The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Victrolacollector wrote:

Phonofreak wrote:For 2 min. cylinders, I prefer indestructible ones. The only time I buy wax is if they come with a machine. For 4 min. ones I choose Blue Amberols and 4 min. Indestructible ones. Just my tastes.
Harvey Kravitz

Sounds like me, I try and stay away from wax. They are too fragile.

Ditto. I learned that lesson over time. This is not to say that early recordings do not have their charm. Most certainly they do, but for reliable day-to-day playing celluloid just can't be beat. I can listen to the fragile ones on-line.

It's always just plain weird to me when I hear people talk fearfully about avoiding wax cylinder records, and thus denying themselves enjoyment from a considerably large segment of our hobby.

They aren't eggs. They were successfully sold and enjoyed in vast quantities for years and years...and thousands have survived for over a century since. They don't crumble in one's hands; nor do they spontaneously leap to their death from one's hands.

In almost 30 years of collecting, I've managed to personally break exactly two black wax cylinders accidentally. I'm not especially graceful, but I'm also not hamfisted. One got knocked off a shelf where it shouldn't have been in the first place, and the other slipped from my grip as I clumsily tried to carry too many things at once. Two small children grew to college age in our house without breaking a single record, as well, and that training process involved no tears or shouting.

Full disclosure: 1) one wax amberol cracked, when left naked on a table near a window, when the sunshine slowly moved onto it unnoticed by me. 2) several cylinders broke when their box shifted in a mild earthquake, such that when I opened the garage door, the box fell.

In almost 30 years of collecting, I've never seen a wax cylinder get more moldy than it was when acquired. I have a friend who, as a single man with perhaps a bit too much stuff, keeps a full cylinder cabinet in his spare bathroom, but also with no mold issues.

Long story short: they're pretty tough. Get a few and have fun.

If not, it just means there're more for the rest of us!

Victrolacollector wrote:

Phonofreak wrote:For 2 min. cylinders, I prefer indestructible ones. The only time I buy wax is if they come with a machine. For 4 min. ones I choose Blue Amberols and 4 min. Indestructible ones. Just my tastes.
Harvey Kravitz

Sounds like me, I try to stay away from wax. They are too fragile.

Several of my machines came with collections of 2 minute 'wax' cylinders, and all are beautifully preserved. The most surprising was the Columbia BQT, complete with many records in "Hudson's Bay Best Procurable Whiskey" crates. Surprising because the seller assured me they had been in a West Side of Buffalo (where I live) attic for 100 years - deadly HOT all Summer, freezing all Winter. Yet, no "mold", no deterioration at all. Most of the records are Columbia wax, yet none have any damage - I think the lack of humidity had an effect.

An older purchase, over 30 years ago, included 2 very nice storage units of Edison wax cylinders. Someone truly cherished his records, as he bought 2 beautiful blue cases with sliding drawers & pegs for 250 cylinders. In this case, I think the removal from the cotton lining preserved the wax. However - I also find that celluloid cylinders stored in closed, cotton-lined boxes SAVED them from drying & shrinkage.

I enjoy them all - even my early brown wax and Pathé Salon cylinders.

I screwed up today I put a good wax cylinder on a cold mandrel. I cracked the cylinder. I grabbed one to test the speed on a standard A and forgot about the heat difference between the cylinder and the mandrel. Hopefully I will remember next time to take the machine and cylinder both into the house. Tom B

I like both speeds.I'm wary to play my wax Amberols,though.I do have them on cassette tape.I'm so glad to have Norm's reproduction of Sophie Tucker's "Some Of These Days".I play that when I want to hear the recording.I also have the original wax Amberol on tape.edisonplayer

martinola wrote:For sonic impressiveness, a 2 minute mid to late production gold moulded cylinder in excellent condition is hard to beat. My main beef with the the BAs is the reduced volume with the tendency to be slightly out of round (and therefore extra "wow"). The 2 minute also has the advantage of the shorter duration when demonstrating a machine to the un-initiated. (I try to take it easy on my guests.)

Martin

You're right about duration when demonstrating any machine. Even a minute seems long when you're all just standing there watching and listening!
I get a better sense of just how old these machines and recordings are when demonstrating them to newbies.
Having them all over the house, ready to play for me whenever I want makes them just as contemporary as they were a hundred years ago!
Bob

Generally, I prefer the 2-minute cylinders, as I'm a fan of the music from the earlier parts of recorded history, but when it's a matter of sound quality, I prefer the Blue Amberols. Also, the extended playing time is a big plus.

Cheers!

Hands down 1905-1907 Edison Gold Moulded cylinders in good shape are breathtaking. I actually like the funny pop music of the 1904-1912 era the best. Some great demonstration records and favorites. American fantasie 9103 Come Josephine in my Flying Machine 10505, Mariar by Miss Clarice Vance 9051,Ruben Rag Sophie Tucker 10449, 10360 That Lovin' Rag by Sophie Tucker,That Lovin' Two Step man,by Sophie Tucker, That Loving Soul Kiss Sophie Tucker 10493. Just any of the Len Spencer cylinders, such as "Perdro the Hand Organ Man", Flanagan's troubles in a Restaurant. Billy Murray you're a Grand Old Rag 1906. The British Military Band Edison records have great volume and bass response.