The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Splendid! I can hardly wait to check out that video at home.

CDBPDX wrote:Were these reproducers made by Claravox? Also, did they use Edison diaphragms?

Cliff

I don't know if Claravox made the Duo-Vox Edison=type reproducers, or maybe the other way around. They certainly look similar. Mine will fit on any Exhibition or Victrola No.2 connection. The point is a diamond, and the diaphragm resembles Edison's, but isn't identical. It's a well-engineered design. Bob

Wow! That is the best Non-Edison reproduction of a Diamond Disc I've ever heard on YouTube.

Pictures of the Edison reproducer for the Duo-Vox. Note there is a spring that attaches one end at the stylus and the other end curves under and connects at the string at the diaphragm. A pretty weird setup, but it works. It looks like the stylus could be replaced much the same as an Edison stylus.

Cliff

Here are some pictures of the lateral reproducer. There appears to be a spring at the string end of the needle bar from the bar to the diaphragm. Another weird setup, but it also seems to work. The needle in the reproducer seems to be in an awkward location while playing, still at about 60 degrees from horizontal but further back on the reproducer than an Exhibition. Pretty unusual and cool! Looks like something Edison would have made if he made lateral acoustic reproducers.

I haven't actually disassembled this reproducer to see how things connect inside, but I have another and I may tinker with that one, just to see what's in there.

Cliff

barnettrp21122 wrote:

CDBPDX wrote:Were these reproducers made by Claravox? Also, did they use Edison diaphragms?

Cliff

I don't know if Claravox made the Duo-Vox Edison=type reproducers, or maybe the other way around. They certainly look similar. Mine will fit on any Exhibition or Victrola No.2 connection. The point is a diamond, and the diaphragm resembles Edison's, but isn't identical. It's a well-engineered design. Bob

Yours looks like a spittin' image of the one on the Duo-Vox. Also, yours says "Manufactured by Claravox" which would imply it was actually made by that company..? I don't recall ever seeing these reproducers on any other machine beside the Duo-Vox. Did they ever made reproducers for anybody else besides Bush & Lane? I wonder if they ever made a Claravox phonograph. There are other Bush & Lane phonograph models besides the Duo-Vox and they appear to use more mainstream reproducers.

Questions, questions, questions...

Cliff

VintageTechnologies wrote:Very nice, I am so envious

When I was very young and had no money to speak of, I saw an upright cabinet model Bush and Lane at an antiques mall. It was shabby, non-functioning and vastly overpriced, but I was greatly intrigued by the double reproducer. I have never seen another since, except in pictures on the Internet. Did Victor sue them over the tapered tone arm, or had the patents expired by then?

This tone arm has two separate input holes inside the tee, one for each reproducer. Don't know how it is configured inside, though. If it is substantially different from Victor's tapered tone arm, then they could likely have their own patent. Also, each reproducer connector arm is closed off at the end with sound only exiting the hole in the connector when it aligns with the hole inside the tee when it is swung down to play.

Cliff

It sounds really good Cliff!

Clay

barnettrp21122 wrote:

CDBPDX wrote:Were these reproducers made by Claravox? Also, did they use Edison diaphragms?

Cliff

I don't know if Claravox made the Duo-Vox Edison=type reproducers, or maybe the other way around. They certainly look similar. Mine will fit on any Exhibition or Victrola No.2 connection. The point is a diamond, and the diaphragm resembles Edison's, but isn't identical. It's a well-engineered design. Bob

Claravox with box1.jpg

I just noticed a big difference between your Claravox reproducer and the one on my B & L. The connector tube on the back of yours is oriented 90 degrees to the needle bar. That would certainly accommodate installation on a Victor tone arm. My connector tube is in line with the needle bar and can only work when the tone arm tube is also in line with the needle bar. It would not work on a Victor tone arm.

Apparently, your reproducer was designed with the Victor type tone arm in mind. Surely these must have been offered to Victor phonograph owners as an adaptor to play Edison records. Anybody know of any ads for these?? Might be interesting to see what they were saying about them.

There are 6 screws securing the back plate of the reproducer. Too bad there aren't 8, then I could just remount the back rotated 90 degrees to accommodate a Victor type tone arm.

Learn something new every day!

Cliff

Assuming the diamond is conical, as was Edison's, would it matter which way the reproducer faces when playing a DD? A Diamond B on a Blue Amberol sounds the same, 'normal' or turned one quarter.


ps - Wyatt's page on this reproducer is not available; let's see if anybody can open my saved file:

https://app.box.com/s/6wxy2qkxel6l4qi2tp53

or https://app.box.com/s/s333ytv5um18snwzctl1