The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

One of my main interests regarding phonographs is cylinder recording and I have been in search of a good machine to use for that purpose. Obviously the best choice would be the same thing the studios used, the Edison Triumph, however up until yesterday I had not discovered one that was within my price range or met all of the qualifications I was looking for.

Thanks to a nifty country auction I now am the owner of a really neat all-original Model B Triumph, complete with Hawthorn and Sheble Horn crane, Triumph Paneled Horn, 2 / 4 minute gearing, and...a repeater mechanism!

What you see is the machine, untouched since the sale aside from some polishing and oiling of the carriage arm rod.

The horn crane is perfect for recording as it can extend to accommodate horns larger than the 12-panel Triumph horn, as well as be adjusted up or down for ideal positioning.

It's pretty gummed up but I got it lubricated enough to get the repeater mechanism to function in 2 minute gearing.

Attached are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.


-Jake

Congrats on your find. I am still waiting to find a Triumph in the wild that I can afford.

Your photos are excellent. Are you a professional photographer? Can you share any tips on taking such great photos?
Dave

Congratulations jake. You have the "flagship" of the Edison line. You could pay more but you were paying for additional trim level not performance. Jerry Blais

Congratulations, what a nice find. If it plays ½ as well as it looks you have a keeper.

Bruce

Congratulations - - it looks like a beauty!

George P.

Great score, looks really nice.

Regards Marcel

What a lovely machine. These are not easily found in the UK. Like to see its original condition. Routing through my phonographic documents I came across this extract, which maybe of interest as it mentions Triumph phonographs and recording. I believe it is a 'flyer' from 1982. Perhaps someone on the forum has an attachment.

Congratulations indeed!

Clay

I greatly appreciate the kind remarks. It's really an honor to finally have a Triumph in my possession and I anticipate getting a lot out of the machine.

My photographs in this post are hastily done examples of the work I do documenting and cataloguing art and historical pieces. All I can really say about technique is that it is important to learn what your personal camera is capable of and working with its strengths.

The post about the OWL reproducer is interesting. I've never heard a cylinder played with HIFI equipment but I imagine there's a bunch of information that is accessed that is otherwise inaudible with acoustic playback.


-Jake

Triumphs are What the studio used as well They are second to none. I don't think their are records worth having that are not recorded on a Triumph (multi-spring Graphophones are good too.) And for recording, do you mean recording from cylinders and digitizing them, or the opposite recording from digital sources,and analog or live to brown wax blanks. Either way the triumph is a winner for recording cylinders. Any questions you have I would be happy to answer about dubbing and making good sounding records. I really suggest having about 3 recording heads. A good mica diaphragm for general recording, on a 1905-1914 era recorder. A 1905-14 era with a glass diaphragm and a standard speaker style recorder with glass diaphragm and I suggest making a clip on extra weight of about 20 grams so that you can make loud records, that do not blast. The early style recorder is my recorder of choice, it is not as sensitive as the later recorders, but sounds good to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ-9-A3r ... YWEVp--pcA