The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Today, a friend and I went to the park for Labor Day. I brought a phonograph and some records. The phonograph was a Harvard No. 1, a small front mount machine similar to a Columbia AK. I had a mix of records from the teens through the forties. They were country western, ballads, quartets and the like. We were playing the records and people were very interested asking about the phonograph and enjoying the records. We were just about done with the first stack of records when the Park Ranger told us to turn down the volume. We explained to him that this was an acoustic machine from 1906. He said if you can't turn it down, then we couldn't play it anymore. My friend was trying to explain to the Ranger how the machine worked, so he kicked us out of the park. As we were packing, a couple of people were protesting to the Ranger. My friend and I didn't want trouble, so we left the park. We were laughing all the way home. Then it hit me: with the Ranger complaining about the phonograph was actually a compliment. I rebuilt the reproducer, and I guess I did such a good job, it was too loud!!! I thought I share this story with the forum. It's actually kind of funny when you think about it.
Harvey Kravitz

Damn old folks and their loud old music! It would have been awesome if you were fined!
James.

It would have been like getting a speeding ticket in a Model T Ford, a badge of honour to be framed and displayed!

You could have removed your sock and 'put a sock in it' until the ranger left.

Next time play rap on a ghetto blaster and there shouldn't be a problem. You probably should not play Collins and Harlan, either.

One of my phono buddies got kicked out of an antique shop. A talking machine was not yet priced and my friend was too aggressive at trying to get it priced in a hurry. Your story tops getting the boot from an antique shop. What a hoot. Jerry

I once read of a collector who made the mistake of aggressively haggling the price of a record with a dealer. He wanted the record for half the marked price.

Eventually the dealer could stand it no longer . He snapped the record in two and solemnly handed one half of it to his tormentor, just to get rid of him.