The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

With much less effort I could finally also complete my Ondulette assortment. This has not been a significantly hard task: the name of the specific missing needle type was very clear, so basically all I had to do was to sieve the web until a (partly) full needle tin remained in my net.

I could finally put my hands on a full tin of Aegir needles with added mass. I was very glad to find out that each needle has its make's name stamped on it. I'm developing some kind of inclination towards needles that bear their make's name, it's really a distinctive touch!

The weirdest Gramophone needles I have seen are made from clear glass that I discovered last year (three boxes). They actually sound good. I wonder if anyone has since discovered another box..??. You can find many needle's branded with a company name. Here is a Zeppelin marked example.

WOW! I've never seen or heard about *glass* needles before!!! How would you describe their sound, compared to standard steel needles? I also wonder how they interact with the grooves. Glass is pretty high in the Mohs scale and it carves steel. It probably doesn't wear out at all during the play, so if the point isn't somewhat factory-rounded it may be very harsh on the grooves. In the spirit of this thread, should you like to exchange some samples (2-3 units) of glass needles with any of the "weird" needles of mine pictured in the previous posts, please PM me.

Indeed there are many branded needles, some very common (like the Marshalls), others pretty odd. The Zeppelin box (envelope?) and needle are truly interesting. Airships were so cool and amazing! But back to needles, I shall remember to photograph and post some other branded ones that I own.

Marco Gilardetti wrote:WOW! I've never seen or heard about *glass* needles before!!! How would you describe their sound, compared to standard steel needles? I also wonder how they interact with the grooves. Glass is pretty high in the Mohs scale and it carves steel. It probably doesn't wear out at all during the play, so if the point isn't somewhat factory-rounded it may be very harsh on the grooves. Should you like to exchange some samples (2-3 units) of glass needles with any of the "weird" needles of mine pictured in the previous posts, please PM me.

Indeed there are many branded needles, some very common (like the Marshalls), others pretty odd. The Zeppelin box (envelope?) and needle are truly interesting. Airships were so cool and amazing! But back to needles, I shall remember to photograph and post some other branded ones that I own.

To my astonishment, I didn't notice any unusual build up of record dust when I tested one. Therefore, the glass used must be relatively soft and wears accordingly. Otherwise, they would not have been sold as a box of 200 (like regular needles).
The end is conical like regular needles.
For some reason, this median must have been short lived. At first it was assumed they were made during WW2 as there was a steel shortage in Japan.

However, thanks to a forum member, a period ad has been discovered (see attached) that mentions "Gramophone glass needles". It was published in a 1918 issue of The Singapore Straight newspaper and to date, the only known ad to do so.

So, clearly they predate WW2 and were long gone by that period.

A longtime Japanese collector was not aware of such an item existing either.... which I find somewhat surprising given the manufacturers location.
So, these are a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the cost was just too great to produce..??.

That was interesting, thanks for expanding. It seems it has always been a niche product, otherwise other ads would have surfaced I suppose. So perhaps that's also why the japanese collector didn't know anything about glass needles.

I thought I would toss one more "weird" needle design onto the thread. These hollow steel needles made from rolled sheet metal produce differently according to how they are placed into the reproducer chuck.
Don't think I would want to play any fine records with these... .

Geez another needle type that I've never heard of before!!! You really seem to have a drawer full of oddities at home!

I must say that the idea seems interesting at first in order to save metal, and although the difference between the "soft" and "medium" position is a complete nonsense, there must indeed be a louder tone when the needle is put accordingly. Perhaps they also have a distinctive sound.

However, I suspect that in order to stand the weight of the soundbox, a harder-than-usual steel had to be used to craft them. Hence the claim that they will "play 25 records" - not really an achievement, but a consequence instead. So I second your opinion that these are best left for second-choice records.

Very interesting, though.

gramophone78 wrote:I thought I would toss one more "weird" needle design onto the thread. These hollow steel needles made from rolled sheet metal produce differently according to how they are placed into the reproducer chuck.
Don't think I would want to play any fine records with these... .

Angelus Multitone Needle (1).JPG

Angelus Multitone Needle (2).JPG

Angelus Multitone Needle (3).JPG

It almost looks as if someone had an overstock of faulty or unfinished pen points (crowquill or similar), and passed them off as phonograph needles.....

Reviving an old thread on a topic which continues to fascinate some of us - here's a chapter of Harry Gaydon's 1926 book "The Art and Science of the Gramophone" showing a large variety of unusual needles.