The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Still have it, a Victrola XIV, inherited from my grandmother when I was 7, (54 now). Mom was going to to throw it away, but a I pitched a fit for it. (Playing it was the only fun thing to do when visiting Grandma, so I got kind of attached to it.) Was in the family since new I believe.

I've still got my XIV as well. Bought it in 2014 and I still have & use it.

I still have the first phonograph I rebuilt the motor on, a Victrola X c.1915. I keep it in the living room (with my wife's permission). I used axle grease on the springs and that smell comes wafting out every time I open the lid. January, 2013

I keep an old Specialty label record, Little Richard "Long Tall Sally", on the turntable. Blows folks away when I demo the machine for them. Not exactly what they expect. The grandkids love it, ask me to play it every time they come to visit.

Cliff

I got my first phonograph in August 2009, exactly 10 years ago. My wife brought it home from a furniture auction. The one record that came with it looked strange, quite different from my old 78s. So I went on Google only to find out that I had an Edison Diamond Disc BC-34 and that it was as incompatible with my 78s as Beta-Max with VHS. That did not hold me back from restoring it, because it was in pretty sad condition. Now I was hooked and started searching eBay for a real 78 player. I found a HMV 1a hornless table top model and it only went downhill fast from there

I still have both machines, even though they're not valuable. My BC-34 has a very prominent place in our family room and the HMV is in a guest room. I have a hard time parting with machines that I put a lot of work in, but these two have a very special place in my heart.

Andreas

I was fifteen and would scour the huge Sunday want ad section for a phonograph I could afford. I saved $15 from my paper route. I finally found one and it was close to home. It was an XI and it was "best offer." I immediatley called him and offered him the whole $15. This was about 9 in the morning. I gave him my phone number. The man said, "Okay. I'll let you know if yours is the highest offer."

This was gonna kill me waiting all day to see if I was the "best offer!" That was one of the longest Sundays -- or any day -- in all my 15 years!!!

I ran to the phone every time it rang. But, no. It was my Moms friends, or it was for my older brother or older sister.

Finally, the phone rang about 7 that evening and it was the nice man telling me I was the highest bider!!!

I couldn't wait to go pick it up. My parents couldn't do it -- they had company -- it would have to wait until my father got home from work and then we could pick it up after dinner. A full day!!!! Oh, no!!!

My brother got home about this time after being with his friends and I talked him in to driving me the few blocks to load it up.

When we got it home, my parents, especially my mother, weren't too happy about this piece of "junk."

My parents were immigrants from Italy, and, to them, the XI reminded them of harder times.

But, up into my room it went along with the few 78s we had -- mostly opera, classical and a ton of Carlo Butti records.

It stayed there until I took it with me when I moved out.

It now sits in my dining room amid our other phonographs and turn-of-the-last-century dinning set.

Thanks goodness my wife and kids love this stuff and all our other antiques, phonographs and, cars.

I hope I didn't bore you and thanks for listening

*Bump*

Here’s the photo of the very first machine I got in 2008. The brand name says Northome, apparently it was a Minnesota brand? But you know how companies slapped a badge on the same machine. I wonder who the manufacturer was.


I didn’t get my first name brand machine until February 2016. (Which is why I consider that the date I started collecting machines.) The Edison London Console which I sold at my garage sale last year so I could afford my Credenza.


My very first record player in general was some BSR turntable I bought from Goodwill in 2002 when I was 12. Of course I tried to DJ scratches with it and play LP records on the 78 speed because I thought it was amusing, or tried to play a record backwards...Records were quite a novelty to me. Before that I never played a record before. Back then Vinyl was considered to be dead as VHS tapes are today. My mom broke it when she was angry about something I did.

alang wrote: it only went downhill fast from there

Andreas

I am still amazed at how fast it went downhill for me. I bought my first machine back in July of 2017. It was a brunswick York model that I got for $60. My dad told me not to get it, because the reproducer was messed up and it couldn't play a record. But I just couldn't walk away .
I took it home and fiddled with it and with some help from my dad we got it to play correctly! I was so intrigued by it, I kept looking for phonographs on craiglist and facebook. Then one day I saw an ad for an Estate sale which had some rare portables and a brunswick Cortez.I called and asked about them and the lady said the Cortez was $600 but it would be half the price if it was still there the next day. I didn't even know what the Cortez was at the time, but all I knew is that it was big and I really wanted it. Boy that was a long 24 hours... not knowing if someone was going to buy it. I raced into the sale the next morning as soon as it opened, saw it was still there and literally threw the money onto the table and said "Ill take it!" (all the portables were gone, another collector came and bought them. Why he didnt buy the Cortez too I have no idea). But since I had this new machine, I needed to sell the York, and the two others I had at the time.

So as a long winded answer, no. I do not have the first three phonographs that I got.

Almost three years later here I am, with 9 phonographs, and 2 project ones in the garage I have actually run out of room so the collection has come to a stop for now. Isn't this hobby fun?

David

I bought my first phonograph just about 50 years ago. A friend of mine and I went to a flea market one Sunday afternoon and one guy had a whole room full of phonographs. I found one I liked and asked how much he wanted. He said $45. My friend and I pooled our money and came up with $44. I went back to him and said "we've only got $44, but we both want a hot dog which are $1 each. I'll give you $42. He took it and I've still got it. It's a Victrola XVII in good, original shape.
Here's a photo of it in our parlor:

Here is my first phonograph, which I will never sell. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21672
I had to have it as soon as I saw it.

Yes, an Edison Standard. In the summer 1993 my wife and I had just been married and were living in Cleveland at the time. We had visited an antique fair and came across Norm and Jean Smith’s ‘Wonderful Windups’ booth where they had several phonographs for sale. I had never seen or heard an Edison machine before and after a quick demonstration of the Edison Standard playing Harlan & Collins ‘Snow Dear’ we were hooked. We had a few dollars from wedding gifts and we had them hold it for us while we ran to the ATM. I blame this moment in time with what would become a life long obsession for me. I suspect that my wife regrets this moment when my obsession began.