The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Of all the “big daddy” machines, the Opera is the only one I’ve never really wanted! A good 2/4 Triumph, without an endgate and with a wood cygnet, plus an O and a diamond B, gets you more flexibility and the same sound quality at a far smaller price.

Yes, the Opera has a fantastic mechanism, but the hole in the lid thing has always struck me as an awkward kluge. So if you’re able to hold out for either flavor of big Amberola I, that’s a good goal.

The 5-10 year thing you mentioned is quite real, as well.

drh wrote:

BillH_NJ wrote:

Roaring20s wrote:You must be the only kid in the county with a harpsichord!

James.

And it was a kit I built 40+ years ago.

Very pretty instrument. Zuckermann?

Hubbard. It was the second kit I built (and the last).

Andy,

As to the Opera/Triumph conundrum, I will put it in the context of Model T Fords. I tell folks interested in buying a "T", you can spend $5000 on a "T" or $100,000, but regardless of the price, the fun and camaraderie will be the same. I believe it's the same with phonographs.

Hi everyone,

I know I already posted my collection in April of last year, but since then the room has changed quite a bit. Hopefully this will be how the room will stay for awhile... I really need to stop buying them (My girlfriend is laughing at me while I am writing this)

So here is my phonograph room! I got the credenza on Tuesday.. I will make a post about it when I have some more time.

Cheers,

David

Very nice! I do however feel the need to ask what’s behind that blocked-off door…

PeterF wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:38 pm Very nice! I do however feel the need to ask what’s behind that blocked-off door…

It's the guest bathroom.... no one uses that door anyways

David

dzavracky wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:31 pm ... I got the credenza on Tuesday ...

Your in deep stuff now.
Well past the tipping point.

You have a nice phonograph room, and quite big! You've been bit by the phonobug, and you'll never stop! Yet you have plenty of room yet to fill in! Nevertheless, as you discover new and better machines, it may well be that some of the ones you have will loose interest for you, so you may consider swapping machines when you acquire a new one, or selling one of them. For me, the trick would have been that, but I only swapped once, and I still regret it, and miss that machine!
I'm afraid this phonobug has no cure.
I've stopped buying, due to my oversized collection (in my circumstances) and to the pandemic. But I'm still missing to get one good external horn gramophone, one big hmv.... And an EMG /expert too... And one gramophone designed and made by me... And....

Inigo wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:08 pm You have a nice phonograph room, and quite big! You've been bit by the phonobug, and you'll never stop! Yet you have plenty of room yet to fill in! Nevertheless, as you discover new and better machines, it may well be that some of the ones you have will loose interest for you, so you may consider swapping machines when you acquire a new one, or selling one of them. For me, the trick would have been that, but I only swapped once, and I still regret it, and miss that machine!
I'm afraid this phonobug has no cure.
I've stopped buying, due to my oversized collection (in my circumstances) and to the pandemic. But I'm still missing to get one good external horn gramophone, one big hmv.... And an EMG /expert too... And one gramophone designed and made by me... And....

100% agree with this post!!! I even went as far as to call in an auctioneer a few years back to clear out my overgrown collection of project machines and common machines. It was getting awkward...

Guess what.... I am still buying. I told myself that I would become very picky and only buy rare machines or great examples. Well, I have been in the right place at the right time and just booked a buying trip this weekend to get an EARLY Granby model. My last quest to pick up an off brand led to the seller leading me upstairs to show me (and then sell me) his early external horn Disc Graphophone. It never ends.... But, that is okay.

Thank you everyone!

I am really happy with how the room has turned out. I have been working on finishing up my projects (which seems like a never ending spiral because I just added two more . The credenza and the edison bell portable). I cannot wait for my electric machines to be working

A few people have asked me "How does a credenza compare to a Cortez"? Well I can't fully answer that question yet because I haven't done any work on the credenza yet. The potmetal reproducer is in pretty sad shape... but I just put the reproducer that was on the 2-55 on the credenza. But at the moment this is all I can say:

The Cortez has a "warmer" sound than the credenza, but the Credenza has much better bass. The biggest difference that I have noticed is that the Cortez sounds the same whether you are sitting on the floor or standing. The Credenza sounds better sitting on the floor than it does standing in front of it.


David