RE: Improve tracking reduce record wear on an Exhibition

[Curt A]

An Exhibition mod would be easier than the Victor 2 - all you need to do is modify the mounting flange by sanding the backside on a belt sander. Use a new one and sand it on a 12 degree angle and remount it...

[Player-Tone]

I don't have one handy right now to measure, but I don't think the Exhibition would require the same 12 degree correction as the Victrola No.2 (seen here http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =7&t=13306)

It may be different for the Exhibition due to its thick shape, which moves the needle out farther. At least you won't need to worry about tone-arm clearence if it's the same angle since the Exhibition sits on top verses the Vic #2 at the side.

[De Soto Frank]

Later Ex's (c. 1915) nest alongside the taper-tube...

I will be looking into this for my 1909 L-Door, which has a gold Exhibition, resting on top the Taper-tube.

[ImperialGuardsman]

I don't have one handy right now to measure, but I don't think the Exhibition would require the same 12 degree correction as the Victrola No.2 (seen here http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =7&t=13306)

It may be different for the Exhibition due to its thick shape, which moves the needle out farther. At least you won't need to worry about tone-arm clearence if it's the same angle since the Exhibition sits on top verses the Vic #2 at the side.

You've done some interesting work on this topic. How far off is an exhibition and/or any victor reproducer on the older taper tube?

[Player-Tone]

I don't have an early tone-arm and Exhibition sound-box to measure the exact angle, but that wouldn't be hard to do if you have one. For the Vic #2 I used a note card which I marked the center of. I then took the note card and put the needle at the center marker and aligned the note card with the groove's tangent plane. There is a picture of the note card alignment at the original tutorial page: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =7&t=13306
I then used a protractor to get the exact angle of offset between the groove tangent plane and reproducer.


The picture below shows an easy way to make the custom exhibition gasket after the angle is found, this goes along with Retrograde's idea. Note that this mod would only work for early top resting Exhibitions. The side resting Exhibition must be done as the custom Victrola No.2 gasket was, which will allow for the clearance when folded back. This easy mod will also add unneeded weight to the reproducer, which I will address in my following post.

[Player-Tone]

The above gasket mod would be easier than shifting the brass ring's angle as was done with the Victrola No.2 gasket. However, despite the ease I think the first modification type would be ideal over this. As I stated before, this mod would only work with top resting reproducers. In addition, the added angled rubber base will add unneeded tracking weight to the reproducer. It then becomes a win/loose situation, you improve the tracking angle but you add weight to the reproducer, weight=pressure=record wear.

The original modification style that was done with the Victrola No.2 flange can also be applied here. That won't add as much extra weight because you are replacing the original rubber with a custom angled gasket, verses adding the rubber base to the full original gasket.

[Player-Tone]

The drawing below shows three Exhibition flange gasket cross-sections.

Top- custom angled gasket, done like my Victrola No.2 flange.

Middle- Original Exhibition gasket

Bottom-The above 'easy' modification

Note that the top and bottom gasket will angle the reproducer, but the top does it with the least material-weight.

[JerryVan]

While this is interesting, I prefer to listen to my phonographs the way they were made and the way they would have sounded when new. Warts and all, so to speak.

I don't mean to belittle your efforts here as it is interesting. I just don't like getting too far from the original methods and therefore, the "original" experience. Have fun.

[Player-Tone]

While this is interesting, I prefer to listen to my phonographs the way they were made and the way they would have sounded when new. Warts and all, so to speak.

I don't mean to belittle your efforts here as it is interesting. I just don't like getting too far from the original methods and therefore, the "original" experience. Have fun.

The great thing about this flange gasket is that it improves the performance without hurting the phonographs originality. The primary improvement here is less record wear, which is an important improvement 100 years later as there are fewer 78s. We can’t just run to the store to replace our favorite 78s. If you continue to play the original set-up the record will wear out faster. If the record wears out it won’t sound original anymore, yet the angled gasket can prolong the records life. The gasket will also keep new-old stock records sounding great longer, verses ones played on the original set up. If you like to hear how the phonograph sounded when new, this is the best way to keep doing that. So in terms of audio originality I would prefer this gasket which will keep the records sounding great-longer.

The gasket also doesn’t hurt the phonograph's physical originality. Most flange gaskets are not original anyway, and ones that are should probably be replaced due to hardened rubber.

All the gasket does is allow the reproducer to track the groove better. The sound is still being produced from the original reproducer and traveling down the original sound-tube.