The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

VintageTechnologies wrote:Ron Haring (630) 552-1558

The diamond needles I referred to are mounted in the original T-bars for Diamond Disk reproducers. The T-bars are too long for a Amberola reproducers.

A slightly delayed "thanks" here, VT! I was finally able to get in touch with Ron and I bought his last two NOS Edison DD styli. They are indeed NOS and not replacements form the UK. To say I'm delighted in an understatement. If I'd only known this several years ago, I could have saved myself several hundred dollars and an awful lot of aggrevation!

Sean

It seems every Edison reproducer that I found had a bad stylus. I would prefer NOS stock. However, i have used Expert with no problem. Maybe its hit or miss.

Victrolacollector wrote:However, i have used Expert with no problem. Maybe its hit or miss.

In defence of Expert; over the years I have replaced most of the diamonds in my Model A, B and C cylinder reproducers and also on my DD reproducers and have not had any issue. The only time I have had a problem with Expert was with a replacement Edison long playing diamond, as I believe others have mentioned elsewhere on this forum. Maybe I've just struck lucky or maybe others have just struck UN-lucky! As Victrolacollector says, it seems to be hit and miss.

Regards

Tim W-W

To add to Wagnerian's comments I have used Expert for years and bought dozens of cylinder styli from them of all types including two minute, four minute and diamond A/B/C. All have been fine with one exception where a two minute stylus had moved inside the bar. This was fixed immediately and at no cost once I contacted them.

I have also bought a number of two an four minute styli for Shure, Stanton and Ortofon cartridges, after discussion with Paul Hodgson at Expert. The results have been excellent. Speak as you find, as they say, but I have nothing but praise for the people at Expert and their products.

I've bought lots of custom styli from them over the years for playing 78s electrically. I have 12 different sizes, in fact. I've also replaced a few cylinder diamonds using their product. No issues ever, but the DD styli are another story. I've had at least 8 bad ones and I won't be buying any more since I basically lost hundreds of dollars in the process.

Sean

Larry Donley used to have stili made somewhere here in Illinois, mounted in original bars, I have on in my amberola 30, it has been in there for over 20 years with no problems. As I understand there is no longer a phonograph shop at Wild West Town. I have not talked about this much, but Larry trained me to work on phonographs, and I have worked in his repair shop, I was honored to use the tools to repair machines that were once owned by Clarence Ferguson. Whoever purchased the phonograph parts from Union probably has some new stili.

I have normally not gone to this thread so I missed this discussion. I have gone though at least 7 stylus and all of them failed. Some from the very first moment they were put on the record an others after a few months to perhaps a lucky year of no issues.

I was told that no stylus would play an edison record without leaving lines due to the pressure of the weight. Which of course flies totally in the face of the fact that even though worn, many 90 year old stylus of edisons are still playing record with no sign of being run across the records.

There is some hope that at some point in the future a new source will be able to provide the stylus, but so far its not a go.

Steven is holding three reproducers stylus bars that need a new stylus after the Expert ones failed, mostly quickly. I have some hope they will get a different stylus at some point.

Larry