The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

winsleydale wrote:Where at? What is a Rey machine? You have my interest now...

Drafted autocorrect!

NO!

DRATTED AUTOCORRECT!

I wrote "very nice machine" and got "Rey"

For that price you could have a decent Victrola Granada with a perhaps iffy reproducer, or a Starr Tudor art console, or a really interesting, very late Silvertone Tru-Phonic in a "Wall-type cabinet" which rather looks like a radio . Then there are the parts machines, and the slightly more expensive stuff, like. a couple of more-or-less restorable Credenzas, a really clean VV 4-40, na early Victrola IX, and a couple of Brumswick-Radiola combinations with Ultona, and then there is the what-all in the building out back. Not nearlyasmuch as I had before the fire, but I still have entirely too much stuff.

Mr Grumpy wrote:I'd drive 4 hours to have coffee with Uncle Vanya, but he hasn't invited me yet.

For $100 to $200 you'll eventually find a nice Victor VV-80 or XI which IMHO will play your 78's much
better than this. If it's truly just to listen to your discs, then consider an Orthophonic machine as
well.

Absolutely!

A little Consolette or 4-3 plays the pre-1925 Acoustically records better than a ritually any other machine, and does a very fine job with later records, too. You might hold out for a Cnsolette, for it is a machine that one will keep even if one has bigger and "better" machines as it is small, attractive and useful. Unfortunately I haven't any spare Consolettes at the moment, but yousouldn't have to wait too long for a nice example to turn up, as they sold very well indeed.

winsleydale wrote:Funny you should say that; these guys got me thinking, and so I searched outside of my immediate area and found this. http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/atq/4811053206.html What say you? Is it a good price?

Both are nice machines. The portable is really excellent, and carries a reproducer that will generally be found with good pot metal. The 8-12 is a nice enough machine, but I find it's high frequency response to be somewhat decficient. Some would call this "mellowness". On the other hand it is housed in one of the most attractive cabinets to ever have been shipped from Camden.

Mr Grumpy wrote:I'd drive 4 hours to have coffee with Uncle Vanya, but he hasn't invited me yet.

For $100 to $200 you'll eventually find a nice Victor VV-80 or XI which IMHO will play your 78's much
better than this. If it's truly just to listen to your discs, then consider an Orthophonic machine as
well.

Well, I'm in Jonesville and in Hillsdale. If you are ever traveling down the Chicago Military Road (US 12) we are just a b
Ock north n M-99. Perhaps we could get together over a Stanton's sale weekend!

Uncle Vanya wrote:

Mr Grumpy wrote:I'd drive 4 hours to have coffee with Uncle Vanya, but he hasn't invited me yet.

For $100 to $200 you'll eventually find a nice Victor VV-80 or XI which IMHO will play your 78's much
better than this. If it's truly just to listen to your discs, then consider an Orthophonic machine as
well.

Well, I'm in Jonesville and in Hillsdale. If you are ever traveling down the Chicago Military Road (US 12) we are just a b
Ock north n M-99. Perhaps we could get together over a Stanton's sale weekend!

I'll remember that! I hope to be at Stanton's in April and will look you up.

winsleydale wrote:Funny you should say that; these guys got me thinking, and so I searched outside of my immediate area and found this. http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/atq/4811053206.html What say you? Is it a good price?

For what it is worth, I have both the 8-12 and portable pictured in the add. I like the sound of my 8-12 and I love the cabinet. A Credenza does sound better, but the 8-12 is a good runner up in my limited experience. The highs are muted as is the low base, but overall the sound it quite nice. The portable is ok, but if it were me I'd buy the pair and sell off the portable to recoup some of the expense of the 8-12. Good Luck!
Matt

Buy both, keep the portable, sell some typewriters...

Lol, I only have one typewriter (a Royal KHM which I love). Anyway, I just got home with both machines. Pics to follow. The soundbox is pot metal, and covered in hairline cracks... I'm gonna leave it alone. I have them switched out for now. Will an Orthophonic reproducer take standard gasket tubing?

winsleydale wrote:Will an Orthophonic reproducer take standard gasket tubing?

No,they use a thin paper. The ones I've replaced look to be covered in black rubber stuff, but I believe the replacements I bought were actual rubber.

If you happen to have any pond liner in your 11x11 room, I've used that to cut the appropriate circle
gaskets. I was too impatient to wait for delivery so made some 'interim' ones.

Getting back to that Brunswick Ultona, I used to have one. As I recall, those Brunswick consoles have a solid wooden panel in front of the horn grille. You lean the panel forward and it swings down and pushes in under the horn like a Columbia Grafonola.