Re: Need to fix my Victor Talking Machine Model: XX-IV
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:16 am
Frank, your advice for new collectors is great! Hope you have a cut and paste copy somewhere for future use.
Clay
Clay
To each his own. You'll get some debate on the above advice. I play all of my 78s, except the vinyl ones, on my (essentially similar to your IX) VV-XI, including the red Columbia w/mic labels, and I haven't worn them out yet, but I'm not going to stop trying! (Listen up, Harry J. and BG.) Some of those early electrical pickups were pretty darn heavy, too, and their "semi-permanent" sapphire styli were not kind to record surfaces! Sapphire is harder than steel, and does not readily shape itself to the record grooves like steel does. And anyhow, we don't know for sure what the various "shellac" formulations were---that was closely guarded proprietary information. Vinyl is another story; these will definitely be destroyed in short order on all but later, lighter modern pickups. Vinyl is easy to tell from the older materials, so there should be no doubt about which is which. In any event, do use a fresh steel needle for every play (or two, on 10" records).De Soto Frank wrote: What records to play? Well, only 78 RPM discs... but more importantly, only older shellac-based 78's... ie: Victor or Victrola labels ( the ones with no mention of "RCA"), early Columbia ( blue, green, or black label: no red labels with the microphone in the insignia). The pre-Depression records were made from a pretty tough shellac compound, which was slightly abrasive, to "hone" the steel needle to the shape of the record grooves during the lead-in. Later records, from about 1935 onwards, were made from a different shellac formulation, designed for less surface noise, for use on electric machines, which used semi-permanent sapphire styluses, and played with less tracking-weight than the old acoustical sound-boxes.
The later big-band records will play on the Victrola, but they will wear-out very quickly.
There is a last type of 78: a vinyl-based 78, which were designed for use in jukeboxes ( this is why we find releases of rock & roll on 78's...) - these are intended for plyback with light-weight "modern" hi-fi type pick-ups ( similar to an LP turntable). Playing this type of record on a wind-up machine will destroy the recording.
By the way, FYI, in Victorspeak the Roman numeral model designations were voiced as ordinal numbers, thus IX = "ninth," as in "Victor the Ninth." Take it or leave it.
