The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I use a Vic III almost daily.

James.

Credenza for electrics and XVI for acoustics!

Martin

I play my Oak L- Door every day. It's a very robust machine that never fails to entertain!

-Steve

Credenza X and VE 8-30X get used most often; the pre-Orthophonic Victors & Victrolas are too brutal on records for my taste.


ps - I do occasionally use my Victor I "clone" (made for England, apparently - no markings except the Gramo & Typewriter soundbox, plus a pointy horn) which I sorta altered by moving the whole bracket over to the outside, hanging on just one bolt (tighten it up enough & it'll hold) ... that corrects quite a bit of its tracking error.

VE 8-30x gets a lot of use, then a VV-XIV. My outside horn Victors get the least amount of use.

All my VTM machines seem to be pretty solid players. Not much has to be done to them over the years once they're cleaned and lubed. Pretty much just wind and play.

I like my 1913 Victrola XIV, It plays nice, I have an Exhibition and No. 2 reproducer. I actually like the Exhibition over a factory equipped No. 2, I think the no. 2 under the normal way, has a twangy resonance (of all the ones I have heard on machines at Union, and ones I have rebuilt with mica.) My No. 2 though sounds much more detailed, and does not have the peaky resonance (I think Edison called it the "Victor ear tickle") as it has a .005 glass diaphragm!

Well if you want VERY LOUD and long playing - I would vote for my little Victor VV 4-3 Orthophonic Consolette. After Peter Wall rebuilt the reproducer I can fill up a schools Auditorium easily with this little floor model And they are so easy to find,, cost very little,, and take up very little floor space.

For electrics, I used my Credenza almost daily until the 8-35 moved in. Now the Credenza is feeling neglected, but I like the sound of the 8-35 just a little better. For acoustics, I'll most often use the XVIII; but I think my 1918 XVI, with its No. 2 soundbox, fat tone arm, and larger horn, is really a more robust player.

I just got done playing "America" by George Gaskin,N.Y.Berliner #1723 (March '97 I think)
on my "go-to" oak VV-130........just to see how it sounded! Used a Bryophonic soft-tone needle & it was very loud!

Dale

To be perfectly honest, now that I think of it, since I got my Brunswick Cortez, I haven't played my Victors at all. The Cortez works just as well with acoustics as it does with electrics. It's the Swiss army knife of phonographs and it's built every bit as good as my Victors... better perhaps.