The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have an Edison nickel-plated brass needle-cut reproducer which I can't figure out what machine this came standard. Was it for an Edison P1, an Edison combination radio/phonograph or something else? The one I have came as part of a Diamond Disc 78 attachment. The reproducer fits perfectly. I understand Edison did not sell these types of attachments, but could they have changed their mind when they sold the Edison portable line?

Any information would be great as I would love to know what I have here

Scott

I seem to remember these were introduced in the Edisonic era and were available with one of those machines.

Sean

Your reproducer likely came from the first Edison portable, known as the Needle Type Portable. Frow describes this reproducer on p.183 of his Diamond Disc book, though oddly, the photo of the Needle Type Portable shows the reproducer used on the P-1 and P-2.

The Needle Type Portable was only available from January 1929 to August 1929. I've personally never seen one. They are barely mentioned in Edison literature and must not have sold well at all.

Thanks you for your replies so far. Do you think this reproducer could have been sold with a P1 and/or a P2 portable? I have a friend who has the P1 with this configuration, but nearly all the others I have seen have the pot metal reproducer. Was this reproducer available as an upgrade?

There was a later portable model marketed by Edison that used this reproducer. Attached is a picture of it. Also made by Prime, it is sometimes referred to as the model P-3. But I don't know if it carried this designation on a nameplate as I've never seen one close up.

I've had a couple of those fine reproducers. One came on a P-3 portable, and the other came with a very late Edison Schubert.

When you have a moment, compare your brass Edison Needle Cut reproducer with a Columia Viva-tonal unit. you will find that the covers interchange, the stylus bars, diaphragm, pivots, ball bearings,nuts and screws and center ring are identical, and the back plate assembly may be moved from on to the other. I suspect that these units may indeed have come from Bridgeport, rather than from Milwalkee or St Louis.

Uncle Vanya wrote:the other came with a very late Edison Schubert.

I wish I could recall just where I saw / read this, but wasn't the Edison company offering this attachment late in the game once again with this reproducer? I know I've seen a couple of these for sale just like this over the last 20 years.

Sean

gregbogantz wrote:There was a later portable model marketed by Edison that used this reproducer. Attached is a picture of it. Also made by Prime, it is sometimes referred to as the model P-3. But I don't know if it carried this designation on a nameplate as I've never seen one close up.

This is what Frow calls the Needle Type Portable, which he says came out before the P-1 and P-2. I'm not sure where the "P-3" name comes from. Edison used P-1 and P-2 in his marketing literature, but did not refer to this machine as a P-3.

The tone arm attachment on this looks very complicated; hardly what one would expect on a portable. Could it be more likely a lateral adapter for an Edisonic?

Bill

http://www.gracyk.com/diamonddisc.shtml

"...Moreover, Victor products cannot be played on an Edison disc machine unless the machine has a special adapter. Edison's company made "lateral" soundboxes (to play non-Edison discs, such as Victor 78s--Diamond Discs are called "vertical"). They originally sold for $1.50 but are rare today. The Victor company never made such adapters. Various small companies also made such adapters. Sadly, the adapters usually perform poorly."