The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

To Larry above, thanks — I was able to get the lid back on after a while of gently working with the tabs. To everyone who’s helped — I truly appreciate it. I have ordered 2 new mainsprings and a few hundred soft and loud toned needles. Buying some grease tomorrow — was recommended moly-graph. All that’s left will be to grease everything and install the new spring. I’ve already found myself thinking about acquiring and restoring another broken phonograph — so you could say this certainly has become a new hobby. Even thinking about buying the compleat talking machine book.

With that said, I’m looking forward to being an active member of the forum and community! I’m a 26 year old kid from Winston Salem NC currently in Charlotte NC.. looking forward to learning more about you all and your talking machines!!

Welcome aboard!

If you haven't already found it, here's the Antique Phonograph Society web site:

https://www.antiquephono.org/

Click on the "Articles" tab, then "Introductory," and you'll find 2 pages of article listings that may prove helpful.

George P.

phonogfp wrote:Welcome aboard!

If you haven't already found it, here's the Antique Phonograph Society web site:

https://www.antiquephono.org/

Click on the "Articles" tab, then "Introductory," and you'll find 2 pages of article listings that may prove helpful.

George P.

Thanks George, do you recommend becoming a member?

Iantsimpson wrote:
Thanks George, do you recommend becoming a member?

If you're seriously into antique phonographs, yes I do. Members get a 52-page full-color quarterly magazine full of articles and several pages of advertisements from suppliers, auction houses, etc. PLUS, members have access to on online archive of over 25,000 pages (yes, twenty five thousand) of related material (catalogs, magazine articles, collector publications, all past APS magazines) from 1890 to the present.

There's a downloadable issue of the magazine (from 2013) that the public can see from this page (just below the picture at the top):

https://www.antiquephono.org/join-us-home/

Personally, I think it's time the APS posted a more recent issue! Here's the Table of Contents of the December 2018 issue:
Here's a recent thread with comments from a number of members:
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=38057

George P.

phonogfp wrote:

Iantsimpson wrote:
Thanks George, do you recommend becoming a member?

If you're seriously into antique phonographs, yes I do. Members get a 52-page full-color quarterly magazine full of articles and several pages of advertisements from suppliers, auction houses, etc. PLUS, members have access to on online archive of over 25,000 pages (yes, twenty five thousand) of related material (catalogs, magazine articles, collector publications, all past APS magazines) from 1890 to the present.

There's a downloadable issue of the magazine (from 2013) that the public can see from this page (just below the picture at the top):

https://www.antiquephono.org/join-us-home/

Personally, I think it's time the APS posted a more recent issue! Here's the Table of Contents of the December 2018 issue:

contents.jpg

Here's a recent thread with comments from a number of members:
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=38057

George P.

Oh wow... I didn’t realize you were the president... unless there’s some freak coincidence hah. I’m definitely signing up... I feel the articles and past magazines etc would be very helpful for me. it looks like it would make more sense for me to sign up for next years membership so I’ll do that unless you tell me otherwise. Nice to E-meet you!

Ps—One of my best friends played basketball at Hobart — mentions the finger lakes often so must be nearby.

Iantsimpson wrote:
Oh wow... I didn’t realize you were the president... unless there’s some freak coincidence hah. I’m definitely signing up... I feel the articles and past magazines etc would be very helpful for me. it looks like it would make more sense for me to sign up for next years membership so I’ll do that unless you tell me otherwise. Nice to E-meet you!

Ps—One of my best friends played basketball at Hobart — mentions the finger lakes often so must be nearby.

Well, yes, I am the president...but that doesn't mean I'd recommend the APS for everyone. There are folks who really don't care much about knowing the early history of the industry, a company, or a particular model of phonograph. A surprising (at least to me) number of collectors are content to deal with their phonographs pretty much in the "here-and-now," like an attractive paperweight. Many tinkerers just want to get their phonographs running again, and aren't overly concerned about originality or historic integrity. It may sound like I'm being critical, but I'm not. People are wired differently. Many pragmatists are not romantics. For these folks, APS membership might not be rewarding - unless it opened their eyes to another dimension of collecting.

On the other hand, if a person enjoys history and the thrill of learning about people and ideas long dead - yet embodied in surviving artifacts - the APS might well be worth the cost of a Starbucks coffee every month. It certainly has been for me, and around 1000 members worldwide apparently feel the same.

Yes, join for 2019 and you'll have online access to all the back issues of the magazine. If you want hard copies of back issues, many issues are available. The APS looks forward to welcoming you aboard!

George P.

PS: Hobart/William Smith College is located in Geneva, NY, which sits at the north end of Seneca Lake (largest of the Finger Lakes). Nice spot. That's about an hour east of where I live, at the western end of the Finger Lakes.

George — I’m all signed/paid up and looking forward to technically being a member come January 1st! Love the history. Learning about the Sonora phonograph company has been a lot of what I’ve enjoyed about this “project” that is quickly developing into a hobby. I was reading another thread http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 7&start=10 about the most recent quarterly. Would love to hear more about the victor documents that were found and preserved. Any way I can get a copy if there are any left?

Iantsimpson wrote:George — I’m all signed/paid up and looking forward to technically being a member come January 1st! Love the history. Learning about the Sonora phonograph company has been a lot of what I’ve enjoyed about this “project” that is quickly developing into a hobby. I was reading another thread http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 7&start=10 about the most recent quarterly. Would love to hear more about the victor documents that were found and preserved. Any way I can get a copy if there are any left?

Welcome!

You're able to log in to the online archive already (Rod's fast). The December 2018 issue is in there. If you'd like a complimentary hard copy of it, just send a note from the "Contact Us" page of the APS web site:

https://www.antiquephono.org/contact-us/

Give your name and address and your request. As a new member, our Treasurer will be happy to send you one!

George P.

Thanks again for the above, George! Can't wait to receive the quarterly!

With that said, back to the task @ hand.. I ordered 2 mainsprings and a few hundred soft and loud needles from a recommended parts guy I found via the forum. He recommended I use Moly-graph lithium grease on the mainsprings and I read on the forum to lubricate everything else with sewing machine oil, please let me know if there are any other recommendations!

Also.. went to 3 goodwills in town last night.. First 2 had nothing at all in the way of 78s but at the 3rd I struck gold. I found 6 78s total including some Harry James, Rosemary Clooney, Carmen Cavallero, and the Charioteers. Found a record store about 45 minutes away that sells 78s, the owner said a lot of collectors schedule "meetings" with him daily... looking forward to checking his place out. Called Jampack records (or something similar). Other than eBay (recently bought a Bob Wills 78 off of there) and Craigslist, are there any other good ways or places to find records online?

Yes, there are good places.

You go to the Yankee Trader and inquire!

Gramophone-Georg was selling 250 early Victor 12" discs (mainly orchestra and classical) for like $500. That's a lot of money but that's a lot of great 1910s and 1920s music to listen to--and it being classical means it's going to be enduring, artistic, and a ton of fun.

And they have all other types too. In fact, I'm trying to get rid of a bunch of 1940s records now.