Viva-Tonal 810 Columbia Phonograph

[Watanabehi]

Hello Phonograph Fans,

Recently I bought a Viva-Tonal 810 model on Facebook MarketPlace in Dallas, Oregon. It was a very heavy instrument, but I could manage to load it into my 2004 Subaru Forester. I cleaned the front horn and the back, and sealed the horns, and the tonearm. I changed the rubber gaskets of the reproducer. The spring motor is smooth. It plays 78rpm very well. I will compare it with my Orthophonic Credenza later.

[CarlosV]

Congratulations for the purchase, it is a very nice, well-built and good sounding machine! I have one and enjoy playing it.

[Watanabehi]

Congratulations for the purchase, it is a very nice, well-built and good sounding machine! I have one and enjoy playing it.

Thanks for the comment. But wow, from US to Luxembourg, it must have been a lot of shipping cost. For me, it was just one hour drive one way. I bet it is almost impossible to get it in Europe. Let's enjoy our hobby.

[BillH_NJ]

Hello Phonograph Fans,

Recently I bought a Viva-Tonal 810 model on Facebook MarketPlace in Dallas, Oregon. It was a very heavy instrument, but I could manage to load it into my 2004 Subaru Forester. I cleaned the front horn and the back, and sealed the horns, and the tonearm. I changed the rubber gaskets of the reproducer. The spring motor is smooth. It plays 78rpm very well. I will compare it with my Orthophonic Credenza later.

Beautiful! My only Viva-Tonal is a much smaller 720. I’m sure the 810 sounds great!

[CarlosV]

Thanks for the comment. But wow, from US to Luxembourg, it must have been a lot of shipping cost. For me, it was just one hour drive one way. I bet it is almost impossible to get it in Europe. Let's enjoy our hobby.

I imported it two decades ago, and luckily the seller was a professional packer. He crated the machine and it arrived in a single piece, and keeps working fine. I don't know if it is the only 810 in Europe, but I never saw another one around here. For some obscure reason, Columbias - either US or English made - do not attract much interest of collectors, certainly not in the same level as Victors, HMVs and Edisons.

[epigramophone]

For some obscure reason, Columbias - either US or English made - do not attract much interest of collectors, certainly not in the same level as Victors, HMVs and Edisons.

When HMV and UK Columbia merged in 1931 to form EMI, the HMV archives were preserved but Columbia's were not.
As a result, the original source material required to write a comprehensive book on Columbia machines no longer exists.
That in part accounts for the fact that HMV machines get more coverage than Columbia.
We would all like to see a Columbia book of the same standard as "His Master's Gramophone", but it won't happen.

[Steve]

Thanks for the comment. But wow, from US to Luxembourg, it must have been a lot of shipping cost. For me, it was just one hour drive one way. I bet it is almost impossible to get it in Europe. Let's enjoy our hobby.

I imported it two decades ago, and luckily the seller was a professional packer. He crated the machine and it arrived in a single piece, and keeps working fine. I don't know if it is the only 810 in Europe, but I never saw another one around here. For some obscure reason, Columbias - either US or English made - do not attract much interest of collectors, certainly not in the same level as Victors, HMVs and Edisons.

I think there is a tendency amongst some young(er) collectors to set out to find something with "the most famous Trademark in the world" on it. Certainly, I was encouraged to "stick to HMV" when I started collecting as anything from HMV was regarded (rightly or wrongly) as being the best, most reliable, easiest to find parts for and more of interest to other collectors, making it easier to sell should you wish to part with it, thus providing something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. To some degree this "truth" has been borne out but I find it fascinating that there are, for example, many French collectors who have an abundance of rare and interesting Pathé gramophones at their feet and yet have little interest in the maker, preferring to import HMV gramophones or Edison cylinder machines from the UK. Although Columbia is often lumped in with HMV / Victor and Edison, to give us The Big Three, Columbia fairs pretty poorly in both the US and UK by comparison to the other two, which is a great pity in my view as much of Columbia's output was the equal to if not superior to its closest competitor.

[Watanabehi]

Thanks for the comment. But wow, from US to Luxembourg, it must have been a lot of shipping cost. For me, it was just one hour drive one way. I bet it is almost impossible to get it in Europe. Let's enjoy our hobby.

For some obscure reason, Columbias - either US or English made - do not attract much interest of collectors, certainly not in the same level as Victors, HMVs and Edisons.

I agree, but my intention for those instruments are based on the best ones on each phonograph company, like Victrola Credenza, Viva-Tonal Columbia 810, HMV202, EMG Xa, EMGinn Senior, Brunswick Cortez, which I already have. I just want to listen to the best sound from each company and enjoy the differences in sound using my hand-made susudake bamboo needles and IBOTA Wax.

[CarlosV]

I agree, but my intention for those instruments are based on the best ones on each phonograph company, like Victrola Credenza, Viva-Tonal Columbia 810, HMV202, EMG Xa, EMGinn Senior, Brunswick Cortez, which I already have. I just want to listen to the best sound from each company and enjoy the differences in sound using my hand-made susudake bamboo needles and IBOTA Wax.

That was my motivation to buy the 810 as well, and, not coincidentally, I also have each of the ones you mentioned above! the difference is that I prefer to utilize the thorn needles.

[gramophone-georg]

That looks suspiciously like my old 810 that I regretfully sold to a friend of mine in Eugene just before the pandemic. I seem to have lost contact with him. Was the seller's name Bob by chance?