The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have my first windup machine, a VV-IX bought in high school. My first record player, though, was a nice Voice of Music Songfest portable from Christmas 1957. I played it til it wore out, then took it apart to see how it worked. A great start! There were eight children that Christmas. Two more arrived after we moved to a bigger house!
Christmas morning was like a department store toyshop! Nice memories!

Bob

My Mom was a kindhearted woman who gave all of our old clothes and toys to goodwill or battered women she gave them everything it's all gone . 1960s baseball cards speed skates Mr Machine record player and many other now valuable toys!
This record player was my first 78 and 45 only used a reproducer with steel needles and yes you can play 45s with a steel needle !

Eric

ehs004 wrote:My Mom was a kindhearted woman who gave all of our old clothes and toys to goodwill or battered women she gave them everything it's all gone . 1960s baseball cards speed skates Mr Machine record player and many other now valuable toys!
This record player was my first 78 and 45 only used a reproducer with steel needles and yes you can play 45s with a steel needle !

Eric

My Beatles phonograph, sneakers, lunch box... who knew?

My first phonograph is an Edison S-19 Diamond disc. I bought when I was 35. I am now 47 and still enjoy it very much. I also have a Victrola two Edison Cylinder Machines and two Columbia Cylinder Machines.

Nope, but I still have my 4th phonograph.

1st was a Victor VV-50 clone, 2nd was a VV-50, and 3rd was an Edison S-19.
The 4th is a Mandel #3.

They are just stepping stones of enjoyment.

James.

I still have my first Phonograph, a Magnola Talking Machine. I was 13 when I first got it on 1987, I am now 44. Wow time flies.

Yes. It's disassembled since years ago to completely overhaul the case, but it's still with me, and complete. It is a portable I bought on the flea market for only 3,000 pesetas, the equivalent to modern 18€, and it was1982 or 1983, when I was 19. It's brand is Diana, which I suspect was an Italian second line brand. The speed indicator says 'Lento' and 'Presto'. The hardware is Thorens, single spring motor and soundbox Maestrophone no17, a very good one. The original soundbox was dismantled several times, and the inner fixing ring at the diaphragm edge was pot metal, and got eventually distroyed... But I've managed to get a new good soundbox for it, same model. It was covered in tatty green rexine, and in 1984 I stripped it out completely and renewed it with a flamant red new cover, which lasted several years until it started to peel off by the corners. Some years ago I stripped it off completely again, planning to recover it in its original appearance in green rexine.
That machine was played to death. And I learned everything with it... Don't know the times I've disassembled that small motor! And I've repaired the spring three times. The first two was before I knew anything not any place where I could get a new spring, so I repaired it myself using bolt and nut to reattach the broken part of the spring. By the time the third repair was necessary I had managed to get addresses in uk of spare parts suppliers, soundgen among others. At the beginning, I didn't have but a residual supply of needles, so I kept the used ones and developed an industry to polish them to be reused many times. Still I have the quartz stones and tools to repolish steel needles, and still l'observe the rule to store the used needles and never trash them. I have a full bottle of used steel needles.
That little machine have me many years of pleasure. And this is a Chang to the endurance of Gramophones and 78s. The first few hundreds of 78s in my collection are from these years, and still keep and play many of them.

Yes, I still have mine....though not long ago.

It's a Later 1904 Edison Model "B" Home in wonderful shape ....I just put a brand new Mainspring in it last year..It runs great...as do all my phonographs....except ones currently being restored...lol...

I bought it in 2004, My first year of Phonograph collecting...15 Years ago...Seems like yesterday... Of course, I went out and bought all the books that I could on the subject...Mostly George Paul/Tim Fabrizio Books....which were absolutely wonderful among many other great books. I was a very late bloomer to this hobby...but caught up real quick within a few years...then started doing Edison Machine Repairs in my Central Florida area. Met some great folks along the way in person...Charley Hummel, Tim Fabrizio, Steve Medved and a few others...

All of my machines are Edisons....though someday I will branch out into other brands....mostly Columbia and Victor most likely..

One thing about this hobby, You never stop learning! I guess that's a good thing. My age is 48, I'll be 49 in exactly two months.

If we are being techincal here, I was given my first 45 record in 1974 at age 4, It was the 1972 Recording of Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" His only Big hit...He was a great singer, Just a one-hit wonder...Great song!!! It was a Number 1 hit in 1972. Billy Paul died in 2016. He was a very famous R&B singer. He was a very cool cat.

The EXACT 45 I STILL Have today...See here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-45-rpm ... Swdg5dDlce

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Paul


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Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

NEFaurora wrote: It's a Later 1904 Edison Model "B" Home in wonderful shape ....

If it's later 1904, it will be a Model A Home. The Model B wasn't introduced until October 1905.

George P.

Yes, my HMV 102 which I have had since a child. Still playing it every day.