The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Marcel’s poll on how much service one applies to a new acquisition and one of my comments on it got me thinking that this might be an interesting poll to run.

I think that the majority of our members collect machines to play records upon them, but it might be interesting to get an idea of what percentage of the machines in a collection are used (as I think that there are some that are collected for the novelty or rarity, but might not be used).

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject.

— MordEth

I chose 0-9% but it's not quite as simple as that.

Almost all of my machines are in good working order and several of them have had the reproducers rebuilt so I play several of them, (about 40) once or twice a year when I'm back in the Minnesota, especially the Amberola 1,s III and Diamond disc machines.

In Czech now the machine I play very frequently is an Edison Triumph E with O and diamond B reproducer. For 78s and DDs I use mostly a modern electric setup, although I have the capability to play them here on original equipment too.

Hi David

Well, I'll have to do the maths first and get back to you with my answer ( )as it is not a 'clear cut' issue with me either!

I have 2 to 3 machines (all very different) which I play fairly frequently but in a similar way to Bruce I have all my machines in playable order and will definitely play ALL of them over a typical annual cycle. Some of the miniatures though hardly ever get used.

Steve

Valecnik wrote:I chose 0-9% but it's not quite as simple as that.

Bruce: I think that you’re a special case, as your collection spans continents. I’m pretty sure that you’re unique among our members for this.

Out of curiosity (post a reply, please don’t change your vote)—what percentage of the machines that aren’t thousands of miles away do you use?

Steve wrote:Well, I'll have to do the maths first and get back to you with my answer ( )as it is not a 'clear cut' issue with me either!

Steve: We won’t fault you for not being exact, although there may be a test on this later this week. Be prepared to do your maths in pencil and to show your work...we can’t have you cheating.

Perhaps later I’ll start a poll regarding how many people play their records primarily on vintage or modern equipment...

— MordEth

I've decided the best thing to do would be for me to count all the machines I've used in the immediate last 12 months and work it out that way!

MordEth wrote:Steve: We won’t fault you for not being exact, although there may be a test on this later this week. Be prepared to do your maths in pencil and to show your work...we can’t have you cheating.

I've just voted and I'm surprised that it's nearly half of them!

If I use "The STEVE Formula" counting what machines I've used over the last 12 months at least one time, it would be about half.

If I apply the same formula to the 4 working machines I have in Czech it would be 100%.

Still though the real workhorse is the E Model Triumph. It get's played almost weekly.

Valecnik wrote:If I use "The STEVE Formula"

And I didn't tell you what the second part of the formula was!

"All those machines not used at least once during the previous 12 months, must be offered to Steve at knock-down, below market price level".

While I realize these polls are just for fun, both of them are sort of ambiguous. I think the percentage of machines one plays is sort of in proportion to the number of machines one has, e.g., if you only have one or two machines, you're more apt to use 100% of your collection.

The other poll...well, I've replaced/regreased mainsprings, but ONLY in the machines that I felt REALLY needed it. If it's not "thumping and bumping," or showing lack of power, I'll leave it alone. Cabinet work for me is not much beyond Kotton Klenser and feeder at this point, but without a nice finish, most machines still look dull. I'm afraid to shellac or lacquer anything until I've practiced on some junk, first.

coyote wrote:While I realize these polls are just for fun, both of them are sort of ambiguous. I think the percentage of machines one plays is sort of in proportion to the number of machines one has, e.g. if you only have one or two machines, you're more apt to use 100% of your collection.

Which is a really good point, and of course, with polls on a forum such as this, is really not something that could easily be considered, without making everyone post to explain their vote, although we could run (yet another) poll on how many machines our members have...although I have no clue how many options that would require or how high the top limit would be, other than ‘too many to count’.

George Paul alone probably falls under the option above, although I doubt he is alone in this...

But yes, I probably should have included:

Disclaimer: MordEth is not an accredited pollster, and the results of this poll should not be construed as scientific data or used as market research or for any purposes in which accuracy is important. The Talking Machine Forum in no way guarantees your results if you opt to ignore this disclaimer, nor has any clue what the margin of error (if any) may be. Trying to analyze the habits of phonograph/gramophone collectors may be detrimental to your health or sanity, and may induce insomnia. Void where prohibited.

I’d hate to lead anyone astray.

— MordEth

What about a poll asking the "How many...." question?

I think it could be interesting but how you choose to add the various answers would be up to you!