Edison Bell Portable

[dzavracky]

I posted about this portable back in June of 2021. Here is the link to that thread: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49754&hilit=edison+bell

I would like to thank Wyatt Markus and Brian Parlier for the help in making me two new springs for this machine. Without them it would still be sitting in the record room waiting to be fixed . SO.. after waiting almost a year of waiting... the Edison Bell is working again! Here is a link to it playing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O3QEmn ... idZavracky

Cheers,

David

[KCW]

Truly awesome looking. Did Edison make other diamond disc portable machines? I’d love to have one.

[Inigo]

This is no more Edison, but a product of British Edison Bell, which for that time I would say it had its own life in Britain, devoted to 78s and gramophones. A branch they should develop by their own, which lasted thru the thirties and maybe more... time after Edison had quitted the record business.
This machine sounds beautifully, David! As one can suspect seeing the magnificent sound box and the long exponential horn. You have to repair the lid stay, so it rests inclined towards the front of the machine, as in any other portable of the era. This should improve the sound still more, for the reflection of the sound in the lid forms part of the sound system. The bass will be improved, noticeably on electrical recordings.

[Lucius1958]

Truly awesome looking. Did Edison make other diamond disc portable machines? I’d love to have one.

Regarding Edison (not Edison-Bell) portables, there were only two (or. three, if you count the rare 'Prime') portable models made towards the end of entertainment phonograph manufacture: the P-1 & P-2 "Needle Type" Phonographs. They all played regular 78s only, not Diamond Discs. The "Army/Navy" model, although it did play DDs, could hardly be construed as a "portable", unless you had a couple of strong guys to lug it around...

- Bill

[Phono-Phan]

Love that reproducer!!!!

[OrthoFan]

Truly awesome looking. Did Edison make other diamond disc portable machines? I’d love to have one.

As Inigo noted, this is not an Edison product, but one sold by Edison-Bell. There's a brief history of the company on Wikipedia -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Bell

[52089]

Truly awesome looking. Did Edison make other diamond disc portable machines? I’d love to have one.

Regarding Edison (not Edison-Bell) portables, there were only two (or. three, if you count the rare 'Prime') portable models made towards the end of entertainment phonograph manufacture: the P-1 & P-2 "Needle Type" Phonographs. They all played regular 78s only, not Diamond Discs. The "Army/Navy" model, although it did play DDs, could hardly be construed as a "portable", unless you had a couple of strong guys to lug it around...

- Bill

Not to hijack the thread, but this bears clarification.

There were 3 (USA) Edison portables, all for "normal" lateral discs, none for Diamond Discs.

The first model was the "Needle type" portable. As far as I am aware, this never had any other name or model number. It is the only one of the three that is deeper than it is wide.

The P-1 and P-2 portables came slightly later. They do not have model number on their cases anywhere but can be identified by their Edison badges. The P-2 is a bit smaller than the P-1. These are both wider than they are deep.

In my experience, none of these is easy to find in any condition. The P-1 shows up occasionally, the P-2 a bit less often. The "Needle type" is so scarce that many Edison collectors don't even know it exists.

[OrthoFan]

There were 3 (USA) Edison portables, all for "normal" lateral discs, none for Diamond Discs.

That's true if you exclude the Edison Army-Navy Diamond Disc model produced during WWI --

FROM: https://www.intertique.com/Edison_Army_Navy.html
Also See: viewtopic.php?t=5098

I'd say it was less of a "portable" and more of a "transportable," because of its enormous weight.

________________________________________________________

David, back to your post. It would be great to hear what your Edison-Bell portable sounds like playing an electrically recorded disc, say from the late 20s/1930s.

OrthoFan

[gramophoneshane]

You have to repair the lid stay, so it rests inclined towards the front of the machine, as in any other portable of the era.

Actually that is incorrect.
This machine has no lid stay,
It relies on a wire frame built into the lid hinge to support the lid, and the lid is as it was meant to be.
Years ago I had a Goldring portable that used these same hinges and lid position.

David, this portable does indeed sound superb.
You'll have to keep an eye out for some Edison Bell records, although no doubt "Edison Bell", "Winner" & "Velvet Face" records will be hard to find in USA.

They also made "Electron" records, which this machine was obviously designed to play, but I've never encounted one of these myself. I've only managed to find an Electron record cover, which I've pictured below.

[ArtH]

Since one of you brought up the Edison portable (not Edison-Bell) I have two P-1 machines and an Edison "Prime" machine. The "Prime" machine was an uncatalogued machine that I think was brought out before the P-1 and P-2 machines and is fairly interesting. I had to buy two of these machines to come up with one complete machine but it works well. The hinges were most unusual but work fine. This machine was manufactured by the Prime Manufacturing Company at Edison's request and carries the Edison name on the record carrier. I'm not sure why Edison had to use an outside manufacturer instead of doing the work in his own plant. Maybe he was embarrassed by creating a machine for laterally recorded records!