What brand/model is this?

[New Owner]

Pleasant machine, in a very simple way- the moulded sides give it just a little bit of style. It amuses me that Leonard Markels got a patent for his "new and ornamental design" as the drawing shows the plainest of boxes. The patent office was notorious for that- if you didn't outrageously infringe anything (or even if you did) you paid your fee and got a patent.

What I find interesting is that the tonearm has a taper to it (although it straightens out neat the elbow). If I've read correctly, Victor had a patent on the tapering arm (which added to the audio quality), so I bet this is one of the few off-brands with a tapered arm. Why didn't any of the other brands think of it before? The only downside to this is the tiny horn. It'd probably sound better on a Grafonola or Credenza (speaking of those, I saw one while I was hunting for a 78 player. I didn't buy it because it was painted white and was $500, and it was just too big for my tastes Either I'm a cheapass, or I missed out on a good deal).

Any idea on how this may have been sold? Did phonograph stores exist in the 1920s similar to how electronics are sold at stores such as Best Buy nowadays? Were they sold at general stores and catalogs? Music stores (can't really imagine a record player as an instrument )?

Interestingly enough, when I was first unpacking the machine, I found a wadded up newspaper (probably from when it was in storage. My parents pack ornaments and other valuables that way). It wasn't particularly old, as it was an ad for flatscreen HDTV's, so it was recently stored someplace in a box. Unfortunately, there weren't any needles wrapped up

[Retrograde]

so I bet this is one of the few off-brands with a tapered arm. Why didn't any of the other brands think of it before?(

the victor patent expired, then they ALL thought of it

[Guest]

For needles, just look to the Bay and search "Victrola Needles"....you'll find plenty of them. I use Cyber Tiger's and have no complaints. They are all relatively inexpensive. John

[New Owner]

Sorry to bump this, but I have a couple of questions. As my mom's polishing some set of silverware that came from nowhere tomorrow, what can be used to remove the tarnish from the tonearm/crank/etc.? I accidentally sprayed Lysol on it while trying to clean up the "little seal of approval" my parakeet gave my TV, and found that a little bit of the spray landed on the tonearm. After I wiped it off, I noticed that a little bit of rust was taken off in that part. Also, how do I know whether or not the metal parts were meant to look that way? I know that some metals are often "antiqued" decoratively, and what if there's brass/silver/nickel/gold plating (highly doubt they'd put GOLD on a phonograph, let alone a simple little machine like this )? Would I damage the resale value by accidentally removing this plating?

Also, does anyone know any good places to obtain new gaskets and turntable felt, and all that good stuff? The felt's pretty ratty and coming up in a few areas (probably the handiwork of some long-forgotten cat ), and the gaskets are just deplorable.

[OrthoSean]

"Mothers" polish is very gentle and good for most metal on phonographs, you can find it in the automotive section at Walmart or an auto parts store. In the "Tip, Tricks etc" section here, you'll see others recommend other stuff, so check that out. I wouldn't use Lysol! The felt on your machine doesn't really look that bad, honestly, I usually just fill my kitchen sink up a quarter of the way with some Woolite and warm water and let the whole thing (turntable and felt) soak for about 15 minutes then gently agitate it, you'll be amazed out how clean the felt will come out.

Gaskets can be bought on eBay or from many different suppliers, but personally I buy all mine from the guy every other supplier buys them from: Ron Sitko. Ron has no email or website, but you can reach him at 518-371-8549. He's great to deal with. While you're at it, you may want to measure the mica and check it for cracks or heavy scrathces, Ron can sell you a replacement for a few bucks if yours needs it.

Hope this helps,
Sean

[estott]

I also find that using a wire cat brush on the turntable felt will remove some dirt and also raise up the nap.

[New Owner]

Just found out something interesting. Apparently, the machine DID have a bottom at one point, as there are 4 slots on each side where a bottom cover would have slipped in. I'm guessing that one point or another, the motor needed to be serviced or something like a ring, coin, or potato chip fell in between the grille, and needed to be removed, and whoever removed it failed to replace it. Does anyone with a similar style model (VV-IV, Columbia Favorite, generic off-brand, etc.) know whether the bottom cover is removable in some similar manner? The slats look uniform and aligned, so it wasn't just some person with a file cutting randomly. Maybe it was also meant to go with a record cabinet and it was meant to fit on there so it wouldn't be knocked off or anything.

As my mom works at a school and the teacher workday's coming up, I might have access to the woodshop where I can make a bottom out of some scrap wood, as I know the Tech Ed teacher well

[JohnM]

I rather doubt that this is the same 'Music Master' that made wooden horn-bells for Edison. Those were made by a company that identified itself as 'S&V' on the horn decals, which stands for Schiep & Vandergrif (sp?). 'Music Master' was the trade name of their horns, not the name of the company.

[New Owner]

Indeed, there appears to have been another Music Master company, the Ellis Music Master Company, which made and sold reproducers around 1919, which fits in with the period of my machine.
Here are some ads from the Christmas season of that year.


Note the bamboo needle.

Also, here's another video that I made:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVFWTW68l34[/youtube]
Please excuse my bird. She was excited by the shiny metallic part of my camcorder