Victor VV 1-1 Victrolita

[RAK402]

tomwill,

The one in the Ebay listings you referenced is the one I purchased.

You won't see this one on Ebay again for a very long time...

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I just picked one of these up from Ebay at a very reasonable price. The person who sold it stated that he went through it and lubricated it, and it seems to me he did an excellent job.

The machine runs well, plays well, and sounds very good.

I do have several questions related to record wear:

The weight of the arm (pressure on the record) seems to be enormous compared to my only other two acoustic disc machines (a Panatrope portable and a Silvertone portable). The arm moves very freely in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

The reproducer was rebuilt, and the gaskets seem pliable. The needle bar seem properly to be aligned and properly setup, from what I can tell from the information on this forum and from reading up on the subject.

After playing any record, no matter what the condition of the record is (like new, worn out, or anywhere in between-also very early recordings and later recordings from the 1930's and 1940's), there is black dust on the needle (I do always use a new needle each time I play a record). I assume that the black dust is the remnants of music (material carved out of the grove by the needle).

Is this normal? Should I look for a later tone arm that is articulated? Am I destroying my records by using the machine?

Thank you all in advance.