The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

gramophone78 wrote:

winsleydale wrote:A better deal than $95? Where and how?

I think you are missing the point. These big and rather ugly machines are just not desirable. To have a grill made will cost far more then the selling price. Which is already too much for one in this condition.

Therefore, it is better to save your money for when a more attractive and desirable machine comes along... .

Wayne is right. When you get the fever to buy anything that comes along, you can make mistakes. There is nothing wrong with a Brunswick machine, except as Wayne said they are not desirable. The better choice is to save your money and buy something you REALLY want. And if you buy a desirable machine - a Victor, Edison, Columbia (depending on type) - you shouldn't have any problem trading up or selling it later. Prices are down right now and even if you have to pay $500-1,000, you can get a machine that you wouldn't have been able to buy 10 years ago. Big - especially console model - phonographs are hard to give away because most people don't like the style and they don't have the room for them. Just my 2 cents...

"Ultona" primarily refers to Brunswick's double-head, three-way soundbox that will play "all" formats of disc-record, prior to the LP.

On one side, Regular "lateral-cut" shellac 78's (Victor, Columbia, etc.) with a steel needle, then flip it around facing down and use a sapphire stylus to play Pathé' vertical discs.

The opposite diaphragm plays Edison Diamond Discs the taper-tube telescopes to "correct" tracking geometry, and there's a secondary tube containing a sliding counterweight-slug to adjust the tracking weight for the various types of disc.

Most collectors are of the opinion that while it plays any of the three "decently", it does not perform as well as a dedicated machine of each respective format.


I don't believe there were any significant design differences in the rest of the machine over non-Ultona models.


Aside from the panel created to cover the horn opening ( what the hell ? ), it looks like bedplate and turnatable have also had attention... the bedplate should be black enamel, and the turntable should be gold-wash with green or orange-brown felt.


If you really want a B-wick, suggest holding-out for a nice upright, in an oak cabinet.

I might PM him.

The unfortunate thing for me, I guess is that at this point, unless I can sit still long enough to have some cash saved, which is not often, I am limited to getting what is cheap and close. For instance, to drive to and from Uncle Vanya in Michiana (where his avatar says he is) would cost me nearly $80, which is what I paid for my H-19, and all the records, and an entire spare bedplate and motor, which worked as well, save for one broken pawl. I actually like the Ultona in question, save for the missing grille. The plating looks good and I have always been a sucker for cabriole legs. Plus, if I am not mistaken, the Ultona double reproducer was like THE BEST Brunswick reproducer ever.

I get what you're saying. It's an undesirable machine from a collector's standpoint; not a Victor, large, refinished, etc. But I don't think like a collector. I think like a dude with more 78s than I can count (okay I counted them already but still), with two Edison-to-Victor adapters that leave much to be desired, and no other way to play (or even store) said 78s.

So while I think I would actually love to have like a Victor M or something, I simply don't have money for one and even if it was cheap, it would probably be so far away that I would be spending just as much if not more on gas than on the machine itself.

That all said, I don't really have any open wall space, so if you can actually talk me out of it, I'm begging you to do so.

I'd drive 4 hours to have coffee with Uncle Vanya, but he hasn't invited me yet.

For $100 to $200 you'll eventually find a nice Victor VV-80 or XI which IMHO will play your 78's much
better than this. If it's truly just to listen to your discs, then consider an Orthophonic machine as
well.

Funny you should say that; these guys got me thinking, and so I searched outside of my immediate area and found this. http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/atq/4811053206.html What say you? Is it a good price?

Looks like an 8-12 --> http://www.victor-victrola.com/8-12.htm

I'd be all over that.

Good. I just emailed the guy. Do you know if anybody lives that way, or if it's on a common route to the Union show from the Detroit area? It's kinda far for me to drive. I don't trust it in my truck, plus I have......... wait........ I have my mom's minivan.... >:)

I like the look of the machine, but I'm not an Ortho-expert. According to the article I linked the sound isn't the best (I'm sure it would sound better then that Brunswick though) Hopefully a few others will chime in before you commit to it.

My guess would be it's worth the $300 bucks, and if they throw in that portable, even better.

If it has a brass reproducer, that alone is worth $300.

The 8-12 sounds great,especially on electronic recordings (post 1925) and will be kinder to your records as tracking error is much reduced vs. the Brunswick.
The portable machine's reproducer will fit on the 8-12 if need be.
Hope you can pick up all three for $200 ! Enjoy.