Columbia Q

[briankeith]

I just purchased a tiny Columbia Q machine at an antique/junk shop in Eastern Pa. this past weekend. (less the horn) It has no provision for a wood case, just four rubber feet on the metal base. Very basic & crude. Where can I find some historical information on this little phonograph, as I am really an Edison collector? It winds up but only plays about 85% of a two minute cylinder before slowing down. It has decent sound, a little tinny though. No clue what the value is, but I jawed the lady down to $60.00 with a record to boot! Brian

[alang]

Congratulations, you found a good deal. I recently watched a few Q's on eBay going for $300, and some were not even complete.
Andreas

[phonogfp]

$60 for a working Q is indeed a good price.

If the base is unpainted stamped steel with a vertical governor support attached to the base, it's the first style Q, introduced in early 1899. Without a wooden cabinet, it sold for $5.00

In 1904 a second generation Q appeared. This one had a cast iron base painted black with gold stripes. and the governor support is horizontal, attached to one of the motor plates. Without a cabinet, the 2nd generation Q cost $7.50.

The Q was one of Columbia's most successful Graphophones. Today, when cleaned up and with the reproducer rebuilt, they can perform as well as larger models, but they can play only 1 cylinder between windings.

Have fun with it!

George P.

[MTPhono]

George - I am surprised that a Q can perform as well as a larger machine! I have certainly never experienced that...guess I have some work to do.

Do you have any experience with Pathé Gaulois cylinder machines? Is it possible to get them to sound decent? I've got three with glass horns that I would like to play well some time.

Scott

[briankeith]

My new "Q" has the black iron base with the zorizontal governor, and the base has gold striping and what looks like a flower design faded off in the the center of the black painted base. Four little rubber feet - no provision for having an oak case or lid. I think the reproducer needs a rebuild also as it sounds tinny. Last night after my first post I took apart the Q and cleaned and greased up the gearing, etc. There was alot of old oil, grease, and other gunk built up but no rust or broken parts. Now the machine can play the 2-minute cylinder all the way through with a single winding. Some gear noise that can be expected since everything is exposed. What does an original horn look like for the Q since mine was purchased without a horn?

[Brad]

At $60, you got the deal of the century. You will find a repro horn will cost a good portion of that, and an original one will make you cringe.

Here is good picture of an original horn http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... f=2&t=5828

[phonogfp]

George - I am surprised that a Q can perform as well as a larger machine! I have certainly never experienced that...guess I have some work to do.

Do you have any experience with Pathé Gaulois cylinder machines? Is it possible to get them to sound decent? I've got three with glass horns that I would like to play well some time.

Scott

I have no experience with Gaulois machines other than admiring them. Apart from their Gem-like mechanics, I should think that their floating reproducers could be made to perform well (better than an early Gem!).

The best-playing Qs are the later ones with a D reproducer. The earlier Q reproducer has a smaller diaphragm and not as heavy. Horn equipment will of course make a difference. A flower horn suspended from a floor crane (although historically questionable) will make a well-adjusted Q equipped with a D reproducer sound surprisingly good. The worst problem I've encountered with Qs is the friction disc on the governor. When made of aluminum, it can be slightly out-of-flat and cause warbling. Careful attention with a small vice can cure that problem.

George P.

[SonnyPhono]

This may help to improve the volume/sound of a Q. I have seen Mobley reproducers before but haven't seen this little gadget yet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Interesting-Mobley- ... 2eb6d4ca36

[Guest]

Good deal indeed
I purchased one from a lady and her family after i purchased a Victor Victrola VV V3 for 90.00 then she came out with a columbia and i told her all i could give her was 20 i was far away from home and needed gad to get back home i told the truth so i felt it was good.

here is a pic i still need to get a horn & reproducer & i have to finish fixing the lid with replacement of a missing side molding and gluing the top back together.

[phonohound]

Scott;

My Q sounds quite good with the D reproducer as George mentioned. Most people are aware of the 1st model Q (the metal base with the governor attached to a support) or the 2nd model Q (black enameled base with suspended governor.)

I have what I coined as the "Transitional Q," which is the 1st model nickel-plated base with the second style suspended governor. These Qs also have their own serial number block. These are not mentioned in Howard Hazelcorn's book as I discovered this model a few years after the book was published.

I co-authored an article with Howard Hazelcorn about this "Transitional Q" some years ago in the MAPS publication, "In the Groove."

Click on link for photo.

http://webpages.charter.net/phonographs ... tional.jpg