The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I'd have to say my Cardinal Stratford phonograph. I bought it several years ago because it was a complete basket case, and I thought it would be a good phonograph to "try" restoring. I took my time, searched the internet for the correct replacement parts, and completely stripped, sanded, restained, and refinished the cabinet in shellac. The cabinet looks excellent, but I was never able to finish the project. The motor needs to be replaced, as it is missing the spring barrels, and I've never been able to locate one. I've never been able to find the proper lid support, nor have I been able to rebuild the reproducer. In addition, amongst all my Victor machines, it stands out as a cheapo offbrand, even though it was a $100 machine when new.

Hmmm...I do understand what you mean, Brandon, but I think a lot depends on what we all expect from our various machines. My Actuelle lives two feet from my Credenza, for example, and there is, obviously, simply no comparison between the two. The Actuelle tends to be my go-to machine for late night playing, when any of the others would wake up the house -- if not the neighborhood! It's the most suitable thing I have for times when all is quiet, and it sounds quite good to me, perhaps better than any of the others, with a soft-tone needle. With a loud needle, sometimes not so much.

It would be hard for me to say seriously that any one of my machines is my least favorite; I love them all for different reasons. But, for example, on the other side of the Credenza lives my L-Door, and to my ears, that would be the least satisfactory performer of any of them, due to the small horn. It isn't the soundbox, which I've rebuilt and performs admirably on the other, "normal" XVI. It's the inability of that small horn to develop much oomph on the lower end. Having said that, in certain circumstances (such as late night, again), it's a perfectly fine player. I still like it very much. But if somebody put a gun to my head and said I had to give up one of my phonographs, it would probably be the one to go.

Every phonograph seems to have its peculiarities, qualities that make them more -- or less -- special, but they all have their place in phonographic history, and every ear is different. I can see how the Actuelle might be someone's least favorite, but I still can't see it as a "dog". To each his or her own, though, and the Pathéphone that you got by letting go of your Actuelle is a really gorgeous WOW machine; I can understand why you'd like it so much better, and I'm sure it sounds great!

I think I'm guilty of a slight thread-jack here, but my fondness for Actuelles, both for their weirdness and my own satisfaction with the sound they produce, makes me want to defend them.

Sooo...back to the goofy nature of the actual thread: Frank, I'm not greedy, I don't need to have all the Actuelles that are going to be given away here. Let's just split 'em between us based on whoever's closest! Oh, and I hope the sprayer was included with that beater I posted above -- that thing was gonna need fumigation!

Does this count? It's my least favorite machine since it is the only one I have that isn't an antique.
Made in February of 2011:

I'm unsure whether to step up and claim my favorite is my Actuelle, but it is definitely a contender, based on uniqueness and clever design. But this is the "least favorite" thread, so I can say my least favorite machine was the Actuelle as it arrived, with a finger hole in the original cone.

Here's the Pathé Demonstration Record, played on the re-coned Actuelle. "...with care, I will live to speak to your grandchildren when they are as old as you are..."

http://youtu.be/Rtzr7lqhoCM

Peter, your Actuelle is really beautiful in oak, and it sounds good, too. Great to hear the demonstration record on it, but I think it shows the real reason why the Actuelle never really caught on -- Louise and Ferrera!

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go start an Actuelle thread, so that this one can get back to its original topic -- least-loved machines! Look for it shortly...

This is, without a doubt, DeeDee's least favorite machine in my basement. It started as a mahogany "L" door XVI. It has undergone quite a bit of modification. The legs were replaced with a solid base. The visible hinges were replaced with hidden hinges. Finally, it was given a primitive style paint job complete with a topless woman covering the Victor decal. I sold several nice uprights from my collection recently and DeeDee wondered why it wasn't included. I can't sell it because of the irritation factor. Jerry

Just like Player-Tone, asked; is there a time frame limit? If not, then my Newcomb EDT would be my least favorite, but only because it's Solid State.

Jerry B. wrote:This is, without a doubt, DeeDee's least favorite machine in my basement. It started as a mahogany "L" door XVI. It has undergone quite a bit of modification. The legs were replaced with a solid base. The visible hinges were replaced with hidden hinges. Finally, it was given a primitive style paint job complete with a topless woman covering the Victor decal. I sold several nice uprights from my collection recently and DeeDee wondered why it wasn't included. I can't sell it because of the irritation factor. Jerry

Did you find it this way, Jerry? It has a certain...charm...to it.

Does it have to be working?

George P.

Jerry, that machine has for sure been badly misused, but I'm with Fran (though he may have been joking) -- it does have a certain charm. At least the desecration looks to have happened early enough that it has some historicity left. From the decoration, it look like it may have been excavated from the ruins of Pompeii?

George, that's just...ouch!