The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Curt A wrote:This Edison GEM would be a better choice...

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/EDISON-GEM-PHONO ... Sww9VXg41c

Although you'd have to exchange the H reproducer for a C...

Bill

If you want a Columbia that plays 6 inch cylinders how about a nice BC or a Home Graphophone!I wouldn't bother with that piece of junk! THAT'S what I think of it!!edisonplayer

It is up to you on how you spend your money but you may want to see some comparisons of other machines with approximately the same value that would fit you needs. When I first got into collecting I brought several questionable machines that are just packed away and not used now. India makes some fine looking machines with other machines parts and I bought a couple. Just use your judgement on how much work you want to do. I get a lot of enjoyment in bringing them back to life and has become an expensive but satisfying hobby.. I am now having a hard finding storage space but there seems always to be room,... Look at it as an investment or hobby or both Tomb

I'm just curious, and forgive me if it's silly. But couldn't you change the feed-screw to a commercial model, allowing you to play entertainment cylinders?

Benjamin_L wrote:I'm just curious, and forgive me if it's silly. But couldn't you change the feed-screw to a commercial model, allowing you to play entertainment cylinders?

I believe it would be a bit more complicated than that. The gear train appears to be somewhat different from the entertainment machines: so you would not only have to change the pitch of the feed screw, but rearrange the gearing (and the half nut) to correspond with the 100 tpi pitch. Furthermore, the stylus would be a bit too small for good reproduction on 2M cylinders. Similar problems would arise if you wanted to convert it to play 4M cylinders.

Such modifications would cost more than the machine is actually worth: so, one had better look for a proper entertainment machine.

Bill