The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I just received my "test" Gilmore polished with diamond dust version of the Bruce Stylus for my Edison. Steven Medved and Wyatt Marcus are doing the foot work on getting all the issues corrected that plagued a few of the Bruce diamonds that went out. The problem finally was found to be the fact that Bruce had trouble doing the final polishing of the stylus. Now Bruce basically produces the shaped stylus and it is then sent to Gilmore who has the ability to polish them to a smoother surface than Bruce was able to do on a continuing basis. The down side is that doing so has raised the cost significantly.

I have tested it and it left no visible issues on the grooves or the run off. ( I Ieft this out of the first comment, I just forgot to mention the experience)

My contention how ever is that the diamonds will last for a long time so long as they are protected by playing only records without surface defects. I know some of the stylus I had go bad had hit a blemish in the record that was almost impossible to see at a quick glance. I hear videos on You Tube of Edisons where the play though some pretty bad cracks or scratches and holes in the records at times. That can doom the quality of your stylus quickly.. Steven says yes diamonds are very hard, however they chip easily due to their make up. Its why diamonds can be split into the beautiful diamond rings so sought by many.

As to the cost factor if you have several collectable titles you probably have paid the price for a new diamond already an thought nothing of it. When Edison records were new they were totally safe for the diamond stylus. But over time many had the arms dropped on them creating a tiny hole that can be fatal for your stylus and scratches due to poor storage conditions. Use care and extend the life of your stylus far into the future.

If your interested in the new improved Gilmore diamond you can contact Steven Medved at: steve_noreen@msn. com

best in listening

Larry

Thank you Larry for that nice update on the Bruce
Diamond Disc styli.

It is great that Steven is continuing to work
diligently on this to get all problems resolved
once and for all.

Chuck

Current updated price?!???!?

I have two diamond disc machines both needing new stylus's...

Question: Why do the Diamond Amberola Stylus far outlast the Diamond Disc Stylus...??!???? Have always wondered this... You'd figure that they were made of the same stuff... Anyone know?!??

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

Actually there is a huge difference, the Diamond ABC weight is half that of the Diamond Disc weight. On DD records the condensite is harder and very thin and the material under the condensite is very abrasive compared to the condensite. The celluloid cylinder is celluloid the whole way down to the plaster and the celluloid is softer. The one DD diamond Larry got over 5000 sides, it was very worn.

PSI makes a huge difference. Both diamonds are .0035 in diameter, but one has half the weight on a softer material.

My cost for the diamonds is $125. I plan on charging $10 to remove the old diamond and mount the new one. This takes around 30 minutes as the Edison diamond assemblies are both soldered and press fit in the bar and I adjust the height of the new diamond assembly to match the old one wear calculated. I do not expect to sell very many at this price. I will have around 28 to sell. I will have 50 more made.

The main reason I had this lot made was for the backlog that I had. On this project Wyatt was immensely helpful and he has a backlog as well. Any other questions please email me and thanks.

"the Diamond ABC weight is half that of the Diamond Disc weight."

Well, That makes absolute sense. Never really though of that before..

I'm wondering if you should have a "test" reproducer to test them out before shipment at that price...which I believe is reasonable..

Another good 2nd question (That just hit my brain), Do you plan on selling these for Diamond ABC Reproducers as well??!???

Thanks for the info!

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

So far Larry and Wyatt are testing them out. Wyatt said it took 10 plays for the two diamonds he had to work perfectly. He said it left a faint line first. Currently I am not doing diamond testing for two reasons. I do not have time, and I am letting two very credible people test them out. Larry is the only living person I know who has worn out a DD diamond. The Late Bob Waltrip also used to wear them out. Larry was one of the reasons I decided to have diamonds made, he wore out the three he had and was left with no way to play his records.

The Diamond ABC diamonds are $60 each, I have not had any complaints and they do not leave lines in the run off area.

At that price ($135) I do not anticipate more than one or two batches selling. As long as I get rid of my backlog I do not care if only one batch sells. I am not making any profit on them. At this point the hobby is in serious decline so I anticipate they will not sell very well.

In the current endeavor Wyatt is an equal partner. I want to give Wyatt full credit for finding the Gilmore diamond. If not for Wyatt these diamonds would not exist. Being quite expensive we needed partners due to the cost and due to the fact that I lost $3k on the last batch of Bruce DD diamonds. I found one person who gave me $1k for the Gilmore project (I have reproducers of his that need diamonds). Basically he paid in advance for diamonds and work.

I will not be making Gilmore Diamond ABC diamonds.

I will only sell the Gilmore diamond as part of a rebuild. A guy sent me a DD reproducer to rebuild, he had three 'professionals' rebuild it. It had a new diamond and a new diaphragm and gaskets, it sounded horrible. To restore a DD reproducer I use a special Snap-On screwdriver to remove the hinge block screw, I polish the stud and the body hole using synthetic oil which will not gum up. If the stylus bar is too tight I use 2000 grit sandpaper to adjust it. I make certain all parts move freely like new, in some cases better than new. Replacing gaskets is not a rebuild. I use Meyer pin gauge for the stylus bar pin.

So true! Beware of Edison reproducers sold on eBAY and elsewhere which are represented as having been "rebuilt". Usually it means inserting new gaskets and checking to see if it still makes noise. Unless the stylus is visibly gone or badly damaged, it's often represented as "perfect" or "like new". Also beware of the notorious, "I tested it and it sounds great". Unless those words are coming Steve or Wyatt, prepare to be disappointed.

Except for Steve and Wyatt, I can't think of another person currently active in the hobby that can do a proper Edison Disc reproducer rebuild.

The fact that some of us paid only $100, 200, $300 for our machine doesn't mean that paying $135 for a properly made and fitted stylus is too much. Without a properly functioning reproducer you Edison phonograph is just an nice piece of furniture or something to set your Victor III on.

Big thanks to Steve and Wyatt and Larry for pursuing this project!