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It appears to have been refinished- I'd expect a Columbia decal on the inside of the lid.

78 Archivist wrote:That's the kind of advice I'm looking for thanks. I already have six vintage electronic turntables so I never want to get more than two acoustic machines to prevent becoming a hoarder collector.

If 8 machines makes a hoarder there is no hope for me;-)
Just shoot me now.

78 Archivist wrote: . . .I never want to get more than two acoustic machines to prevent becoming a hoarder collector.

Yea, right. That's what we all said starting out.

Clay

I would not advise purchasing a floor model phonograph on eBay unless you had the opportunity to view it prior to the purchase. I am confident that you would get as many differing opinions on this as there are people to give them!
My personal recommendations are to let the forum know where you are located, and then possibly a member may be able to partner with you in an attempt to put the right machine that fits your needs into your hands. As such, you should be able to get your hands on a quality Brunswick with an Ultona reproducer that will allow you to play a variety of record types.

The tracking angles on this machine aren't too bad. The "record-eater" Columbias have the tone-arm anchored in the corner.


It looks like this machine has had some work done to the finish. Most un-touched Columbias have heavily crazed and darkened finishes.


As to acoustic performance, the horn is somewhat smaller than you would find on a Victor XI, XIV, or later XVI, but they still produce a decent sound if the reproducer is in good order.


If your travel weren't a factor, $150 for a working machine is a fair bargain.

Can you find other things to do in the big city to make the trip worthwhile ?

De Soto Frank

(PS: If you're looking for a "good acoustic machine", it's hard to go wrong with a Victor... they were the Packard / Pierce Arrow of talking machines... over-built and excellent cabinetry. For pre-Orthophonic machines, the XI, XIV, XVI (non-L-door), XVII and XVIII are among the best. If you "could only have one", then hold-out for an Orthophonic Credenza (8-1 or 8-30), and you will have "the best of the best" in terms of an acoustic phonograph. The price will reflect that though...)

De Soto Frank wrote:The tracking angles on this machine aren't too bad. The "record-eater" Columbias have the tone-arm anchored in the corner.

It's not so much the tracking angles that are a problem, it's the bearings - or more precisely the lack of them. Columbia arms use a friction fitting so the needle groove has to do a lot more work. You can loosen them up, but they never will move as smoothly as a Victor arm.

It's a fine case design though, and I agree - a good price if the driving distance wasn't so far.

True, they'll probably never swing as freely as a ball-bearing Victor taper-tube, but I lapped mine to remove any traces of binding, then doped the lateral and vertical joints with Permatex Anti-Seize compound, which will probably reduce the friction about as much as possible...

The short (just 9" long) Columbia tone arm assures that the needle tracking angle is never anything approaching tangent to the groove. This tracking error causes a great deal of strain on the record grooves, as they are pushing in one direction against a stylus which can only move at a tangent to that direction. Victor tone arms (the long ones at least) had inherently less tracking error.. After 1916 or so the elbows on the short tone arms were modified to somewhat improve the tracking of the machines which used them. In my experience, tracking error has every bit as much effect on record wear as needle point compliance.

Uncle Vanya wrote:The short (just 9" long) Columbia tone arm assures that the needle tracking angle is never anything approaching tangent to the groove. This tracking error causes a great deal of strain on the record grooves, as they are pushing in one direction against a stylus which can only move at a tangent to that direction. Victor tone arms (the long ones at least) had inherently less tracking error.. After 1916 or so the elbows on the short tone arms were modified to somewhat improve the tracking of the machines which used them. In my experience, tracking error has every bit as much effect on record wear as needle point compliance.

Uncle Vanya,

Is that 9" measurement taken "center-to-center", from the vertical swing of the elbow to the center of the reproducer ?


De Soto Frank

78 Archivist wrote:I never want to get more than two acoustic machines to prevent becoming a hoarder collector.

You say that as if it's a bad thing.