The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The ubiquitous Edison C-250/C-19 Chippendale. Too ugly for my taste. I wouldn't own one.

Victrolacollector wrote:My least favorites would be the Victor Schoolhouse, any external horn disc machine, ...

Interesting, I would have listed those as my favorites. Isn't it great that everyone's taste is different?

Andreas

I think he was joking.

Starkton wrote:An overcleaned Victor VI.

Amberola wrote:I think he was joking.

I think the term is...over-restored.

Well, we seem to have established once again that taste is purely subjective and that one person's trash is another's treasure and vice versa.

Clay

All of the Victors and Victrolas I own are wonderful examples of quality design and craftsmanship, and are all favorites. The Victrola I like the least is one I don't own...the VE 9-54E. For my taste, it is horribly over-designed and looks like an alien being from a sci-fi movie. Others may admire it, and that's fine, but I don't care for the looks of it.

I'm a little late chiming in. I really hate big, plain consoles or uprights. I think they are ugly and take to much space. I'll take an art case console or an upright in a heartbeat. I also hate offbrand machines with bad pot metal parts that are tough to replace or repair. Even though I have 5 Edison Gems, I use them as display machines to play an occasional record. They are underpowered and very finicky to operate. But they are an important part of a collection.
Harvey Kravitz

I never once in forty years of collecting considered the tall case Model B Edison Standard ungainly. I've always thought that machine, with the 2&4 minute conversion, to be the ideal starter cylinder machine. I like the oddball ugly uprights like the Modernola. The Army/Navy Diamond Disk is so ugly I had to have one. I like ugly or quirky with style. I don't care for the nondescript cookie cutter uprights that came out at the end of WW-1. They usually don't have unique style and they generally do have pot metal. We are a diverse group and we should celebrate that quality. Jerry Blais

I think the Columbia furniture consoles are very attractive if in good shape. I own the Regent desk model from 1909 and the Baby Regent table model from 1911. To me they are charming! They are also great to display smaller table models on, since you don't have to raise a lid to play them. Many seemed to say they dislike anything big, but I always thought the Victrola Credenza was a handsome machine. But I do have to admit they do take up a lot of space and are of course a bit harder to sell than the small machines. To me, an unattractive machine is the fairly common Edison C-150. That big circle in the middle of the grille just makes it look boring. And I don't like the cheap looking metal wires that serve as a cheap record storage device.