The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hey! Oak ain't bad either! Please click on thumbnails pics to see full size.

Bedplate paint was shot so has been re-done, otherwise original....







Steve OK, mahogany looks pretty darn good too Bruce.

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

schweg wrote:Hey! Oak ain't bad either! Please click on thumbnails pics to see full size.

Bedplate paint was shot so has been re-done, otherwise original....


Steve OK, mahogany looks pretty darn good too Bruce.

Steve,

I'd agree with you that the oak aint bad either. In fact I couldn't decide which I preferred so eventually ended up with one in golden oak too.

Bruce, Knowing how much you like those early A- DD machines, somehow I am not surprised!! An excellent choice, er choices.

Steve

They're wonderful and the reason I want one in the worst way is that the original two piece horn is just slightly bigger than the " lab model" 250 horn that replaced it. Consequently, the A 250 should sound slightly better, than the B and C 250, all things being equal. I have wanted one of these beasts since first I saw one that belonged to the late Bill Bryant. It was one of the very first: with louvres on the side like an Amberola 1A . It was also filled with DD's in the coloured presentation boxes, so the machine must have been one of demonstrators that the company sent out to the jobbers and premier dealers in late 1912. I've always wondered what happened to it.
Jim

Lenoirstreetguy wrote:They're wonderful and the reason I want one in the worst way is that the original two piece horn is just slightly bigger than the " lab model" 250 horn that replaced it. Consequently, the A 250 should sound slightly better, than the B and C 250, all things being equal. I have wanted one of these beasts since first I saw one that belonged to the late Bill Bryant. It was one of the very first: with louvres on the side like an Amberola 1A . It was also filled with DD's in the coloured presentation boxes, so the machine must have been one of demonstrators that the company sent out to the jobbers and premier dealers in late 1912. I've always wondered what happened to it.
Jim

Now that would be something to have. They do turn up with the louvres from time to time too. I had one years ago with louvres, now owned by another member of TMF. I sold it when I picked up the A300 which also had the louvres, probably a mistake.

Regarding the larger horn and better sound,with the grill removed the earlier horn might be slightly better but in any of those A or B series the grill frame makes the horn opening a bit smaller and slightly restricts the sound, even with no grill cloth. I also have a W250 and I think that it sounds better than the A250, probably the best sounding DD machine until the Edisonic. The reason is that the grill is very large and there's lots of open space around the horn. I think it fills the room more. I had them side by side in the same room for awhile so it was easy to do an accurate comparison.

Without a doubt though the A250 has a much classier look than the later W250. IMHO.

I think you may be right about the W 250. I've never been around one that had a decently rebuilt reproducer in it so I can't really judge. But the horn cavity is huge and I note they were used in a lot of the later tone test recitals...that is to say after 1919 or so. There had to be a reason because the C 250 was the star seller.
Here's a W250 in a one of those private tone test ads that Edison did with the really high end artists who were too big to be expected to make a tone test tour . This ad dates from 1919 I think. I'm too lazy to go downstairs and rummage through the National Geographics to find it again.
I agree: there is something " funny " about the proportions of the W250 cabinet that I can't quite put my finger on. The console version is much more pleasing to the eye. The upright looks better with the lid open that it does when it's closed for some reason.

Jim

Lenoirstreetguy wrote:I think you may be right about the W 250. I've never been around one that had a decently rebuilt reproducer in it so I can't really judge. But the horn cavity is huge and I note they were used in a lot of the later tone test recitals...that is to say after 1919 or so. There had to be a reason because the C 250 was the star seller.
Here's a W250 in a one of those private tone test ads that Edison did with the really high end artists who were too big to be expected to make a tone test tour . This ad dates from 1919 I think. I'm too lazy to go downstairs and rummage through the National Geographics to find it again.
I agree: there is something " funny " about the proportions of the W250 cabinet that I can't quite put my finger on. The console version is much more pleasing to the eye. The upright looks better with the lid open that it does when it's closed for some reason.

Jim

My W250 also had an unrestored reproducer. At the time I compared them I used the same rebuilt reproducer on the various machines to eliminate any difference due to that.

Regarding the council version of the William & Mary, the frame around the grill and, I think, smaller space for the horn plus the much lower placement of the horn all combined to give it a less full sound than the upright version. Aesthetically I'd agree it's probably more pleasing. Sure takes up alot of room though!

Someone should make copies of the cardboard dividers that go in the drawers. The dividers are most always missing and a set can not be so difficult to reproduce.

Covah wrote:Someone should make copies of the cardboard dividers that go in the drawers. The dividers are most always missing and a set can not be so difficult to reproduce.

Wasn't Carsten Fischer making those?