The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here are pictures of the different needles I have. I also included some of the envelopes that the some of the needles came in hoping that the labels may prove useful in getting some info on these. I can not guarantee that my grandfather made all of these as some were labeled "samples." I know that he created and made many of his own metal "jigs" had a metal machine lathe and had some relatives that ran a machine shop who also made needles. I do not know if I would ever be able (or have the time) to make my own and the cost to make my own would be way over the cost of just buying them at $6/100. If you look closely at the black "siren" needle you can see a silver tip, not sure what metal this is but I have not see bi-metal needles before. Enjoy the pictures, comments welcome. From what I can gather he did a-lot of this work in the mid-late 1950's. I also have some 78 rpm records that he recorded in his home, mostly of his daughter talking and singing (his daughter is my mom). Not sure what machine he used, it's no longer around.

It looks to me like some of the needles are intended (if not all of them) for early crystal pickups (electric). For sure, all the bent shaft ones. The early crystal electric pickups had a thumb screw just like the earlier magnetic and acoustic sound boxes. In general if these are made with a harder metal than the steel used in common phonograph needles, they would damage the records when used with the heavy acoustic sound boxes.

could some of these be cutting styli, rather than simply playback?

Schmaltz wrote:could some of these be cutting styli, rather than simply playback?

None of the needles in the photos are cutting needles. They all resemble various playback needles
that were commercially marketed by various firms from the electric era.

These look neat, but definitely like the ones used in some of the very early electric pickups. Your Grandfather did a great job making these. Did he make them as a hobby and sell them? or did he make them for his own machines? My grandfather owned a tv radio phono dealership in the 1950s and 1960s, until semi-retiring and working out of his home. From what he said, the steel needles started phasing out in the 1950s and 1960s, so it is possible that your grandfather was filling a need to make needles at a time that the new stylus were coming in.