Columbia BY reproducer question

[phonogal]

I just picked up a Columbia BY.I know the reproducer that is on it is not correct. What reproducer do I need to look for? Here is a picture of the machine. I have it apart now to clean it but can take some more pictures tomorrow if needed.

[Roaring20s]

Nice find!

James.

[FellowCollector]

It should have the Columbia "Grand" reproducer. Without seeing the front of your reproducer it's difficult to tell what you have on yours currently.

Yours also does not have the circular turntable dust guard so it's either missing or it may be a very late Columbia BY. Later BY's weren't equipped with the turntable dust guard but the relative few I've seen including mine have it.

Mine does not have (what appears to be?) a speed control protruding from the front of the cabinet as seen on yours. If it is a speed control then the missing turntable trim guard seems odd since only the late model BY's were released without the turntable guard.

The BY should have the large (11) petal horn that Columbia provided. Your horn looks correct. Mine has the large all brass horn. I removed the crank on mine (it's inside the cabinet).

Nice find! The BY is a massive and attractive disc machine!

Doug

[De Soto Frank]

Depending on whether the arm is a thin sheet-brass construction, later cast-brass, or pot-metal, will influence which Columbia bayonet reproducers fit nicely.


There is a slight difference in size between the bayonet hub/socket on the first-generation Columbia bayonet-mounts and the 1913 - later mounts.

If memory serves me correctly, the first version is slightly smaller - enough that the early reproducers are a "sloppy fit" in the later arms, and the later reproducers fit "tight" or not at all in the early arms.

At least this had been my experience with about a dozen Columbia disc machines.


All of which is to say, be careful. The sheet brass arms are very delicate, and can crush / buckle / twist / dent; the cast-brass arms have the reproducer-socket head soldered to the end of the arm, and that joint can break, and the pot-metal arms cane break just about anywhere.


The photos below are of a Columbia "Grand", which I purchased from John Nagy. The images are from his catalog listing.

[phonogal]

Here is picture of the arm. This is missing the dust ring and I've been told this will be near impossible to find.

[Jerry B.]

Not all BYs have a dust ring. When you remove the turntable do you see screw holes that would indicate it had a dust ring?

Nice addition to your collection.

Jerry B.

[phonogal]

This is reproducer that came on it. Fit poorly but sounded pretty good. I think this is an ortho reproducer?

[JerryVan]

This is reproducer that came on it. Fit poorly but sounded pretty good. I think this is an ortho reproducer?

It's a Columbia Viva-Tonal reproducer. (Columbia's answer to the Orthophonic)

[phonogal]

Thanks everyone for the information. I didn't realize that there is not much information on the internet about the BY and while I have quite a few reference books,I don't have the Columbia books. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I try to get this back in order. Thanks again, Jan

[De Soto Frank]

That Viva-Tonal is actually a decent reproducer... no harm in having it re-done and using it... it was a potential upgrade available to a Columbia owner back in the mid-1920's...

Wily old Victor Talking Machine made sure their new Orthophonic soundboxes wouldn't fit the previous goose-necks...

I have one Orthophonic soundbox for a portable, that someone re-bushed to fit the earlier Victor goosenecks, so I can use it on my pre-Ortho machines.


That said, period-appropriate Columbia reproducers are fairly common.