Ok,......doing some searching on CL while I am waiting to hear back from the antique shop about the original one I was looking at (Starr)-to see if they are willing to drop that crazy price-we'll see.......
Came across this: A "Superior".....what do you think? Is this another off brand? I haven't come across one of these yet in my searches for information, so I am guessing so.... http://wilmington.craigslist.org/atq/3998882663.html
Victrola is a brand name of enclosed horn phonograph made by the Victor Talking Machine Company and later RCA Victor.
People use the term "Victrola" to describe any enclosed horn cabinet windup(spring motor) record player. Sort of like Scotch tape is used to describe all sticky clear plastic tape or Kleenex for tissue paper.
If you are going to just own one I would buy a Victor victrola. You'll always be able to get parts and most likely you won't ever need them because the parts on most models are well made. (other than some pot metal in the final years of Victor) If you don't get in a hurry you can find a nice gold plated XVI for under $400 and as low as $200 and it will look grand and expensive compared to the off-brand models. Columbias are nice too and Edison's are well made but most of them only play edison records. Hold out for a Victor 16 or 17 or 8-30 model. It's like comparing Yugos to Mercedes.
To give you an idea, and this is the exception but great machines at good prices are out there. I bought this machine 2 months ago for $200. This a a victor XVII and would run $500-$700 at a phonograph show. And a XVI is the same size and gold plated but the sides are flat and they can be found all the time for under $400. Compare it to some of the off brand machines you've found and you'll see it would be worth the wait. I bet there is a collector near your home that reads this forum that would sell a 11, 14 or 16 at a nice price.
Gorgeous! I would certainly pay $200 for that. Is there an organization or group for SC to get some information on someone looking to sell? I am not going to try CL-too much crap and shady sellers, especially around our area.
fiddleandco wrote:Ok,......doing some searching on CL while I am waiting to hear back from the antique shop about the original one I was looking at (Starr)-to see if they are willing to drop that crazy price-we'll see.......
Came across this: A "Superior".....what do you think? Is this another off brand? I haven't come across one of these yet in my searches for information, so I am guessing so.... http://wilmington.craigslist.org/atq/3998882663.html
The "Superior" is a typical cheap machine of around 1920. Not awful for the price but not a great machine. It looks like it might be a Sears & Roebuck Silvertone machine with the name changed. With a rebuild a machine like this will look and play OK, but never as well as a Victor Victrola.
The "Dixie" machine is a plain table model with an added base cabinet. Ordinarily this would not be worth the $200 price but this machine has about as Southern a name as you can find and was made in NC, so it would appeal to someone looking for regional items. It might fall into the "Rare but not valuable" category. It is a bit cute.
estott wrote:These machines have one nice detail - behind the fretwork the spruce wood horn often has a nice decal.
Beautiful! However, haha, I will sound like an idiot here, but oh well,.......fretwork? spruce horn? Where is all of this on that model?
The fretwork on the Starr is the fancy wood cut out grille on the front - the part with a Lyre design in the middle. The horn is behind that. Because Starr was a piano company they used spruce for their horns, the same material used in their piano sound boards. In theory it would make a better sound than a cheaper wood, but it was mostly just something to talk about. Quite a few piano companies built phonographs in the early 20th C.
Study the material on this site: http://www.victor-victrola.com/ It is specific to Victor preoducts but will help you with understanding other machines.
I have never heard the term "ceramic" records. Ceramic is clay and I guess there is some amount of clay in old records, but I think you are referring to "shellac" records which is what most 78s were made from up until the late 1940s. In the late 40s and early 50s many record companies switched over to vinyl for 78s, 45s, and 33s. You cannot play a vinyl record with a steel needle type phonograph. If you want to mainly play music from the 40s and early 50s, you should buy a 40s or 50s radio phonograph that has been restored. Don't believe sellers who say they have an old radio phono that works. Many say that just because it lights up or they hear some static. Play it first before buying. But if you want an old hand crank phonograph and want to play early electric records from 1925 to the early 30s as well as older acoustic records, you will want to buy a phonograph designed to play those records such as a Victrola Orthophonic, or Columbia Viva Tonal, or a Brunswick Panatrope.
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Gorgeous! I would certainly pay $200 for that. Is there an organization or group for SC to get some information on someone looking to sell? I am not going to try CL-too much crap and shady sellers, especially around our area.