The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I find the Gold Moulded 2 minute cylinders to be the most exciting!!! The funny silly songs, and great comic records, Down in Alabam,Wishes,Steamboat Bill. There is also Ragtime, good stuff like the Maple Leaf Rag. The Halloween Dance, Arkansas Traveler, Mariar, Sousa Records,Collins and Harlan, Billy Murray. They are 2 minutes 15 seconds Long, just long enough not to be repetitive. My next release on 2 minute brown wax is by a Bluegrass group called the LeveeToppers. Five Miles from Town, Ida Red to name a few. I guess what collectors don't like about them is that they are traditional brown wax, not made of any new material, so they follow the same care as a brown wax record. What Is odd, that chemically brown wax has more metal hardener than moulded records Lets just say from experience that a Gold moulded record contains 50% less aluminum than a Brown wax record! Pretty surprising eh.

If you play naught but celluloid records it will wear much more quickly than it was designed to. That said. Up remember that a sapphire can be turned toe or three times, though my eyes are no longer up to "turning" (or mounting for that matter) a four minute stylus

To add my voice to the chorus:

A 2/4 minute Standard with a horizontal carriage. If it has an O reproducer, so much the better: if not, you can use a Diamond B for BAs, and a ring adaptor for a Model C, H, or K.

Bill

So far the consensus seems to be a Standard D ( maybe a B) followed by the Home/Fireside. So sticking with the Standard for now, is the reason for the preference for the D due to it being a later model? Someone also mentioned the B as an alternative to the D. Is there a big difference between the two on a practical level for display and light use?

Thanks guys.

Another vote for the Standard Model D; it was my first. Very reliable machine.

BwanaJoe wrote:So far the consensus seems to be a Standard D ( maybe a B) followed by the Home/Fireside. So sticking with the Standard for now, is the reason for the preference for the D due to it being a later model? Someone also mentioned the B as an alternative to the D. Is there a big difference between the two on a practical level for display and light use?

Thanks guys.

The Model D came from the factory with 2/4 minute gearing. Earlier models were 2 minute, unless later converted to 2/4. (Edison made conversion kits available to encourage people with older models to buy the then new 4 minute Amberol cylinders.)

I will add my voice to the chorus saying that the Standard D is a great choice.

Clay

The model D Edison Standard is a fine choice for the newbie...but only if the pot metal bearing that is notorious for swelling and seizing up the mandrel good and tight has been replaced and therefore allows the machine to play well. If you find an Edison Standard model D (or model E or model F) that has a seized mandrel bearing then you are best to steer clear of it unless you know exactly what you are doing to replace it or know someone who can replace it for you. Obviously, if the Edison Standard model D you find is in fine working condition then there is no need to be concerned - but 9 chances out of 10 for the Edison Standard model D's, E's and F's that I have found over the years the pot metal bearing was stuck good and tight. So beware of this if you decide on a Standard D, E or F. My first choice given the criteria you have presented would definitely be an Edison Fireside model A. They are compact and wonderful playing machines and never is there any concern about a seized bearing on this model. It will play both 2 and 4 minute cylinders just as nicely as a Standard model D and all but the very earliest Fireside models had the attractive blue and gold striping. The Fireside can also be set up with a Cygnet horn or one of the smaller horns. The Fireside is more difficult to find than the Standard model D but, again, you have no worries whatsoever about the seized bearing. For what it's worth, I have all of the Edison Standard models and I enjoy all of them but I'm only making you aware that before you plunk down your cash for the Edison Standard D, E or F to make certain it plays well before you buy it or you could be in for some tough sledding to get that bearing replaced.

Doug

The advantage of a Standard D is the fact that they don't have an endgate. The previous Edison models had endgates and there is always a chance of damaging a cylinder if it rubs against the endgate. (Please forgive me if someone already answered this question.) Jerry

I have a D with a cygnet horn, K reproducer that will let you play anything you want for 900.00.

Jerry B. wrote:The advantage of a Standard D is the fact that they don't have an endgate. The previous Edison models had endgates and there is always a chance of damaging a cylinder if it rubs against the endgate. (Please forgive me if someone already answered this question.) Jerry

The Fireside model A (and 4 minute only Fireside model B) also has no end gate. While it is true that the Standard model D had the earlier innovative concept of no end gate since it was released 7 months earlier than the Fireside, I still contend that it was a poor design compared to that of the Edison Fireside released in July 1909. The Edison Fireside model A performs every bit as well as an Edison Standard model D but, as mentioned earlier, without the drawback of possessing the pot metal mandrel bearing found swollen on many of the Edison model D and higher models. I suspect that the deletion of the end gate on later model Edisons was a production cost reduction maneuver more than anything else. The Standard model D was surely a workhorse but in my book the Edison Fireside was (and is) a much better looking and much better designed machine. Just my own thoughts.

Doug