The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Inigo wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 4:13 pm Thanks for those interesting articles!
The final note of P Wilson about fibre needles and Parlophone records leans on one of our favourite topics; which records are most of least suitable for fibres. Personally, I've found that all those laminated records are not keen to triangular bamboo needles, producing the infamous effect of burning the shellac. I've always felt that this outer layer of these records which has more shellac percentage is the cause of this burning effect. I've always felt that for triangular bamboos, a bit more abrasive surface works much better, as is the case of non laminated records, as HMV or Victor. In Spain, before 1933, records such as Parlophone, Odeon, Regal (our Columbia branch brand name) were all laminated, and produce such burning effect. After that date, all were absorbed by Gramófono (our EMI branch) and no more laminated records were made.
Only apart from our EMI branch was left our independent Columbia brand, which continued making records also with conventional shellac, but used a much finer material which also produces burning and problems with bamboo needles. In the other hand, they are delicious for playing with modern electrical pickups, and are of overall better sound quality than the EMI products. These were associated with UK Decca from 1943 on, and benefited from that company's recording techniques and equipment. In those, ffrr recording was introduced secretly, but its presence is obvious to the educated ears... They sound incredibly beautiful.
Of course, there are the BCN cactus needles, different from bamboos, and now made and sold by our colleague Orchorsol, which are famous for overcoming all these problems...