A few questions

[RAK402]

To my untrained ear, that sounded really nice!

Very cool machine!

[GrafonolaG50]

I searched and searched on the Internet for Columbia G50 portable brought up nothing. Also I am a full time high school student, I cannot afford a motor overhaul unfortunately. Is playing it damaging the machine?

It might, but you are, I am sure, quite capable of doing it yourself. The main thing that this machine needs is lubrication. A couple of drops of light oil (NOT "3-in-1"! It gets gummy.) on each pivot and on the governor friction leather, and a very little light grease or heavy gear oil on the gear teeth are all at this machine probably needs to perform beautifully. I usually use either light sewing machine oil or the "turbine oil" which comes in that "Zoom Spout Oiler" which is sold at so many hardware stores. Many folks use a light. (say NLGI No. 1 or No. 2 grade) Lithium grease for the gear teeth, which works well, but I prefer to use a gear oil of 95 or 140 viscosity which can be found in the auto department at 'most any big discount store for a couple of bucks a quart.

Thanks for the advice, I oiled and greased the gears and pivot points, I also roughly checked the speed, it was running about 84 rpm when the selector was on the 78 mark, it runs even quieter due to the lubrication and the music sounds better since I adjusted it to 78 rpm.

[GrafonolaG50]

To my untrained ear, that sounded really nice!

Very cool machine!

Thank you, I don't really know how one should exactly sound as it is my first wind up machine. My mother was amazed that a wind up could even sound as clear as it does, she thought it would have had bad sound quality due to its age and the technology available at the time. I figured it would sound decent, but not this good, even my classmates were amazed to hear it when I took it in one day. Some were even asking if it could play CDs or hook up to an iPod. Some people even thought that I had hidden my iPod in the machine and was playing through it.

[GrafonolaG50]

To everyone who commented with the information you had, thank you, also thanks to anyone who didn't have information but still looked at the machine.

[FloridaClay]

Sounds like you, like many of us, have been bitten by the phonograph bug. I hope it brings you a long lifetime of enjoyment.

Clay

[Phono48]

I've just had confirmation from a gentleman with a vast knowledge of Columbia portables that G50 is indeed the model number, and that this machine originated from the Japanese manufacturing plant.

[GrafonolaG50]

Many thanks to all of you for the information on my machine.