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Re: Keep a Columbia Grafonola or a VV-VI
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 3:21 pm
by theoldlefthander
No brainer: KEEP THEM BOTH!!!
Re: Keep a Columbia Grafonola or a VV-VI
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 4:52 pm
by De Soto Frank
OrthoSean wrote:My experience has always been that Columbia machines are far harder on records than Victor machines.
Sean
Any particular style Columbia machines, Sean ?
I am curious... I have a c. 1915 Columbia "Favorite", with what I assume is the "standard" Grafonola taper-tube, and a Columbia # 6 soundbox. It sounds very nice when playing, so I would be inclined to use it frequently...
Is it a matter of the tracking weight of Columbias, or the stylus to record geometry ?
I have not checked the tracking-weight on any of my machines, but it is on my mind to do-so, when I find an accurate scale...
Re: Keep a Columbia Grafonola or a VV-VI
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 7:41 pm
by ImperialGuardsman
What a shame, the Columbia reproducer sounds rather nice and can handle even loud records well.
Re: Keep a Columbia Grafonola or a VV-VI
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:42 am
by OrthoSean
Columbia reproducers DO sound good. The real drawback with them is the pivot system. I'm certainly not anti-Columbia, but I prefer Victors for playing because of the wear factor. While "Spring Cleaning" my workshop / storage area last night, I came across a Columbia Favorite I'd completely forgotten I had. Picked it up at a farm auction for $15 about 10 years ago and it's been buried under a pile of other stuff ever since
. It's a perfect candidate for a complete restoration since the finish on the outside is basically gone from the oak cabinet and it's a cute little machine. I think in the next few weeks I'll start tearing into it and using it for some side by side wear tests with some duplicate junk records.
Sean
Re: Keep a Columbia Grafonola or a VV-VI
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 11:17 am
by ImperialGuardsman
OrthoSean wrote:Columbia reproducers DO sound good. The real drawback with them is the pivot system. I'm certainly not anti-Columbia, but I prefer Victors for playing because of the wear factor. While "Spring Cleaning" my workshop / storage area last night, I came across a Columbia Favorite I'd completely forgotten I had. Picked it up at a farm auction for $15 about 10 years ago and it's been buried under a pile of other stuff ever since
. It's a perfect candidate for a complete restoration since the finish on the outside is basically gone from the oak cabinet and it's a cute little machine. I think in the next few weeks I'll start tearing into it and using it for some side by side wear tests with some duplicate junk records.
Sean
A comparison would be great! Be sure to post your findings.