The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

From what I can find where people have posted their 'D-2' it seems that the record player is recessed into the base, where mine is flat on top. Maybe a difference in year model? Sure would be nice to find an original ad from Columbia with the picture of mine on there

Welcome to the group. We have a varied lot of collectors here. Some only seek the rare and some seek the well know an popular brands. Some like my self enjoy the machines and have little care if I have a lovely machine I like no matter who made it. In fact some times the better off brands as the Cheney was described are very good but just didn't ever manage to buck the big guys like Victor and Columbia for their share of the business. It doesn't mean it not a well built and interesting machine, not to me anyway. I have had both Cheney and columbia machines and like some I enjoyed the rather Mission look that they used on many of their machines. What at the time I never seemed to manage was the rebuilding of the reproducer which like Sonora used a buffering material between the springs from what I recall which made it difficult at the time for me to get it to play as well as I would have liked. Beauty in in the eye of the beholder and if you like it thats all that matters.

Yes Welcome!

I was just a beginner about a year ago. By buying my first machine and tinkering and taking it apart as well as educating myself about different brands I was able to know the do's and don'ts of phonograph collecting. I am sure if you keep you eyes peeled you will find some more nice machines. My mouth dropped when I saw the price at which you got those 2 machines! I over payed for my first machine at $300.00 for a Amberola 30. I own a Columbia Grafonola and am very happy with it's performance. It's a good idea to replace the gaskets to reduce blasting from the mica. Be careful not to loose the small nut or strip the nut threads! Also sand the tonearm bearing and oil it if needed, as this swells and does not work well ruining your records.I love the Cheney. These were high quality machines and also perform well. I wish you good luck in your new found hobby!

Best Regards
Brad

I really don't think 300 for an amberola 30 (unless it had some issues) is overpaying at all.

The ol. Amberola had very bad veneer peeling all over the machine. It was missing its gear cover and the mandrel's plating was completely worn off leaving it a brass color. It was missing the grille. It had the wrong crank. In my opinion I could have got a better machine for the money.

Best Regards
Brad

phononut wrote:It's a good idea to replace the gaskets to reduce blasting from the mica. Be careful not to loose the small nut or strip the nut threads! Also sand the tonearm bearing and oil it if needed, as this swells and does not work well ruining your records.

I think I'm going to have to google every part you just mentioned so I have an idea what it is lol

rt71486 wrote:

phononut wrote:It's a good idea to replace the gaskets to reduce blasting from the mica. Be careful not to loose the small nut or strip the nut threads! Also sand the tonearm bearing and oil it if needed, as this swells and does not work well ruining your records.

I think I'm going to have to google every part you just mentioned so I have an idea what it is lol

Easier yet, invest in a copy of "The Compleat Talking Machine" by Eric Reiss. (That's the way he spells "Complete" in the title, by the way.)

It's a must-have book for anyone involved in this hobby. It walks you through most basic, and some advanced, repair steps, and is full of photos identifying parts, etc.

The book is available or can be ordered from most well-stocked major book sellers including:

http://www.amazon.com/Compleat-Talking- ... 1886606226

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Comple ... 1886606227

Does anyone know if the Cheney has any sort of volume control? It plays nice, but is very LOUD.

Were these your first phonograph purchases? If so, what a GREAT way to start off! I'm jealous.

rt71486 wrote:Does anyone know if the Cheney has any sort of volume control? It plays nice, but is very LOUD.

Most acoustic disc phonographs relied on different needles to control volume, unless they had doors that could open & shut over the horn, louvers like your Columbia, a bicycle brake type cable with a ball tat could move in & out of the horn throat, or a small board that slid across the horn opening via a rod & knob at the side of the cabinet.
As your machine appears to have none of these, then you will needd to rely on soft, medium & loud tone needs to control the volume.
Soft tone steel needles are fairly thin in diameter, and the thicker they get, the louder they get.
You can also try fibre needles (cactus & bamboo) as they have quite soft volume, produce less surface noise from your records, and they are actually regarded as the safest needles to use because they do not damage shellac discs like steel needles do.
Your other alternative is to remove your grille while playing the machine, and "put a sock in it".