Nice set of records I came upon today.

[Iva]

Va Va Voom ya say?...

[Iva]

Iva, am I correct in assuming you mean "Sonora" when you typed "Sorora" and "Tempo" when you typed "Temp"?

The player that went with these (mostly) post-World War II records probably had an electric motor and an electric pickup. Such phonographs are rarely discussed on this TMF board, but should you find it and wish to pursue refurbishing it, this board is an excellent resource:

http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=9

Now, the "Montilla" label, that is a new one on me. What are the titles and artists?

Thanks, Mark

ahhhhh so I should not play them on the VV100 I'm assuming?

[Lucius1958]

The "Victor" and single sided "Victrola" records should be OK to play: as for some other labels - Columbia, Brunswick, Sonora, Vocalion - it would depend on what period they belong to.

For example: if there are lead-in grooves at the outer edge, the record was pressed after 1935 or so - not a good candidate to play on the VV-100 (although records of the '30s and '40s were often played on acoustic portables in their day)…

Bill

[victorIIvictor]

So… A 10 inch LP on Montilla, not a 78. And pressed by RCA Victor, as revealed by their matrix code E4-KL-2121. "E" stands for the fifth decade of the 20th century, and the second digit is the year, so RCA Victor pressed this in 1954. "K" indicates RCA Victor was pressing this for an outside client label, in this case Montilla, which had provided RCA Victor a master tape recording (instead of having RCA Victor do the recording). "L" indicates a 10 inch LP. ("P" would indicate a 12 inch LP.) RCA Victor changed this matrix system in 1955.
As for Montilla, apparently they started operating in 1952 and continued on through the early 1960s. Affiliated labels were Montisa and Puchito. There is a very incomplete list here:

<http://rateyourmusic.com/label/montilla_records>

Anyway, don't play this on your Victrola!

As for Va Va Voom, I agree!

Best wishes, Mark

[victorIIvictor]

Iva wrote, "ahhhhh so I should not play them on the VV100 I'm assuming?"

Victrola 1-sided--this was issued before 1923, and would be appropriate for your Victrola.

As Bill said, for the following labels, it would depend on when it was made. I will give you the dates these companies made "78s" off the top of my head:

Bluebird (1933-1945), Brunswick (1920-1940; 1944-1958 in USA), Melotone (1930-1938), Columbia (1901-1958 in USA), Okeh (1918-1935; 1940-1942; 1950-1958 in USA) Victor (1901-1946 in USA), Vocalion (1920-1940; 1949 in USA). I am leaving out a lot of detail. You really have to know what the labels look like to tell the vintage… This requires some study.

All of the following were labels producing 78s after World War II, and would not be happy (or sound very good) being played on your Victrola:

Dot
MGM
DECCA
Coral
Media
Mac Gregor
Mercury
ARA
Tempo
King
RCA Victor
KAPP
Sonora (there was a Sonora label in the 1910's, but it is absurdly rare)
4-Star

As for Montilla, you already know that is a monophonic LP. It will sound best with a 1 mil stylus (and not so well with the 0.7 mil stylus used for stereo LPs).

[Phonofreak]

I've mentioned this before, but I'll say this again. I do play later 78's on an acoustic machine. I bought one of those lightweight plastic reproducers you see on a 1940-50's kiddie phonograph. The brand I have is Recotone. They are well made and use an aluminum diaphragm. They weigh about ¼ of an Exhibition or Victrola #2. I use either a Merritone or Chromium needle because of fine wire for the fine grooves. It plays these records loud and clear with virtually no wear. I do this once in a while. It's really cool to play Hank Sr. or my Rock & Roll 78's on mt Victor V. It Barks!
Harvey Kravitz

[Iva]

omgoodness...you all have just opened up a whole new world to me.

Holy heck...so much to learn.

welp..I have been playing some of what shouldn't of been played on my VV100...they sure sounded good..but it's possible I could of done some damage to them...dang

so now my mind is buzzing with lots of questions...lol

I'll be back.

[zenith82]

Keep checking the thrifts for records, as it seems like they can be popular items for people to drop off. Most of what you find in there are common '40s/early '50s pop music fare, but I routinely find 1910s and 1920s era records mixed in with the newer stuff. Also things to keep an eye out for:

- ANY blues record pressed before WWII. Spend some time reading record collecting sites and you'll be able to come up with names of early blues artists. There is a large collector market for these. I wouldn't play them on an antique phono, as condition is critical.

- Early R&B records from the late 1940s/early 1950s. Not quite as sought after as blues records, but there are still some very desirable titles.

- ANY early rock and roll 78 record, particularly the Sun label.

- Pre-1935 "hillbilly" records, which were the precursor to country music. There is a healthy market for many of these.

Also, familiarize yourself with what record labels of the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s look like. After a while, you'll be able to get a good feel for how old a record is that is in front of you. The pictures aren't complete, but I recommend studying the labels at:

http://www.tedstaunton.com/site_map/site_map.html

There are others besides what is pictured on this site, but it's a good starting point for educating yourself.