The Worst Nightmare on Edison Diamond Disc!!!!!!!

[transformingArt]

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wZQ0nME-lY[/youtubehq]

Why there are SO MANY people who can't tell the difference between ordinary 78s and Edison DDs?!

[Wolfe]

Why there are SO MANY people who can't tell the difference between ordinary 78s and Edison DDs?!

They don't look all that different, except for their being thick. It doesn't occur to them that the records could have any distinct playback requirements.

78's are 78's, just as all disc phonographs/gramophones are 'Victrolas.'

[recordo]

Oh Boy!

I clicked on the video above to see it in Youtube as I wanted to see any comments.

Transforming Art - your response was excellent - I think I would have blown up!

This is from the poster of the video:

Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld, by Offenbach, performed by the Edison Concert Orchestra.

Antique Edison 78 RPM Diamond Disk record played on a 1903 portable Victrola.
100 year old music, as it sounded when our great-grandparents listened to it!

My apologies for the video quality. I took the video with my ipod nano, which doesn't focus very well close-in.

Regarding the sound quality, the sound in this video is exactly how it sounded in real life. These things are hard to listen to. I guess given that there were no alternatives short of being in the concert hall 100 years ago, it was appreciated for what it was.
The record, as near as I can tell has never been played (I know, I just ruined its collector value!) and the hissing and distortion are entirely from the machine. In addition, the spindle on the machine is slightly bent, and you can hear the "wow" effect caused by that.
After listening to other Victrola playbacks on you-tube, I wonder if the sound quality of this one is due to poor condition of the machine, or the fact that it's a portable with a very small sound box compared to the larger models, a never-played-before record should sound a lot better than this!

Apart from everything else above, my pet grieve of the day is to ask why so many people call table models "portables". Where's the carrying handle?

I'm actually surprised there's any sound at all. I have a destroyed diamond disk that some idiot PAINTED. As I'd never put it anywhere near my Edison C-19, I might try putting it on one of my table model 'portable Victrolas' and see what happens. Ruined steel needle is cheaper than ruined diamond!

[Wolfe]

I'm sure we've all seen a Diamond Disc or two that has been ruined with a steel needle.

But I once attempted to make something from a big stack of delaminating and (I think) heat damaged DD's, the surfaces were completely ruined. My project involved a router and drill bit, and was I given some stubborn resistance from those records. They are tough to try drilling into, use a hand saw on or do anything with, except destroy with a steel needle. That seems pretty easy.

Of course, the clay core is going to be tough. It's too bad the condensite surface isn't as much.

[hillndalefan]

I never cease to be amazed, although as a novice, I once attempted to play a Diamond Disc on a Victrola 215 [I was 13 years old, and didn't know about Edisons yet]. Today, I always make sure people around me know that the two are not compatible. As to what to do with unplayable DDs, I have one I converted into a clock [after acquiring a playable copy of the same disc].

[frenchmarky]

What am I doing wrong, I tried the video here and in Youtube and just get a message that the video is private, I can't play it. Thanks

[frenchmarky]

Also, I seem to remember digging up one old Pathé 'vertical' type record that I found would not play on my Vic's. After researching I figured out why. : )

What is the reason that these Pathé's weren't much different in thickness from regular 78s, but Edison discs needed to be so much thicker? That's why I got so fooled by the Pathé disc at first...

[Wolfe]

Also, I seem to remember digging up one old Pathé 'vertical' type record that I found would not play on my Vic's. After researching I figured out why. : )

What is the reason that these Pathé's weren't much different in thickness from regular 78s, but Edison discs needed to be so much thicker? That's why I got so fooled by the Pathé disc at first...

Pathé are regular shellac records, also the grooves on vertical Pathé's are very shallow. Not that that makes a difference, as there are other vertical cut records made by other companies that also of 'normal' thickness.

As for Edison Diamond Discs, read aways down this page for good information...

http://www.gracyk.com/diamonddisc.shtml

I've always assumed that the sandwich/bonded construction of Edison discs was due to the surface material that actually held the impression of the grooves being too soft to stand up on it's own. In other words, the core was to add strength.

[Phonofreak]

I made that mistake one time in my early years of collecting. I played a Pathé and an Edison DD on my Victrola VI. I found a fellow collector who explained the difference to me. I passed the information to new collectors and novices alike.
Harvey Kravitz

[JohnM]

DDs are thick to ensure absolute flatness due to the vertical modulation of the groove, analogous to why the surface of a cylinder in theory should be perfectly circular.