
Ken Brekke

[Phono-Phan]

Here is a link to another post on Victor Jr. reproducer variants.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... reproducer

[Phonofreak]

I think this is a legitimate upgrade. Like everyone else, I would prefer the Jr. reproducer. But if a Jr. comes my way with one of these adapters, I would still be interested in it.
Harvey Kravitz

[Curt A]

This is my question... Why are so many Victor Juniors missing their original reproducers? I know of at least three people locally who are looking for original reproducers...

[gramophone-georg]

Jerry- two questions:

1. Does a 2/4 minute factory upgrade bother you on an Edison cylinder player?

2. If no, why would a Victor factory upgrade bother you on a Junior?

Just some perspective.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Agreed. I think an Exhibition sounds great on anything, and would rather take a Junior if it had the Exhibition. As far as the "primary appeal" of the Junior--a front-mount machine built into 1920? Come On--that's a phonographic Last of the Mohicans right there. Pretty cool!

[Jerry B.]

Does a 2/4 minute factory upgrade bother you on an Edison cylinder player?

On most Edison machines I would prefer the 2&4 minute upgrade. But on very early machines, like a Spring Motor, I would prefer factory original.

If no, why would a Victor factory upgrade bother you on a Junior?

The factory upgrade doesn't bother me but I do prefer one with the Junior sound box. Maybe that's because any Junior I would own would be a machine to view and not really play regularly. The Junior that is the subject of this thread will be for sale. It will be a nice machine and one that I'm proud to sell. But I do expect to explain why it does not have the Junior reproducer to many potential buyers.

Jerry Blais

[Jerry B.]

This is my question... Why are so many Victor Juniors missing their original reproducers? I know of at least three people locally who are looking for original reproducers...

Good question... Wish I had an answer. At Union many years ago (decades... George and I had hair) I remember a seller that was offering a Junior without a reproducer. In his display case was the Junior sound box with a huge price. I remember thinking it was a disservice to separate the reproducer from the machine for the almighty dollar.

I suspect many Juniors were purchased as a child's machine and received hard use. As a result perhaps the reproducers were separated from the rest of the machine.

Like the Concert sound box, the Junior would be difficult to service. I might have been easier to use a different reproducer rather than rebuilding the Junior reproducer. With that said, I have never seen a Junior offered with an odd ball replacement reproducer.

Jerry Blais