The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I'm not all that familiar with Edisons but I've always been drawn to the A-150 in oak (I have too many mahogany machines).
Can someone tell me about what I need to look for? Ex:
Are they harsh on DDs?
Is it appropriate to also play electrically recorded DDs on them?
What is the current realistic price range for a machine in good/"no issues" condition?

The entire run of Edison disc machines was remarkably similar in design, apart from the B-60 and B-80 tabletop machines, with interchangeable reproducers throughout. Any well-adjusted machine with a serviced reproducer having a good stylus and diaphragm will handle records as well as the next. A good regular reproducer will not harm electric-recorded discs, though there may be a little blasting at times, in my experience.
The A-150 has a #100 medium-sized horn measuring 15 ½ by 10 inches, smaller than the laboratory models'
16 ¾ by 12 inches. It has a single-spring motor.
The A-150 doesn't appear to have been a popular model with dealers. Quoting from George Frow's book:
"The unstable structure and lack of record cupboard or a drawer had been described by a distinguished jobber as "a thorn in the flesh for some time, and has been a particularly hard model to overcome the objections made by the retail trade."
I've never seen an example in oak, and the albums that were designed to come with this model are very hard to come by.
Others may have a good idea what the current market value is on these.
Bob

Here's some discussion of the oak model.

There are other threads here with pictures too if you search. I would agree with Bob that they are a fairly rare machine but fortunately, if you are a buyer, that does not always translate into an outrageous price.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... graph+a150

Many thanks for the replies so far. I does appear that what I find attractive about these units is what made them so unattractive in the marketplace.
The YouTube clips sound spectacular; thanks for posting.
I would be willing to trade my L-door for an A-150 in pretty nice condition.

You are not alone, I find the A-150 one of my favorite Diamond Disc machines, The B-150 which is very similar, is what started me liking DD machines in the first place. The horn has some Brass parts, wile later models are steel, in my opinion the A series to me has a much nicer overall tone, not sure why. It is interesting if you put the machine close to a wall, and open the back door, and shut the lid you can create some interesting tone modifications, as a kind of reflex system bouncing some back energy off the wall and vary it s bit by how far the door is open. It is just a neat looking machine. How long did those "ivory" governor pads last, mine has them, is this on most A machines??