US Opera Cylinder Phonograph

[SonnyPhono]

I have been working on a cylinder phonograph made by the U.S. Phonograph Co. for a few weeks now and thought I would post pictures for reference now that it is nearly finished. The U.S. Phonograph Co. made several cylinder phonograph models even though they were only in business for a matter of a few years.

The model I have been working on is the Opera, which was their top of the line external horn machine. The Opera is a big phonograph by means of cylinder machines. It weighs around 70 lbs., much of which is due to the motor. The 3 springs are 18 feet long and 2 inches wide and it resembles the Triton motor used in Edison's Spring Motor and Triumph phonographs. The Opera I have been working on is original and in very nice condition both cosmetically and mechanically speaking. The only issue is the same problem that most U.S. phonographs have. The reproducers were made of pot metal and due to their complex design, they almost all have fallen apart in one way or another by now. I have the top portion of the reproducer, but am missing the internal parts so will continue my search for the parts to rebuild it. (A long shot...I know!)

Anyway, here are some pictures of the Opera machine. To help demonstrate it's size, the last picture shows it side by side with a Victor III for comparison.

I would love to find a reproducer for this machine so if anyone comes across one or knows someone who has one, please send me a PM. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Jerry B.]

Thanks for sharing. That is certainly a substantial and impressive machine. I am sorry that I can't help with the reproducer issues. Good luck! Jerry Blais

[Valecnik]

You did a very good job on the cleaning. Now just the challenge of the reproducer!

[FloridaClay]

A stunning machine Sonny!

You might try George Vollema, although a good Opera reproducer might be a stretch even for him.

Clay

[kirtley2012]

You may end up having to make or modify the parts, ive never seen anything like that reproducer before, i dont know about anyone else but it cant be common!

[phonogfp]

Great looking machine, Sonny!

I've already given you my advice via PMs - - if you have an access to an original, have the parts duplicated, with extras made for others. Goodness knows there are a number of inoperable U-S machines out there due to the reproducer problem. If any board members have the same problem as Sonny, perhaps you'd care to express your interest in a price quote for a set of reproducer parts. It's a shame to have these machines sit idle when they might be brought back to life.

Good luck!

George P.

[gemering]

Beautiful job!
I love the photo of the Opera and Vic III side-by-side.
Good luck finding the reproducer.
I am going to the Wayne, NJ show in a few weeks.
I'll ask around for you and keep an eye out!!!
Best regards,
Gene

[SonnyPhono]

You did a very good job on the cleaning.

Thanks! The hardest part of the entire cleaning process by far was the motor. It was a nightmare. Here are a couple pictures of the cabinet and mechanics before cleaning.

Here are the same components after.

[SonnyPhono]

...if you have an access to an original, have the parts duplicated, with extras made for others. Goodness knows there are a number of inoperable U-S machines out there due to the reproducer problem. If any board members have the same problem as Sonny, perhaps you'd care to express your interest in a price quote for a set of reproducer parts. It's a shame to have these machines sit idle when they might be brought back to life.

George P.

This is a good idea, George. I do have access to a complete original that functions and sounds fantastic so that wouldn't be a problem.

Is there anyone on the board here who has a U.S. machine with the same issue? If so, send me a PM and if there is enough response, I can look into having the pot metal parts machined.

It would be very expensive but it's worth looking into. Like George said, there are many machines out there with the same problem and it's a shame there isn't a solution to fix them at this time other than searching for an original replacement.

[estott]

Is the flexible tone arm all metal or does it / did it have a lining?