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Even though I love to use my machines as much as possible, I’d say my least used machines that are...

Disc: My first machine. My “Northome” portable machine. (Just a generic off brand portable) And The VV 2-55 due to the lid catch and record holder being broken.

Cylinder: My only Columbia machine. The Columbia Q. Simply because I have no brown wax cylinders to play on it.

Your Q should be perfectly capable of playing black wax and celluloid 2-minute records.

George P.

phonogfp wrote:Your Q should be perfectly capable of playing black wax and celluloid 2-minute records.

George P.

Even the earlier ones with the flat key? I couldn’t get mine fast enough even at the highest setting it sounded too slow so I assumed it was only for brown wax records. Maybe I need new governor weights and springs...

This is as fast as it will go...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rjZ27Zcj_Ho

I have a (bad?) habit of anthropomorphizing things that I like. So all my machines have their own personalities and if I do not play one enough, I feel as if they feel they are getting neglected. I cant have any of my "children" feeling left out. Same thing does with cleaning. If I give one kid a bath I have to give them all baths


-Travis

My least used machines would be a Pathé 0, Victor Monarch Jr., and Columbia AH. The Pathé was a real disappointment, because while it's my only machine that has the "inter" sized mandrel, it's just too primitive to be practical (for one thing, the cylinder spins backwards, *into* the horn, and without extreme care the stylus will plow right into the wax). The other two are front mount machines, and hence record grinders--especially the Columbia, which has a relatively big horn. All three are doing duty as display models only. My "avatar" machine, a Pathé Diffusor, doesn't get much use, either, because, while it emits wonderful sound of great volume (when the weather is right; it does best when humidity is low), it is seriously lacking in spring power and will barely make it through one 11.25" record on a winding. Sigh....

Anyhow, the three I first mentioned all live as display models on a high shelf in our music room. I've given each what I thought to be an appropriate animal companion.

AmberolaAndy wrote:

phonogfp wrote:Your Q should be perfectly capable of playing black wax and celluloid 2-minute records.

George P.

Even the earlier ones with the flat key? I couldn’t get mine fast enough even at the highest setting it sounded too slow so I assumed it was only for brown wax records. Maybe I need new governor weights and springs...

This is as fast as it will go...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rjZ27Zcj_Ho

It is even capable of playing those "longplay" 2-minute cylinders at 160rpm reasonably well.

I just tested this on my Q: https://youtu.be/iM6CABP2cbs

Just on past Wednesday I rescued from oblivion and played for an hour my Brunswick Parisian portable, with homemade cardboard resonator cone (I don't own the original) which I made as big as I could, with the only condition of fitting into the lid when folded and stored. It has a problem on the spindle, the upper bearing being worn and slightly out of shape, causing a certain irritating wobble just at 78rpm. Repair is difficult, for it would require redrilling and inserting a new brass bearing, difficult to make at home with no specialised tooling. Otherwise it runs fine and sounds wonderful, with plenty of bass. I re-tuned it, adding soft rubber pads at the balance springs, as it was a record eater. Now it works as a champion, except for the spindle problem which I must address.
Another forgotten is a Thorens hardwared portable of the Decca Trench type. This is neglected due to bad sound issues (reproducer mistuned, bad air leaks in the tonearm junctions ..). It's nevertheless in the queue of projects to improve. The design is not good and it will require some adaptation (don't cringe! If any, it would be REVERSIBLE)
Another one is my first portable, a cheap Italian Diana, also Thorens-hardwared, and very well. The Maestrophone #17 reproducer is a sound bomb!. This rests unplayed, waiting for a major case overhaul (new rexine cover, and perhaps a slight relocation of the motorboard to improve track alignment). Will go next.
My small HMV junior tabletop model (in my avatar, don't know the exact denomination, is the little one with the motor in the middle of the horn, rigid L tonearm from the little exhibition Junior soundbox to the back bearing; very similar to the zonophone cinch). This has a problem with regulator which I must substitute for a new one with new bearings.

AmberolaAndy wrote:

phonogfp wrote:Your Q should be perfectly capable of playing black wax and celluloid 2-minute records.

George P.

Even the earlier ones with the flat key? I couldn’t get mine fast enough even at the highest setting it sounded too slow so I assumed it was only for brown wax records. Maybe I need new governor weights and springs...

This is as fast as it will go...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rjZ27Zcj_Ho

I was hoping you had a 2nd series Q... Others with early Qs have complained about the same problem. I seldom play either of mine, but maybe this afternoon I'll fire up one or both of them to see how they handle a 160 rpm cylinder. I could swear I've played black wax on them, but maybe not.

George P.

United Symphony, Standard Model X2, Pathé Modele 0, Puck, Polly Portable, and the children's phonographs Coronet and Jeannette. I do sometimes demonstrate my Victor R and my Bing Pigmyphone, but more as a novelty demonstration, not to listen to music seriously. My Pathéphone No.29 also gets very little use, but mostly because I don't have great music on Pathé and non-collector visitors don't get the important difference to 78s. Diamond Disks on the other hand are more impressive, simple because they look massive and the have Edison's picture on them.

Andreas

"What is your least used machines?"

The ones that I can't finish....!!!

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

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