The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Well, folks, here's a video of my version of the Paul Dodington method of playing Pathé vertical records on any kind of Victor orthophonic machine (for Paul's method, google his name and CAPS 2011--he presented on this topic at the Canadian Antique Phonograph Society in 2011).

The video picks up a good deal of surface noise, as you will see. I assure you, when you put the lid down almost all the surface noise disappears and what comes through the horn is very, very nice for an acoustical recording. Even with this imperfect video, you can hear the violin coming through strong and vibrant.

My main variance from Paul's method is that I angle the reproducer up and away from the record surface so that I did not have to bend the Pathé stylus very much. The up-side of this variance is that the less-bent stylus is better at transmitting the signal; the down-side is that the angled reproducer brings the stylus across the record a bit behind the normal arc that (if one could play through the record label) would end at the spindle.

Another (small) variance of mine is that I had the thumb screw cut down by a jeweler to create extra clearance between it (at this "vertical" orientation) and the record surface; this too to lessen the need to bend the Pathé stylus very much.

The record is Pathé 22417 B, Joseph Samuels playing "Medley of Country Jigs."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k7NIUqR ... aQ&index=1

Ralph

P.S. This is one of my more worn-out Pathé vertical discs; came to me that way with some skips. But I'm a softy for Irish music and wanted to share this particular recording.

That was great. Despite the hiss, I thought it sounded loud and clear. Thank you for sharing the video.
Harvey Kravitz

Thanks, Harvey. Below I'm providing a link to another video of this application, this time with a disc in somewhat better condition and with the LID DOWN for most of its play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkQr80XKhhU

OK, I'll end my initial contributions to this string with the same disc featured in the video link immediately above (the Pathé vertical of the Joe Gibson Orchestra) but this time played on a Pathé machine (my Pathé Actuelle or paper cone machine). Judge for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbEOq1K ... re=mh_lolz

Yes, folks: I did remove my Pathé Actuelle turntable and cone from its very beaten-up cabinet and have temporarily converted it into a "table top." One of these days I'll put all the parts back together again (probably when I sell the Pathé Actuelle).

(I say this so that the Pathé brethen on here won't come charging at me some dark evening from an alleyway).